Jewish Scene
'World's oldest' Torah scroll found in Italy
AFP
Published: 30.05.13, 07:15
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1. Oh, and I thought Torah was a fiction made up by haredim
Moshe ,   Israel   (05.30.13)
Was this Torah scroll meant for all Jews, only for haredim or for non-Jews?
2. I thought the dead sea scrolles were the oldest
ghostq   (05.30.13)
what about the book of Enoch, that book is carbondated to 400 BD. now you managed to comfuse me.
3. #2, This is the oldest COMPLETE Torah scroll
David ,   Estonia   (05.30.13)
Dead See scrolls were fragments.
4. 2 , it's a COMPLETE Torah scroll
Charles ,   Petach Tikva   (05.30.13)
5. @3 Dead Sea scrolls are authentic fragments
Miron ,   USA   (05.30.13)
Those fragments date to Roman Empire genocide of ancient Israel. Don't even try to confuse valuable property with national treasure of Kumran scriptures. These two exist in completely different dimensions that cannot be compared.
6. Tora scrolls are not just collector ...
ORA ,   JERUSALEM   (05.30.13)
items .Tora is the essence and the guide of the Jewish people allowing the latter to be ,the light into the nations. Jews should be proud of their priceless heritage and study it,so that they know what they are talking about, when they disparage people who dedicate their life to keep Tora alive.
7. to #5 the book of joshuah is in the dead sea scrolls
ghostq   (05.30.13)
which makes david and Charles comments very logic.
8. Non-kosher torah
Sebastian ,   Jerusalem   (05.30.13)
"...it contained letters and signs that were banned by Jewish scholar and philosopher Moses Maimonides in the 12th century." Can somebody tell me what can be those features that make this torah non-kosher in current standards, but kosher for the middle ages?
9. #8
Sane   (05.30.13)
I do not know the exact details of this case, but very often there were arguments of what is permissible and at a certain point it is decided one way. So it could very well be even prior to Mishne Torah there were some who would have not themselves used this, and post-Mishneh torah the consensus became like them.
10. To #8
Carl ,   USA   (05.30.13)
The video shows what appears to be notes (or additional text) written in the margins of the Torah. Such notes are not found in any modern Torah. An explanation in the article would be helpful.
11. to #8: it's complicated
(06.01.13)
there are a lot of details of which you are unaware; not only is every letter of every word prescribed, but even the strokes forming each letter. in this case, for example, the shape of the top of the lamed is different, and a nun can extend under an adjacent yud. also some letters are stretched to fill a line, which are not done in modern torahs. but they are the same letters. some ancient torahs were also written with a different number of lines per column. and iraqi torahs were written on deerskin. none of this makes them non-kosher, but it doesn't follow our current custom, either.
12. So you can't modify Torahs, unless
Az   (06.02.13)
some guy says so, and then it suddenly becomes OK. Makes a lot of sense.
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