The Scroll Of Wisdom
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series III, Cycle C
David led us the two blocks from our church to his place of worship: a synagogue. We all gathered around him to hear what he was saying. The mid-week church school students had been studying the Jewish faith for three weeks, and now it was time to visit a synagogue!
David's job was to help the rabbi, who could only come to town periodically. David spoke with much pride of the customs that have been handed down for centuries and that he now espoused.
The children were very quiet: David had much to explain in the tiny synagogue. The prayer shawl: what the colors meant, what the knots were, and how they had to be tied. The flag, the orange lights on the back wall, the prayer books. Everything had an explanation, a reason for being there. Each item had an important place in the life of worship in the synagogue.
The focal point was a huge scroll that he spoke about. He explained that it took years of careful curing and treatment to make the parchment the right thickness. He told how it was a very sacred task to be a scroll writer. One had to be specially chosen and it could take three to four years to hand-write all the letters, one by one, onto the parchment paper.
The finished paper was then inserted onto two bars. The bars were made of pure silver and had heavy, ornately-carved ends on them. The paper was then rolled together toward the middle and latched with velvet cording. The entire scroll was then covered with densely embroidered velvet and carefully placed in a cabinet behind the pulpit.
We were all eager to see the heavy scrolls come back out of their place to be put on the altar. David wanted us all to come and see the Hebrew Scriptures in its original form, written the same way for thousands of years. He invited us to come, one by one, to see the writing and see how delicate the paper was.
We were told that only those who have been examined and are of a certain age can read the words in the synagogue. It is a special honor to be able to read from the Torah, one that is taken very seriously when young boys and girls come of a certain age and have their bar and bat mitzvah. It sounded like quite a graduation. A rite of passage for a young person to honor the family and read from the Torah.
David read to us a little from the Torah. It sounded melodic, like he was speak-singing. There was great respect for the reading of Scripture.
It was easy to imagine Jesus himself reading the scroll.
David's job was to help the rabbi, who could only come to town periodically. David spoke with much pride of the customs that have been handed down for centuries and that he now espoused.
The children were very quiet: David had much to explain in the tiny synagogue. The prayer shawl: what the colors meant, what the knots were, and how they had to be tied. The flag, the orange lights on the back wall, the prayer books. Everything had an explanation, a reason for being there. Each item had an important place in the life of worship in the synagogue.
The focal point was a huge scroll that he spoke about. He explained that it took years of careful curing and treatment to make the parchment the right thickness. He told how it was a very sacred task to be a scroll writer. One had to be specially chosen and it could take three to four years to hand-write all the letters, one by one, onto the parchment paper.
The finished paper was then inserted onto two bars. The bars were made of pure silver and had heavy, ornately-carved ends on them. The paper was then rolled together toward the middle and latched with velvet cording. The entire scroll was then covered with densely embroidered velvet and carefully placed in a cabinet behind the pulpit.
We were all eager to see the heavy scrolls come back out of their place to be put on the altar. David wanted us all to come and see the Hebrew Scriptures in its original form, written the same way for thousands of years. He invited us to come, one by one, to see the writing and see how delicate the paper was.
We were told that only those who have been examined and are of a certain age can read the words in the synagogue. It is a special honor to be able to read from the Torah, one that is taken very seriously when young boys and girls come of a certain age and have their bar and bat mitzvah. It sounded like quite a graduation. A rite of passage for a young person to honor the family and read from the Torah.
David read to us a little from the Torah. It sounded melodic, like he was speak-singing. There was great respect for the reading of Scripture.
It was easy to imagine Jesus himself reading the scroll.
