This Scroll of Psalms was written with a quill and iron gall ink on velum in Israel prior to 1985. It was used in a small Synagogue in Jerusalem for several years. To complete the set of 16 Scrolls that make up the TaNaKh (Hebrew Scriptures) the Synagogue sold the Scroll to the Scriptorium on the condition that we would commission a new Scroll to be written for them.
Photograph of a Scroll of Psalms written in Israel prior to 1985.
A Rare Scroll with a Very Unique Chapter
Three things about this very long chapter of Psalms quickly come to mind. First, it consists of 176 verses divided into 22 eight verse sections. Every section is given one of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet to begin the first word in every verse. Second, every verse in this psalm speaks about the Word of God, e.g. Word, Law, Commandments, Ordinances etc. Third, Scrolls of the Psalms are extremely rare. Only two Scrolls of the Psalms are on public display and these two Scrolls are in Gentile Christian collections.
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms opened to Psalm 119
a Verses 1 through 8
b Verses 9 through 16
g Verses 17 through 19
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 1 through 19 showing the alef, bet, gimel
g Verses 20 through 24
d Verses 25 through 32
h Verses 33 through 40
w Verses 41 through 45
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 20 through 45 showing the gimel, dalet, he, vav
w Verses 46 through 48
z Verses 49 through 56
x Verses 57 through 64
j Verses 65 through 70
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 46 through 70 showing the vav, zayin, chet, tet
j Verses 71 through 72
y Verses 73 through 80
k Verses 81 through 88
l Verses 89 through 96
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 71 through 96 showing the tet, yod, kaf, lamed
m Verses 97 through 104
n Verses 105 through 112
o Verses 113 through 120
e Verse 121
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 97 through 121 showing the mem, nun, samech, ayin
e Verses 122 through 128
p Verses 129 through 136
u Verses 137 through 144
q Verses 145 through 147
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 122 through 147 showing the ayin, pe, tzade, qof
q Verses 148 through 152
r Verses 153 through 160
s Verses 161 through 168
t Verses 169 through 172
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 148 through 172 showing the qof, resh, shin, tav
t Verses 173 through 176
Photograph of the Scroll of Psalms showing Psalm 119 verses 173 through 176 showing the tav
Reading a passage from a Sefer Torah is quite a bit different than reading the same Scripture from a book. The exact same letters are seen in both cases but there are flourishing and oddities in the scroll that shows the personality of the Sofer. Many of these oddities are sanctioned by the law of STaM, sometimes liberties are taken which delve into the mysticism of Kabbalah. Some of the oddities were used to simply help keep the writings free from error.
Genesis 1 The account of creation “In the beginning” Torah from Lithuania written in the 16th century
Sheet 7 Genesis 30:42 “feeble” – But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in
Sheet 8 Genesis 34:31 “harlot” – And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot
Sheet 12 Exodus 2:2 “good” – and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
Sheet 12 Genesis 50:23 “third generation” – And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation:
Sheet 12 Exodus 3 burning bush – Torah from Lithuania written in the 16th century
Sheet 15 Exodus 11:8 “go out” – and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger
Sheet 15 Exodus 14:25 “wheels” – And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel;
Sheet 16 Exodus 15:1 “Song of Moses” – Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Sheet 17 Exodus 19:17 “lowest” – And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
Sheet 17 Exodus 20 image 10 Commandments – Torah from Lithuania written in the 16th century
Sheet 17 Exodus 20 Adultery from the 10 Commandments – Torah from Lithuania written in the 16th century
Sheet 19 Exodus 28:6 make – purple – fine twined – And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
Sheet 19 Exodus 28:36 “plate” – And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
Sheet 20 Exodus 34:7 “keeping” – Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
Sheet 21 Exodus 34:11, 14 “observe” – “other” – Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, – For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Sheet 26 Leviticus 11:42 Middle letter of the Torah – “belly” – Whatsoever goeth upon the belly,
Sheet 28 Leviticus 13:33 “he shall be shaven” – He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave;
Sheet 30 Leviticus 19:19 “linen and woolen” – neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Sheet 33 Numbers 3:44 “Moses” – And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Sheet 34 Numbers 4:22 “Take_Gershon” – Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;
Sheet 34 Numbers 5:5, 6 “Moses, man” – And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit,
Sheet 36 Numbers 10:35 ,36 Two inverted Nuns – And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. 36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.
Sheet 37 Numbers 13:30 “silenced” – And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Sheet 37 Numbers 15:27— sin, found, gathered, Sabbath, Congregation – Torah from Lithuania written in the 16th century
Sheet 38 Numbers 16:41 “children”, “Moses” – But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.
The numbering system in the English language Hebrew Bible is different in this section and this verse is listed as Numbers 17:6
Sheet 40 Numbers 24:5 “how” How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!
Sheet 41 Numbers 27:5 “cause” And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.
Sheet 44 Deuteronomy 2:33 “and we smote” And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
Sheet 44 Deuteronomy 3:11 “Bedstead” For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
Sheet 45 Deuteronomy 5:1 “hear” And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.
Sheet 46 Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, One” Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Sheet 47 Deuteronomy 10:12 “Require” And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee,
Sheet 47 Deuteronomy 11:17 “Kindled” And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven,
Sheet 48 Deuteronomy 15:19 “The male” All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God:
Sheet 49 Deuteronomy 18:13 “Perfect” Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
Sheet 49 Deuteronomy 21:7 “Shed” And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
Sheet 50 Deuteronomy 22:6 “Nest” If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground,
Sheet 51 Deuteronomy 26:5 “Speak” And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God,
Sheet 52 Deuteronomy 28:68 “And there ye shall be sold” and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Sheet 52 Deuteronomy 29:28 “And cast them – 11 dots above letters” and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
Sheet 53 Deuteronomy 32:1 “Rock” “To the Lord” “Crooked” Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
Sheet 53 Deuteronomy 3229 “Happy” Happy art thou, O Israel who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help,4
Sheet 52 Deuteronomy 3229 “Happy” Happy art thou, O Israel who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help,3
Sheet 52 Deuteronomy 32:29 “Happy” Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help,
Sheet 53 Deuteronomy 34:12 Last words of the Torah Usually written by a Tsadik Older man in the congregation