Inauguration of a Torah scroll

File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Completion of Torah Scroll, Dec 2010 (3).jpg Gabi Ashkenazi is honored with the writing of the final letters in a Torah scroll dedicated to the welfare of missing or kidnapped IDF soldiers at the Rabin Base in Tel Aviv, 2010]]

The mitzvah to write a Torah scroll is the last of the 613 commandments.{{cite web |url=https://www.ou.org/torah/mitzvot/taryag/mitzvah613/|title= 613. Write This Down: The obligation to write a Torah scroll|first=Rabbi Jack|last=Abramowitz|year=2015|access-date=23 April 2015|publisher=Orthodox Union}} One can fulfill this mitzvah by writing a scroll oneself, or by commissioning the writing of a scroll.

Torah scrolls are typically commissioned by individuals to memorialize or honor loved ones;{{cite web |url= http://www.stam.net/gift_fundraising_dedications.aspx|title=Dedication, Fundraising, and Gift Ideas|publisher=stam.net|access-date=7 May 2015}} alternatively, a group or community may sponsor the writing of a Torah scroll to memorialize one or more of its members, especially those who were killed for being Jewish.{{cite web|url=http://jpupdates.com/2015/01/13/hachnosas-sefer-torah-held-memory-menachem-stark/|title=Hachnosas Sefer Torah To Be Held in Memory Of Menachem Stark|first=Mark|last=Hirshberg|date=13 January 2015|access-date=19 April 2015|work=JP Updates|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040002/http://jpupdates.com/2015/01/13/hachnosas-sefer-torah-held-memory-menachem-stark/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/netanyahu-helps-complete-torah-scroll-in-memory-of-paris-terror-victims/2015/02/05/|title= Netanyahu Helps Complete Torah Scroll in Memory of Paris Terror Victims|first=Hana Levi|last=Julian|date=5 February 2015|access-date=7 May 2015|work=The Jewish Press}}{{cite web |url= http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Judaism/The-Torah-written-in-memory-of-the-Six-Million|title=The Torah written in memory of the Six Million|first=Levi|last=Cooper|date=1 June 2012|access-date=7 May 2015|work=The Jerusalem Post}} Torah scrolls may also be commissioned as a fundraising project for synagogues, yeshivas, and organizations; individuals "buy" letters, words, verses, and chapters to cover the cost of the scroll.{{sfn|Washofsky|2001|p=61}} The cost of writing a Torah scroll is estimated at USD$30,000 to $100,000.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/nyregion/underwriting-abraham-synagogues-offer-sponsorships-for-torah-texts.html?_r=0|title=Underwriting Abraham|first=Sharon|last=Otterman|date=30 November 2012|access-date=23 April 2015|work=The New York Times}}

The finished Torah scroll is used during prayer services in a synagogue or other sanctuary, such as that of a yeshiva, rabbinical college, university campus, nursing home, military base, or other institution. The Torah scroll is taken out and read from four times a week – on Shabbat morning, Shabbat afternoon, and Monday and Thursday mornings – as well on Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh, and Jewish fast days.{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/333007/jewish/What-is-a-Torah-Scroll.htm|title=What is a Torah Scroll?|year=2017|access-date=13 December 2017|work=Chabad.org}}

File:PikiWiki Israel 19427 Religion in Israel.jpg, Israel, early 1960s]]

The escorting of a Torah scroll to its new home has its source in the procession of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, led by King David. As described in the Book of Samuel, this event was marked by dancing and the playing of musical instruments.II Samuel 6:14–15. Both the kohanim and David himself "danced before the Ark" or "danced before the Lord".{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1041022/jewish/Dedicating-a-New-Torah-Scroll.htm|title=Dedicating a New Torah Scroll|first=Baruch S.|last=Davidson|publisher=Chabad.org|year=2015|access-date=19 April 2015}}{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|p=104}}

The inauguration ceremony is held for new and restored Torah scrolls alike.{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/The-journey-of-a-Torah-scroll|title=The Journey of a Torah Scroll|first=Greer Fay|last=Cashman|date=19 October 2011|access-date=23 April 2015|work=The Jerusalem Post}} It is also held when a synagogue moves to a new location,{{cite web|url=http://habonim.net/torah-processional-new-building|title=Torah Processional to New Building|publisher=Congregation Habonim|year=2014|access-date=19 April 2015|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202033650/https://habonim.net/torah-processional-new-building|url-status=dead}}{{sfn|Schwartz|2007|pp=127–128}}{{cite web |url= http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-20/news/26251419_1_torah-scrolls-congregation-plans-new-synagogue|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150518113518/http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-20/news/26251419_1_torah-scrolls-congregation-plans-new-synagogue|url-status= dead|archive-date= May 18, 2015|title=Congregation is Moving to New Synagogue|first=Bob|last=Tulini|date=20 April 1988|access-date=7 May 2015|work=philly.com}} or when scrolls are transferred from one institution to another.{{cite web|url=http://www.yatjs.org/2013/05/06/yeshiva-welcomes-gift-of-a-torah-scroll/|title=Yeshiva Welcomes Gift of a Torah Scroll|first=Jonathan|last=Shapiro|date=6 May 2013|access-date=7 May 2015|publisher=Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075913/http://www.yatjs.org/2013/05/06/yeshiva-welcomes-gift-of-a-torah-scroll/|url-status=dead}} In 2008, for example, congregants of Temple Emanuel of North Jersey carried 15 Torah scrolls to their new sanctuary in Paterson in a gala procession.{{cite web|url=http://jstandard.com/index.php/content/item/4346/|title=Torah processional marks long-awaited move|first=Ken|last=Hilfman|date=26 September 2008|access-date=20 April 2015|work=Jewish Standard|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075956/http://jstandard.com/index.php/content/item/4346/|url-status=dead}}

