posted by - Israels History - A Picture a Day
Jews around the world commemorate the holiday of Shavuot this week, the day on which tradition says the Torah was given to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai.
The Torah -- also known as the Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses -- has been the foundation of the Jewish faith for 3,000 years, the basis for the monotheistic Christian and Islamic religions, and an inspiration for spiritual, moral and ethical values.
Torah scrolls in the ark of the Istanbouli Synagogue in the Old City
of Jerusalem (circa 1930), "one of the oldest synagogues
in Jerusalem." The synagogues in the Old City were all
destroyed after the Jewish Quarter was captured in 1948.
(Library of Congress)
The Torah scrolls are handwritten with quills by God-fearing scribes on the parchment made of the skins of kosher animals. One skipped or illegible letter of the 304.805 letters of the Torah makes the scroll invalid for reading in the synagogue service. A Torah damaged beond repair is buried.
continue reading Celebrating the Giving of the Torah, plus images here.
In Honor of the Jewish Holiday Shavuot, We Re-post --
The Book of Ruth Comes Alive
in Antique Photos Taken 100 Years Ago
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot-Pentecost will be celebrated this week. The holiday has several traditional names: Shavuot, the festival of weeks, marking seven weeks after Passover; Chag HaKatzir, the festival of reaping grains; and Chag HaBikkurim, the festival of first fruits. Shavuot, according to Jewish tradition, is the day the Children of Israel accepted the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is also believed to be the day of King David's birth and death... continue reading here
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