Why A Torah Scroll?

Based on my last post, you might be asking yourself the question, "Why does a Gentile man in Merriam, Kansas want a Hebrew Torah Scroll?" Glad you asked.

The Torah is the Five Books of Moses and is the very foundation of the Bible. In his book Jewish Roots, Dan Juster one of the leading Messianic Jewish leaders of today (Jews who love Jesus as their Messiah), writes from a historically Jewish perspective about this foundational aspect of the Torah:

"The Jewish tradition has venerated the Torah above all other revelation. The reason for this is clear: Torah is foundational; all other revelation is to be tested by its consistency to Torah. Therefore, although all Scriptures are inspired by God, Torah is clearly foundational. This has vast implications for our understanding of the New Testament. Any interpretation of the New Covenant Scriptures [New Testament] which is inconsistent with the revelation in the Torah cannot be true."

This is consistent with the character and nature of Jesus. Our Messiah Jesus lived a perfect life according to Hebrews 4:15, Ephesians 4:13, and other Scriptures. He was the perfect Lamb that was slain. But perfect according to what? According to God's law written in the Torah. Jesus was and is and will always be the only One found worthy. He fleshed out the law or Torah of God perfectly because He is the Word of God. The Gospel according to John in chapter one reveals this when he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." The same Divine Presence that was with God in the beginning, was the Word or Torah of God, that Word then became manifest in the person of Jesus who of course lives out the law perfectly because He is the Law! He is the Living Torah! What a story!

As I like to emphasize, Jewish tradition often points to and alludes to Jesus even if they do not recognize Him as Messiah. This quote reads like the Gospel of John and is taken from Jewish Folklore and Legend:

"According to one tradition God actually created the Torah first, and then consulted it before creating the world...The Torah then became personalized as a kind of artisan, a medium by which the creation of the world was set in motion, and the whole creative process planned. In this sense it may be seen as the Logos, or the divine word."

So, acquiring a Torah Scroll is a way to connect with the Artisan of creation, Jesus as the Living Torah, the very cornerstone of the Bible.

150 Year Old Torah Scroll Available

A few months ago, I met this older man at the Jerusalem Conference hosted by the American Institute for Advanced Biblical Studies. He had a few items for sale including an old Esther Megillah Scroll (which he sold at the conference) and most interestingly a 150 year old Torah Scroll! It seemed to be in very good shape (although I am no expert) and very usable although it clearly is not kosher. His asking price was an astonishingly low $2,500! Torah Scrolls can range from $10K-$60K or more so this is quite a deal. A scroll will typically take a sofer (official Hebrew scribe) almost a year to complete!

The man bought the scroll at a store in Tzfat, Israel a few years back. It is quite beautiful. It does not have the Torah Scroll rollers so those would have to be purchased and attached separately (typically a couple hundred bucks). I contacted him again recently to see if the Torah Scroll was still available and it is and he said he was willing to sell it for $2,150 because he wants someone to be blessed by using it! Also, the Scroll is in Houston, Texas and probably should not be shipped so we would need to go and get it. Let me know if you are interested in helping to bring a Torah Scroll to Merriam. Any money donated is tax deductible if it is given to Kingdom Living.