File:הגאון רבי חיים קנייבסקי כותב אות כתיבת אות בספר תורה Chaim Kanievsky.JPG writes the final letters in a new Torah scroll, 2014]]

If the Torah scroll is a new one, the event begins with a ceremony called siyum haTorah (completion of the Torah) or kesivas haosiyos (writing of the letters), in which the final letters at the end of the scroll are inked in by honorees. This ceremony usually takes place in the home of the one who is donating the scroll. The basis for this practice is a Talmudic teaching that whoever corrects one letter in a Torah scroll earns the same merit as one who writes an entire Torah scroll.Menachot 30a. It is considered a great honor to be selected for the writing of one of the last letters.{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|pp=104–5}} Since most people are not professional scribes, many scribes outline the final letters beforehand for the honorees to fill in.{{sfn|Blumenthal|Liss|2005|p=363}}

In Ashkenazi communities, the Torah scroll is then dressed in its mantle and sash, and adorned with its crown and a yad (pointer);{{cite web |url=http://www.chabadhouston.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/58112/jewish/Customs-for-a-new-Sefer-Torah.htm|title=Customs for a New Sefer Torah|year=2015|access-date=12 May 2015|publisher=Chabad.org}} in Sephardi communities, the scroll is placed in an ornamental wooden or silver case.{{cite web|url=http://jstandard.com/index.php/content/item/dancing_in_the_street/|title=Dancing in the Street|first=Abigail Klein|last=Leichman|date=28 September 2014|access-date=12 May 2015|work=Jewish Standard|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080111/http://jstandard.com/index.php/content/item/dancing_in_the_street/|url-status=dead}} Following the responsive reading of several verses, the procession begins.

File:PikiWiki Israel 4466 Religion in Israel.JPG, 2009]]

File:PikiWiki Israel 10722 Entertainment.jpg accompany the moshav's first Torah scroll to its new home, circa 1982]]

File:תהלוכת הכנסת ספר תורה לע"נ רבי שלמה שטנצל בעיר ביתר עילית רבי אשר וייס שליא.JPG, 2014]]

The Torah scroll is carried to its new home in an outdoor procession attended by men, women, and children.{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|p=104}}{{sfn|Benisch|2003|p=468}} The procession can take place by day or by night. This event can attract hundreds{{cite web|url=http://hudsonreporter.com/bookmark/25811229-Turning-back-the-tide-br-font-size-2-i-Chabad-Rabbi-opens-first-new-Jewish-temple-in-Hoboken-in-100-years-font-i-br|title=Turning Back the Tide|first=Carlo|last=Davis|date=21 September 2014|access-date=24 April 2015|work=Hudson Reporter|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030725/http://hudsonreporter.com/bookmark/25811229-Turning-back-the-tide-br-font-size-2-i-Chabad-Rabbi-opens-first-new-Jewish-temple-in-Hoboken-in-100-years-font-i-br|url-status=dead}}{{sfn|Balint|2001|p=16}} and even thousands of participants.{{cite web |url=http://matzav.com/videos-photos-7000-attend-hachnosas-sefer-torah-and-opening-of-beth-medrash-govohas-kleinman-campus|title=Videos, Photos: Estimated 7,000 Attend Hachnosas Sefer Torah and Opening of Beth Medrash Govoha's Kleinman Campus|first=Dovid|last=Bernstein|date=16 November 2009|access-date=7 May 2015|work=matzav.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/1926884/jewish/Thousands-to-Dedicate-Childrens-Torah.htm|title=Thousands Expected for Dedication of Fifth Children's Torah in Jerusalem|first=Yehuda|last=Sugar|date=7 August 2012|access-date=7 May 2015|publisher=Chabad.org}}

The scroll or scrolls are carried under a chuppah (marriage canopy) as "acceptance of the Torah is seen as being analogous to a marriage with God".{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|p=105}}{{efn|The marriage imagery is derived from the Midrash, which compares the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai to a wedding: "Mount Sinai was the chuppah, the Jewish people the bride, the Almighty the groom, and the ring the Torah".{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|p=105}}}} The chuppah may be as simple as a tallit supported by four poles,{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|p=105}} or a velvet canopy supported by poles.

