An authentic Torah scroll is a mind-boggling masterpiece of labor and skill. Comprising between 62 and 84 sheets of parchment-cured, tanned, scraped and prepared according to exacting Torah law specifications-and containing exactly 304,805 letters, the resulting handwritten scroll takes many months to complete. An expert scribe carefully inks each letter with a feather quill, under the intricate calligraphic guidelines of Ktav Ashurit (Ashurite Script). The sheets of parchment are then sewn together with sinews to form one long scroll.
The dedication of a new Torah scroll is traditionally celebrated with great festivity. The source of this custom is the biblical account of King David welcoming the Holy Ark into his capital:1 “And David went and brought up the ark of G‑d … into the City of David with joy…. And David danced with all his might before G‑d…. And David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of G‑d with shouts and with the sound of the shofar [ram’s horn].”
Our sages have taught that each and every Jew has a letter in the Torah which corresponds to his or her spiritual identity. Just as each letter is an essential part of the Torah, so too each and every Jew is of utmost importance and constitutes an essential and integral part of the Jewish people.
The very last Mitzvah in the Torah is to write a Torah Scroll. By endowing a letter, word, or sentence for yourself, your children, family members, or friends, it is as if you have written your own Torah Scroll.
Through this Mitzvah, may it bring G-d’s great blessing and fulfillment of His promises of protection to your children, your family, and your home.