Katharina Hadassah Wendl
The main objective of “ToRoll: Materialized Holiness” is to research the codicological, theological, and sociological phenomenon of Jewish scribal culture in the Diaspora. But what does the Torah itself say about scrolls?
In our project, we explore the material aspects of medieval Torah scrolls and research interpretative approaches to Tagin and Ottiyot Meshunnot, letters in Torah scrolls with decorative features. We delve into halakhic aspects of writing Jewish ritual texts, are interested in the manuscript traditions and in pedagogical features of scribal manuals. Although we do not directly research the meaning and significance of Torah scrolls in the Tanakh itself, it is crucial to understand how the Torah speaks about scrolls. The Tanakh is the basis for early rabbinic texts that discuss how to make Torah scrolls and what meaning Tagin and Ottiyot Meshunnot have. Now, where do scrolls feature in Tanakh? The following, albeit selective, exploration of verses and narratives featuring scrolls shows that ritual scrolls shall strengthen the Jewish people’s capacity to remember and encourage repentance.
Moshe was the one who brought down the Torah from Heaven, Jewish tradition tells us. It is not mentioned in the biblical account, though, that he received a physical scroll (e.g. Ex. 18-19, 24, 34, Deut. 4, 9, 10). In other instances, it is Moshe himself who writes down laws conveyed to him by God, e.g. in Ex. 24:4, Ex. 34:28 and Deut. 31:9. Finally, Moshe is commanded to write down “this song” in Deuteronomy 31:19, which he promptly fulfils in Deuteronomy 31:22, containing at least the section Haazinu (Deut 32:1-52). Halakhists later interpreted this verse as referring to the commandment for every Jew to write their own Torah scroll.[1]
There are also other narratives about scrolls and their writing in the Tanakh. These narratives employ the words ספר תורה, ספר, or מגילה to describe different kinds of scrolls and highlight their significance for remembrance and repentance. In Exodus 13:11-16, God commands the Jewish people to have “signs on your hands and between your eyes” so that they will remember that God redeemed them from Egypt. These signs are Tefillin, rabbinic literature explains, that shall be affixed on one’s arm and between one’s eyes.[2] The commandment to blot out the memory of Amalek is also to be written in a book (Ex 17:14). In a similar vein, the salvation of the Jews instigated by Esther and Mordechai is memorialised in a scroll (Esther 9:29-32), serving as a witness for future generations.
Scrolls in Tanakh are also media of repentance. In 2 Ki 22:1-20, the righteous king Yoshiyahu strengthens the Jewish people’s adherence to the commandments upon discovering a lost scroll of God’s laws in the Temple. His son Yehoyakim, though, behaved displeasingly in God’s eyes. In Yirmiyahu 36, Baruch ben Neriah, a professional scribe, writes prophetic words of rebuke on a scroll using דיו (diyo – ink; Jer 36:18, the same word is used nowadays for ink used to write ritual texts), and presents them to the king’s officials. Unwilling to believe what is written in the scroll, the king burns it. This scroll could have been a catalyst of repentance, but King Yehoyakim, unlike King Yoshiyahu, did not grasp such an opportunity; he spurned it.
Writing, though, can be an expression of joy as well. Ps. 40:8 uses the scroll as a metaphor and portrays it as a source of joy. This scroll recounts times when God came to save the Jewish people. The speaker will bring it to proclaim God’s righteousness. In Ps 45:2, the speaker’s tongue that is praising God is compared to the pen of an expert scribe (עֵט סוֹפֵר מָהִיר). This phrase – סוֹפֵר מָהִיר – is also used to describe Ezra in Ez 7:6.
This brief exploration of verses and narratives featuring scrolls shows that ritual scrolls and their messages shall strengthen the Jewish people’s capacity to remember key events of the past in which God intervened on their behalf. Scrolls are signs and symbols of the commandments that Jews were instructed to fulfil in response to God’s direct communication. Scrolls also serve as media for repentance. The words written on them, be they laws, praises, lamentations, or curses, shall encourage the Jewish people to reflect on and fulfil their covenantal obligation. Finally, the joy of having received the Torah and all its commandments is celebrated on Simchat Torah, a festival centring around completing and starting the yearly reading of the Torah, which is accompanied by dance and song.
The potential of scrolls for remembrance, repentance and joy are central to Jewish belief and appear frequently in the Tanakh. Practical and halachic aspects of how scrolls are written, though, do not feature prominently in the Tanakh and are, at best, mentioned in passing. The commandments to write a Torah scroll, to have them as signs on one’s arms and between one’s eyes (Tefillin) and to write down the story of Purim are all mentioned in the Tanakh, but are left to later authorities to discuss and elaborate on how they are to be carried out.
[1] Sefer HaChinuch 613; Mishneh Torah, Positive Mitzvot 17; Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:1; Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments 18:1; Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, Positive Commandments 24:1; Sefer Mitzvot Katan 155:1-2; Tur, Yoreh Deah 270.
[2] bSan 4b; bMen 34b; bMen 36b; Rashi and Ramban on Exodus 13:16.