The donor of the scroll, family members, friends, and other honorees take turns carrying the Torah scroll during the procession.{{sfn|Brenner|Caron|Kaufmann|2003|p=58}} School-age children often lead the procession with flags, candles or torches.{{sfn|Benisch|2003|p=468}} All the youngsters in attendance receive a goodie bag sponsored by the donor.{{sfn|Benisch|2003|p=468}}

Singing, dancing, and the playing of musical instruments traditionally accompany the procession.{{sfn|Benisch|2003|p=468}}{{sfn|Davis|Ravid|2001|p=221}}{{sfn|Grendler|1999|p=343}}{{sfn|Levine|2000|p=10}}{{cite web |url=http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/tzedaka/youthhostel.htm|title=Dancing to the Youth Hostel|author=Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen|publisher=Shema Yisrael|access-date=24 April 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/parade-accompanies-new-scroll-to-hillel-home-a/ |title=Parade Accompanies New Scroll to Hillel Home|first=Andrew|last=Goldstein|year=2013|access-date=7 May 2015|work=Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle}} In early modern Italy, special poems were written in honor of the occasion.{{sfn|Davis|Ravid|2001|p=221}} A 20th-century creation, the Hachnasat Sefer Torah Truck – sporting flashing lights, a sound system, and an oversized Torah crown on its roof – may drive at the head of the procession.{{cite web |url= http://liherald.com/longbeach/stories/Torah-paraded-through-Long-Beach-streets-,25141|title=Torah Paraded Through Long Beach Streets|date=20 May 2010|access-date=7 May 2015|work=Long Beach Herald}}{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishindependent.ca/oldsite/archives/june09/archives09june12-09.html|title=Torah Procession to Chabad|work=The Jewish Independent|first=David J.|last=Litvak|date=12 June 2009|access-date=19 April 2015}}

If the procession is being held on city streets, organizers must obtain a parade permit. Police cars often block off the parade route and accompany the celebrants as they move through the streets.{{cite web|url=http://www.bhol.co.il/article.aspx?id=62766&cat=18&scat=140|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075425/http://www.bhol.co.il/article.aspx?id=62766&cat=18&scat=140|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 18, 2015|title=First Time: Tel Aviv center to be closed due to Sefer Torah procession|first=Moshe|last=Weisberg|date=20 December 2013|access-date=20 April 2015|publisher=Behaderey Haredim}} A procession can take an hour or more,{{sfn|Benisch|2003|p=468}} depending on the route that is chosen.

File:AmonaTorah5312 (cropped).JPG]]

When the procession nears the synagogue, yeshiva, or other destination, the other Torah scrolls that are already housed in the ark of the sanctuary are removed and carried outside to "welcome" the new scroll; then all the scrolls are carried inside together.{{cite web |url=http://ott.co.il/new-torah/ |title=Torah Dedication|publisher=Ot Institute|access-date=18 March 2015}}

Inside the sanctuary, public prayers are recited in the style of Simchat Torah, beginning with the prayer Atah hareisa (You have been shown). Then the men and boys in attendance dance seven hakafot (circuits) around the reader's table while holding all the Torah scrolls, similar to the synagogue celebrations on Simchat Torah. Following this, the Torah scrolls that already belong to the sanctuary are returned to the ark and the new Torah scroll is placed on the reader's table. The donor of the scroll says the blessing of Shehecheyanu, both on the new scroll and on the new clothing that he wears in honor of the occasion. A Torah reader reads the final chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy ({{Bibleverse||Deuteronomy|34:1–12|HE}}) from the new scroll. The scroll is then placed in the ark amid more singing and dancing. The cantor then recites {{Bibleverse||Psalm|24|HE}} with the traditional tune sung on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur,{{sfn|Benisch|2003|p=468}} followed by the recital of additional verses, Aleinu, and the Mourner's Kaddish.

Everyone in attendance then sits down to a seudat mitzvah (festive meal) at which the Rav of the congregation and other Torah scholars discourse on subjects pertaining to the importance of the Torah, such as valuing Torah study, supporting Torah scholars and institutions, and living a Torah lifestyle.{{sfn|van der Zande|2012|p=104}}

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• [http://www.wsat.org/new_torah/gallery5.htm "Hachnasat Sefer Torah – Welcoming of a New Sefer Torah" (photo essay)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110163444/http://www.wsat.org/new_torah/gallery5.htm |date=2014-11-10 }}: Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah, Silver Spring, Maryland
• [http://chabadinfo.com/news/hachnosas-sefer-torah-in-sunnyvale/ Photos of Chabad Hachnasat Sefer Torah] in Sunnyvale, California, 2015

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