London – A Sefer Torah, estimated to be approximately 800 years old and written by world famous sofer Reb Yitzchak ben Reb Yisroel of Toledo, Spain, shortly after the death of the Rambam, is scheduled to be auctioned off at Sotheby’s in London on July 6th as part of their Western Manuscripts and Miniatures collection. Sotheby’s estimates the value of this Torah to be between $290,000 – $430,000.
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While today’s sifrei Torah follow a precise layout, in years past there was significant variation between communities in the layout and even the spelling of words in a Sefer Torah. Before the secular year 1000, each community kept to its own traditions and there were significant differences in the writing and format of Sifrei Torah. In early thirteenth century Spain, there began a process of coming up with some sort of standard for all Sifrei Torah. This particular Torah was written in the midst of this significant process.
In an exclusive interview with VIN News, Yehuda Hershkowitz, an Israeli private research says, “The importance of this scroll lies in the fact that it was written at the period when the final form of the Torah scroll began to take shape. This Torah seems to be the only remaining witness of this editorial process.”
This historic Torah, which is in very good condition, has been owned by a private collector in the United States for the past one hundred years.
Online: Sotheby’s
There are many prominent museums and academic institutions as well as private collectors who have expressed interest in bidding on this important piece of judaica and is likely to go for over half a million dollars. Its not clear if the sefer itself is kosher or pasul but its not intended to be used but to be displayed.
Based on the photograph, this sefer Torah would not be accepted by todays standards due to the close spacing of one word next to another making two words appear as one in several places.
Can someone please answer this question for me. We were taught in yeshivah that every letter in the torah is written in a specific way and have deep meaning. If according to this article, the torah has gone through many changes and modifications until a “standard” was established in the year 1,000, then the torah we read every day is clearly not identical to the original version given to moses
As we’ve been burned, so to speak, on the history of many Sefer Torahs, I’d hope the people involved with this one have done an in depth investigation.
#3 just got a dose of reality. Before the printing press numerous errors crept into many Sefer Torah’s. Case in point, just look at the dead sea scrolls. They have numerous scrolls of each sefer in the Chumash and very few are identical. Historically and geographically this makes a lot of sense. Imagine you have communities that are very isolated for hundreds of years. Communities being chased out of one country and driven to others. The miracle was that we survived at all and that we were not wiped out. Many Rishonim discuss Tikun Sofrim and the correct missoret text. Even Rashi has some commentaries on pesukim that are different than our chumash. The Rambam used Ben Asher’s version whose Chumash is still available. After all said and done, many Rishonim ruled basar rov. They would analyze a bunch of Sefer Torahs and would decide the correct text Basar Rov. hoped this helped, if you want more info you can ask in the comments and I can write in more detail.
To clarify the postings about different traditions with regard to Sifre Torah, yes there are minute differences of style between traditions, but there are no differences with regard to the spelling of words, that is merely a tool of scoffers.
1. The only differences have to do with implicit versus explicit vowels, i.e. whether or not a ‘vav’ is expressed or implied in a word and are very rare. This is the primary reason why one is required to attend his specific shul during the readings of the four parshiot, because there have been halachic opinions surrounding these minute technical differences for centuries.
2. To be clear, there is not a single word or consonant that differs between any kosher Sefer Torah of any minhag.
3. The Dead Sea Scrolls were in a geniza: i.e. they were buried because they were not kosher.
I compared the two ktuv yads and I found numerous differences between them. In almost every letter, there is a segnificant difference.
Email me for the picture of the ktuv yads.
Its just unbeliveble
Can u imagine what this sefer tora went thru in 800 years of jewish history
Maseches Sofrim 6:4
I noticed 2 differences in spelling than what we have today.
דר עקש ופתלתל – In today’s seforim it is written – דור
זכר ימת עולם – In today’s seforim it is written – זכור
It is also interesting why these 2 lines – זכור & כנשר
are written out of the line.
There is NO consensus regarding stumos and psuchos. In fact the Allepo Codex (one of the oldest and most guarded Tanachs in the world) whose stumos and psuchos were considered the authoritative Tanach by the Rambam and numerous other Rishonim and Achronim and whose layout is available today in the blue Toras Chaim chumash was the basis for answering halachic questions regarding all these issues for centuries. The format of stumos and psuchos from the Allepo Codex is NOT followed today and you can take out a few Torahs from the place where you daven as I have done and you will see for yourself that even within Ashkenazic Toras there is no standard format for stumos and psuchos.
Wow 800 years !!! is this scroll older than the R”an Sefer tora now in JNUL?
Yossi:
The Sefer Torah of the Ran was written in the fourteenth century, this one was written in the thirteenth century, so it’s 100 years older. Also, you should know, that many people claim that the Sefer Torah attributed to the Ran is actually from a much later period, and that the evidence for its antiquity was forged.