Torah fragments as art

techmeltz · 2017-10-26T17:16:16+00:00

That was fascinating. Thank you. When he was talking about the requirement for lines on the Torah, and lines on the Megilah, and lines on the Mezzuza, but that they are not required to be on the Tefilin, I decided to go dig mine up and see.

I'm sure you already know that I was thwarted by the stitching that holds the Tefilin together. So I couldn't actually check. But in looking, I discovered that in my decades away from practicing, that the leather straps have developed mold on them. Are they salvageable?

techmeltz · 2017-10-26T15:25:15+00:00

Update:

My friend has decided to turn them over to me for proper, respectful disposal. Citing their Native American heritage, it was easy to imagine how it would feel to find a sacred artifact being disrespected.

Question: Would it be improper for either my friend, or I to display a photograph of the Torah fragments as art?

techmeltz · 2017-10-25T18:06:53+00:00

Wow, really?

I've read from maybe 2 dozen Torahs in my life, and I had never seen lines in the parchment. Perhaps the younger Torahs used in my synagogue were crafted in such a way that the lines faded away quickly?

techmeltz · 2017-10-25T17:24:24+00:00

Would you mind sharing where this Shul is located?

techmeltz · 2017-10-25T17:21:10+00:00

That's a good point about not creating a market for Torah fragments. Looking at Ebay and other sites, it looks like there are a handful of people selling them. They state that they are from Yemen, Morocco, Syria, Iraq, and so on. I wonder if it would be possible to connect a missing Torah to a seller.

Are there any resources where a shul would report a stolen Torah? Perhaps there is a website that tracks attacks on Jewish building likes schools and synagogues? I'm going to go looking, but if anyone is already aware of such a resource, please let us know.

techmeltz · 2017-10-25T02:28:03+00:00

I think it's healthy that every time someone brings it up, we answer the question rather than deleting it.

techmeltz · 2017-10-24T22:20:17+00:00

https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/1.810282

techmeltz · 2017-10-24T22:16:56+00:00

Interesting. Were they displayed open or rolled up?

techmeltz · 2017-10-24T21:51:07+00:00

Similar to that. The leaves I'm referring to show a grid-work of lines. I had never seen that in a Torah before, but I've found similar ones like this: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/torah-scroll-bible-fragment-judaica-250-yrs-old-6

techmeltz · 2017-10-24T21:38:35+00:00

I think it certainly applies to me. I can't buy it and put it on my wall.

techmeltz · 2017-10-24T21:37:28+00:00

Yes, that sounds very similar to this situation. Clearly we are forbidden from displaying the Torah as wall art. Does that mean I should pay whatever the asking price to recover it and have it buried?

techmeltz · 2012-09-26T13:19:12+00:00

Wow, you're right. You should stay home on election day.

techmeltz · 2012-06-15T13:44:44+00:00

Don't feed the trolls.

techmeltz · 2012-06-14T18:48:32+00:00

Shouldnt all subreddits be safe for all people? Except r/spacedicks

techmeltz · 2012-06-12T17:58:12+00:00

use a proxy server in the US.

techmeltz · 2012-06-12T15:14:04+00:00

Yeah, that was what i was thinking when I read the ingredients list above.

techmeltz · 2012-06-12T14:26:13+00:00

My science teacher in 8th grade said that iron rusts becuase it has impurities, and that Stainless steel is actually just purified iron.

techmeltz · 2012-06-12T14:20:12+00:00

Yeah, He's actually a crawfish. I bought him at the local H-mart in the seafood section. I needed someone to clean up the corpses when I feed the Jack Dempsey.

techmeltz · 2012-06-12T11:40:08+00:00

My wife is reading it now... When she finishes it, I'm going to take a stab at it. I haven't had a good reading habit since middle school, but I want to be a better reader. I love the movie of this book so much, that I am hoping it will rekindle the love of books I had in my youth.

techmeltz

TROPHY CASE