Fleetwood Synagogue in Mount Vernon kicked off its campaign to raise funds for a new sefer Torah in style on Sunday, welcoming noted sofer Rabbi Yaakov Hoffman for an informative interactive demonstration of what goes into repairing a sefer Torah.
The synagogue is raising funds for a new sefer Torah, as many of their current sifrei Torah date to the shul’s founding in the 1950s and are beyond functional repair. The community has grown in recent years, with the congregation spearheading this initiative to meet its growing demand.
Rabbi Daniel Rosenfelt of Fleetwood Synagogue started the program by introducing Rabbi Hoffman, who explained the intricacies of the ink and pens used to repair a Torah, and how it differs from the process of writing a Torah from scratch. Contrary to popular belief, a sefer Torah can be repaired or rewritten with an artist’s pen rather than a quill, along with specially mixed sofer’s ink.
Children were then invited up to watch the repairs being done from up close. They delighted in seeing a Torah up close and witnessing Rabbi Hoffman “touch up” faded letters.
To make a donation to the Fleetwood Synagogue campaign for a new Torah, please visit fleetwoodsynagogue.org/torah.