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Manhattan, NY - 730-Year-Old Torah Goes on Auction |
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Manhattan, NY - The oldest complete Spanish Torah scroll will be up for sale at Sotheby's Judaica auction 
on November 24.
The scroll, the only Spanish Torah to include the kabbalistic traditions of curved letters, has an estimated worth of $300,000-$500,000.
Yitzchok Reisman, a world-renowned sofer (scribe), discovered the 730-year-old scroll about 10 years ago, and was able to date it and identify its origin.
Reisman has collected Torah scrolls from around the world for 50 years, and says this is one of the most significant scrolls he has ever encountered.
The scroll is written in typical 13th-to-14th century Central Northern Spanish style Hebrew script. Reisman points specifically to the narrow "peh" and the left legs of the letters "kuf" and "hey," which touch the horizontal stroke.
"There just aren't Torahs of that age to study," Reisman told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
Scholars are especially interested in unique tagin, or crowns, set in the Spanish scroll. These tagin have never been found in other scrolls.
The Torah is complete and in a near-kosher state.
"It's in rather good shape," Reisman said. "It was used not long ago, but I don't think it could stand regular synagogue handling."
While Reisman does not have the facilities to take care of the valuable antique, he hopes the winning bidder will find a good home for the ancient scroll.
"I hope it will go somewhere where it will be honored, and they will take care of it," he said.
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Read Comments (20) — Post Yours »
1
Nov 08, 2009 at 07:08 PM Anonymous Says:
If this Torah Scroll is legit, and really 730 years old, $500,000 sounds way too little.
2
Nov 08, 2009 at 07:09 PM Anonymous Says:
There are some Spanish museums adding to their judacica collections who have been buying up sepharidic stuff at recent auctions at prices that are astronomical. It would be surprising if this sefer did not find a new home in Barcelona or Seville.
3
Nov 08, 2009 at 07:16 PM Just Thinking Says:
Awesome! the only thing stopping me from bidding, is that one lottery ticket.
5
Nov 08, 2009 at 07:54 PM LESKID Says:
An East Sider! He has his shop on Grand in FDR in the co-ops
6
Nov 08, 2009 at 07:53 PM Are you an authority? Says:
Ridiculous comment unless you actually are a collector and know about these things.
7
Nov 08, 2009 at 07:52 PM Raphael Kaufman Says:
Why would you doubt it's authenticity? If Sotheby's says it's 730 years old, you can bet on it.
8
Nov 08, 2009 at 08:47 PM Mordechai Says:
It's listed at the sothebys' website that the torah was carbon dated to the 13th century.
9
Nov 08, 2009 at 08:40 PM Anonymous Says:
“ IMO it's not authentic and i believe that although it's an old Sefer Torah it's not that old.”
I'm sure your right since after all, you sold your sechel at an auction years ago. Otherwise, how else could you make such a dumb comment. Sotheby's Judaica experts (many of them goyim) still know more about authenticating a sefer torah than any sofer alive today. If they say its real, its real.
10
Nov 08, 2009 at 09:37 PM Anonymous Says:
That Torah should be in a shul if Kosher or under the ground if not
11
Nov 08, 2009 at 09:00 PM Anonymous Says:
If its really that old it should go for atleast 850.000
12
Nov 08, 2009 at 11:14 PM Anonymous Says:
“ That Torah should be in a shul if Kosher or under the ground if not ”
“ That Torah should be in a shul if Kosher or under the ground if not”
Its a kosher sefer but too delicate to be used in shul for kariah on a regular basis. Perhaps you will have your beis medrash go out and buy it...its private property and belongs wherever the owner wants it to be...
13
Nov 08, 2009 at 11:46 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Why would you doubt it's authenticity? If Sotheby's says it's 730 years old, you can bet on it. ”
poster #4 is an expert collectoir
14
Nov 08, 2009 at 11:45 PM Anonymous Says:
I hope a museum buys it because it will not last another century without proper climate controlled environments such as carbon and oxygen neutral holding cells. The U.S. constitution is being protected by multi million dollar "plexiglass" compartments so the document will never decay or degrade over time.
15
Nov 08, 2009 at 11:42 PM Anonymous Says:
To #6,7,8 &9 - Actually Aron Stefansky is a well known figure in Judaica circles. So I guess he is entitled to an opinion on the matter!!
16
Nov 09, 2009 at 06:14 AM Hold your tounge Says:
#9: true they'd be able to authenticate it, but they don't know about the religious value of such a sefer torah with such a ksav etc. (seems like you didn't win the bid on that sechel you mentioned). Besides, Sotheby's or Christie's, Jew or not, doesn't mean you are right, period. They have made their fare share of mistakes too when it came to evaluating.
17
Nov 09, 2009 at 11:44 AM Anonymous Says:
No one is asking you to buy it.
18
Nov 09, 2009 at 05:13 PM Moshe Rosenwasser Says:
You write "These tagin have never been found in other scrolls". Actually, they were fairly common up to about 200 years ago, in both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. I wrote an article on the subject of special taggin in Hamayan Vol 46 #3, pp 22-40 and specifically described a sefer torah from Alsace loaned by my father ZTL to the YU library, which contains these tagin. A lengthy treatise on the subject appears in Torah Shelema volume 33. Traditionally, in the word le-shimtza be-kameihem in parshas Ki-sissa, the the leg of the Kuf to the roof. This practice ceassed about 2 centuries ago.
19
Nov 10, 2009 at 07:10 AM Yehuda Sonnenblick Says:
“ You write "These tagin have never been found in other scrolls". Actually, they were fairly common up to about 200 years ago, in both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. I wrote an article on the subject of special taggin in Hamayan Vol 46 #3, pp 22-40 and specifically described a sefer torah from Alsace loaned by my father ZTL to the YU library, which contains these tagin. A lengthy treatise on the subject appears in Torah Shelema volume 33. Traditionally, in the word le-shimtza be-kameihem in parshas Ki-sissa, the the leg of the Kuf to the roof. This practice ceassed about 2 centuries ago. ”
Nevertheless, if you look carefully at the authoritative תקון תורה לסופרים ולקוראים, תצלום כתיבת יד של מנחם דוידוביץ, which is used today by many scribes, you will note that the kuf of בקמיהם is written with the leg almost, but not quite, touching the roof of the kuf.
20
Nov 11, 2009 at 01:21 PM I mean, seriously? Says:
OH, in YOUR opinion! Are you a Sofer? Did you personally examine this?
You have the chutzpah to actually criticize a Sefer Torah and call it a fake with no knowledge, no examination, no credentials?
You can probably avoid punishment by pleading insanity. N one will challenge you.
Idiot!