WORKSHOPS

Inside the Scribe’s Studio: How Torah Scrolls are Made 

What is sacred writing, and what goes into the making of a Torah scroll? Learn about the process of sacred writing, including the material elements such as ink, parchment, writing instruments, and letter formation, as well as the more spiritual elements, such as kavana - intention. Participants will have the opportunity to look inside a Torah scroll and experience it from a whole new perspective.

What’s the Point? Crowns, Dots, and Other Scribal Intrigues

If you look inside a Torah scroll, you may notice certain oddities: a word with a series of dots above, as if droplets of ink have spilled; a giant or miniature letter in the middle of an otherwise unremarkable word; backwards letters. We will learn some interpretations of these unusual scribal traditions, then find them in the scroll, adding another layer to our understanding of the text.

The Font of Revelation: Evolution of Hebrew Scripts

Torah script, called Ashurit, did not exist at the time tradition places the revelation of Torah at Sinai. The earliest Hebrew scripts are actually unrecognizable to Hebrew readers today. This class explores the development of Hebrew scripts, from pictograph to alphabet, as well as how the rabbis of the Talmud dealt with the historical conundrum of the holy script.

Torah Triage: Introduction to Maintenance and Repair

(This class is offered as a 1-hour introduction or as a more in-depth workshop.)

A letter is smudged. There is a hole in the parchment. Someone spilled coffee on Leviticus. Two sheets are held together with masking tape where a seam came apart. This workshop addresses basic Torah maintenance, as well as what makes a Torah pasul (unfit for ritual use). In the more in-depth version of this workshop, participants will learn some basic principles of sacred writing, and how basic repairs are made.

Hebrew Calligraphy 101

This hands-on workshop will introduce one of the traditional Hebrew scripts used in sacred writing. Participants will learn the basic rules of writing, how to work with a feather and ink, how to form letters, techniques for proper spacing, and the role of kavana, or intention, in the meditative practice of sacred writing. Limited to 25 participants.

Ink of Her Own: On Becoming a Torah Scribe 

Discover why Julie became interested in the scribal arts, and the journey that led her to become one of the world’s first women Torah scribes. This talk will address both the inspiration for learning and the process of how she found teachers and learned the craft.