Manhattan, NY – The independent synagogue Tamid, located in downtown Manhattan, has unveiled its new Torah, entirely written by a female scribe, this week as celebrations for the High Holidays begun.
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The Torah, the first one ever written by a woman for a Manhattan synagogue, was unveiled the morning of Rosh Hashana at St.Paul’s Chapel, the oldest house of worship in New York City and where the congregation resides.
The scribe, Philadelphia native Julie Seltzer spent two and a half years writing the 304,805 letters scroll. She was chosen for her work as an educator, artist and community builder.
“Being a female scribe is something very new in the Jewish tradition,” she said in a video posted on Tamid’s website about the new Torah. “It has been traditionally forbidden for a woman to write a Torah. If she did write a Torah, it would not be accepted as Kosher.”
“I have the honor to be a role model for girls and young women,” Seltzer added. “I really love the idea of being part of the link in that chain of history.”
Tamid practices what they call “positive Judaism,” which focuses on ways Judaism can help one enhance their personal well-being.
“We have an expanded view of tradition and Jewish law,” the founding Rabbi, Darren Levine said. “While we respect the ancient ways, we live in a different era and our tradition needs to evolve to stay relevant to the values we hold dear today; equality among men and women is just one of these modern values.”
Over 450 people involved with Tamid have also left their mark on the new Torah as well, by writing letters in the scroll with Seltzer’s guidance.
“The truth is that we did not commission Julie to write our scroll because she is a woman,” member of Tamid’s Leadership Council Alla Liberman said. “We commissioned Julie because she best reflects our vision for positive Jewish life in the 21st Century.”
Maseches Gittin daf מה
אמר רב נחמן נקטינן ספר תורה שכתבו מין ישרף
רמב״ם
יג ספר תורה תפילין ומזוזות שכתבן אפיקורוס ישרפו. כתבן כותי או ישראל מומר או מוסר ביד אנס או עבד או אשה או קטן הרי אלו פסולין ויגנזו שנאמר וקשרתם וכתבתם כל שמוזהר על הקשירה ומאמין בה הוא שכותב
This should be perfect for the Women off the wall. They could hide it under their skirts nobody will object.
The Tirah is not Kosher.
They’re searching for attention. On the highest level. She would even work for 2 1/2 years. Just to get a little bit of attention.
פיין מעשיגע
I wouldn’t name them reform. Rather retarded. No agenda just attention.
“Being a female scribe is something very new in the Jewish tradition,”
A new tradition is an oxymoron.
I am appalled at the gall of these reformists. They have the nerve to tamper with Kedushas Hatorah and Kedushas Yisroel during the Yemai Hadin. This news report is terrible news for Klal Yisroel, and a grave embarrassment for all.
Rosh Hashana for these heretics is observed at St. Somebody’s chapel. tells you a bit about who these sickos really are.
She was chosen for her work as an artist and community builder. These are not criteria to be a sofer. Yiras Shomayim is. Nowhere found in this situation.
Woman scribe, not accepted as Kosher. This one isn’t either. It needs to buried with shaimos. Halacha.
Positive Judaism – all Yiddishkeit is about doing the Ratzon Hashem. Your personal welfare and PC garbage is narcissism.
I wish all these heretic sick people a speedy refuah. May they have a chance at teshuvah.
Now sifrei Torah need a megilla yuchsin. How much lower can they go? A scroll with Chumash printed by hand written by a woman and dedicated for services that take place in a church.
So now in addition to having to worry whether a Torah was written by a mechallel Shabbos in Slonim, we’re going to have to worry whether a Torah was written by a woman.
Such feminism! Such egalitairanism! Such openness! Such diversity!
It’s the closest thing to Judaism.
The Sefer Torah is pasul. Now we’re going to have to verify the author of any Sefer Torah we buy. Rachmanah Littzlan.
Which Synagogue wouldn’t even follow the laws it’s supposed to represent?
Great… Because this is exactly what we need in Judaism, more feminism! /sarcasm_off
this torah is as kosher as if pope john wrote it. this torah has the halachah as ‘sefer torah a hrertic wrote’ and its an obligation to burn it…see mes shabbos yrah dayeh hichos sefer toorah
Mazal Tov!
If the idea helps marginal Jews more want to do something Jewish and inspires young girls in particular, why not applaud?
Did they do an aveyra?
Nebach, such misguided yiddin.
IY”H they should be zocheh to find proper ways to channel the powerful koach that pulls at every yiddisheh neshamah, seeking a kesher with elokei avosainu.
To those who condemn, how inspired would the Tamid people be were they to walk into YOUR shul during kriyas hatorah, with all the gossiping and yakking going on?
“She” is really a man. She is one of the new world transgender creatures so the “Torah” is kosher after all! “Her” real name is Yoel.
None of the people who commented here bothered to check Halocho. The Halocho is clear. A woman may write a Sefer Torah. Look it up,
How fitting that it was unveiled in St. Paul’s chapel. Maybe, St. Paul’s will read from it.
I don’t know if a woman is allowed to write a sefer Torah or not, but I do know that a man who is commissioned to write a sefer Torah has to have the proper kavonos when writing it and should go to the mikvah before writing. I think it is very important to know the source of the sifrei Torah one uses.
There was a story published in one of the Pesach or Succos magazines about a real mother of 3 Sifrei Torah. Her name was Margalite. The first S.T. she bought with her came from Yemen and was confiscated when she got to E.Y. The second Sefer Torah was commissioned when she was a patient in a leper hospital and the shul where it was used burned down, the Sefer Torah had to be buried. She then borrowed against her retirement from the Israeli government to commission a 3rd Sefer Torah which is still in use. Eventually she was released from the hospital and was able to repay the loan. That is a real mother of a Sefer Torah.
Forgot to add: She is no longer with us today. May her memory be a blessing to all of us.
There is no issur for a woman to write a sefer Torah and the derisha says that according to the tur, the sefer is kosher.
So a torah written by an apikores is in the right place a church