My rabbi tapped me to carry the Sefer Torah during this morning’s services, something that I haven’t done in a very long time. It’s quite an honor, although the cynical among us point out that one of the ways to achieve a decent crowd on a less-observed holiday is to dole out the honors to as many people as possible.
In any case, the festival service for Shavuot is way shorter than the Big Two, and now that I work at home, I could accept the honor.
It was a small showing, but most of the people there knew the songs and prayers, so everyone took part. I was worried about having to carry the Torah because I sprained my ankle a week or so ago, and it hasn’t quite healed yet. I spent more time standing last night than I should have. So my foot hurt this morning, and I climbed the four steps to the ark with some amount of trepidation, as the Torah is not a light object, and the trip down the stairs was worrying me.
It’s funny, but as soon as I had the Torah in my arms, the pain in my ankle went completely out of my mind. I carried the Torah down the stairs, pain-free, and walked around the congregation and then to the bima, where I put the Torah scroll down. The pain came back later, particularly during the standing portions of the service. But for those few minutes, it didn’t exist.
Every year, my students learn that it takes about thirteen months to make a Torah. The scribe puts an enormous amount of effort into it, and the Torah is written today exactly the same way it was some 2,600 years ago. I have my Hebrew name written on a scrap of parchment that was made for me by a scribe I met at a Jewish Renaissance Festival in New Jersey. I take it out and pass it to my students when we cover the chapter on how a Torah scroll is made. It’s always a huge hit with my students.
I think it’s pretty neat, too.
There is something awe-inspiring about holding a sacred object, and the Torah is our most sacred object. Without the Torah, we’d have no laws. Without the laws, we may as well be idol worshippers.
Hag sameach, and Shavua tov.*
*Shavuot is the festival that celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, as well as the harvest of the first fruits.
Chag sameach and yasher koach to you, Meryl!
chsw
PS: For the readers who do not know Hebrew, those phrases best (but not literally) translate into “Happy Holiday” and “Well done!”