Latest news with #ChisukEmuna
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Midstate Jewish congregation set out to write a new torah
(WHTM) — The Chisuk Emuna Congregation launched an initiative — allowing its members to experience an opportunity that only happens once in a generation. 'I was the President when we were creating the new building,' said Carl Shuman. It has been more than a decade later since then. Now, 'We are commissioning a new torah scroll, which is the book, the scroll that we read from on the Sabbath and on holidays,' he added. Writing a new torah is an extremely rare opportunity. 'Well, for one thing, it's an expensive undertaking,' Shuman said. 'So, it's very hard for synagogues to replace their torah scrolls when it becomes necessary.' Torahs are written and made to last a long time. 'We currently have six torahs in the congregation, but only two of them are good enough to be used for ritual use. And those two are very old,' said Maggie Grotzinger. 'So, we wanted to write a new torah written.' Grotzinger is a volunteer with the Pillars of Strength initiative — which helps with the funding. 'It's a once in a lifetime opportunity,' she said. 'So, we just really want them to be inspired, to be able to participate and, as I said, perform this one mitzvah that we're asked to do as Jews.' The Gordon family — who provided a generous gift in order to launch the initiative — wrote the first letter in the new torah. 'It's just a lovely day. It's lovely always to get together,' Shuman shared. 'We really are a wonderful family in this congregation. It's lovely to see fellow members and especially to be celebrating something. We don't always get to do that.' Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices Writing the torah is a six-month process, click here for more information on how to get involved or donate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Harrisburg synagogue to receive a new Torah
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – The Chisuk Emuna synagogue in Harrisburg is receiving a new Torah, a rare occurrence that happens only once every few decades. Most of the local synagogue's Torah scrolls are no longer considered kosher to read during services due to wear and tear. So, for the first time in decades, the congregation is getting a new one. The process of getting a new Torah can be complicated, as it's not the kind of thing that can be ordered online and delivered. The ancient tradition requires a torah to be handwritten, which is done by a scribe. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Every Torah is handwritten. It's not like a book, which is printed. And there are lots of rules that guide the scribe in how to form the letters. How to do the columns. How to make the parchment itself,' Chisuk Emuna Congregation Rabbi Ron Muroff said. 'The torah itself has been described as a love letter. You know how carefully one reads a love letter for every letter, every comma? That's sort of the way jews read torah.' The local Jewish community will get the chance to stand with a scribe as he ceremonially writes some of the first and last letters of the new Torah. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
