Update: The Centre of the Universe

In the comments, Z asks: Now would that mean every occurance of the word you purchase or just one occurance? And how costly is this...roughly, if you don't mind my ignorance.

You ask a good question. In fact, how many people get to be involved with the writing of a new sefer in a lifetime? Such an event is fairly rare, as I understand it.

I think that when you buy a word it just means for one occurrence. After much dithering, and much smacking upside the head, I realised that of course the word that really resonates for me is hineni, "Here I am", "I am ready" . This word is so familiar in the Bible. It is especially meaningful for me in relation to Abraham, from the very beginning when he encounters G-d, and through the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac):

To make certain that we know that this is a serious matter, the Torah uses a familiar phrase—Hineni, I am here—to announce that something critical is about to happen in the text. Rashi reminds us that this expression combines both humility and readiness for the task ahead. The word hineni appears several times in the dialogue between Abraham and Isaac, between father and son, as they both face a profound test of faith.

To me, this is a phrase shorn of everything but presence. Or as my friend, L, has taught me, shorn of "the monkey mind".

So, all-in-all I got to kill several birds (or monkeys) with one stone! It can't get any better than this.

As for pricing: to write a good quality sefer takes about $40,000. An entire Book can be had for $5000. Special events, like the plagues, or the Shema, the crossing of the Red Sea, etc, costs $2,500. Not only that, you get a family aliyah when the new sefer is read. Then there's first parsha or last parsha of the Torah, special verses, the first/last word of a book, etc, the name of a person, place or object (like the Burning Bush). In my category, a word costs $54, a triple chai, which for "hineni" turns out to be 3 letters anyway. For, as someone wrote, all the vowels are taken. Heh. A letter costs $18.

When I was talking with the rabbi, he said that there has been an outpouring of love and regard for this gentleman, and the donations have exceeded their expectations. And anyone can contribute: my non-Jewish friend, L, is buying letters for her recently deceased father, her mother, and several people who have helped her. She even got to ascend and add a stroke to the sefer. And ultimately, it is a truly joyful and pleasurable mitzvah!

Update: Thursday, October 28, 2004

Z comments: I'm famous :) Wow, that is all so really cool. Our temple wouldn't allow a non-Jew NEAR the Torah unfortunately so I wonder if they'd let one buy a letter, etc? I have to think they'd let the nuns from the local University, also home to the National Holocaust Center, do this...as they allowed one to give the invocation during an Israel Bonds event...but I digress. It seems we're an anomaly in that we will not let non-Jews touch the Torah for ANY reason.

I've little regard for ideology- I am not sure what it means and what it entails. From what I've read on various J-blogs, it is rife throughout the movements (though I think that is exaggerated); it seems particularly prominent within Orthodoxy, where it seems to be an ongoing point of contention among various factions, if blogs and various websites are an indicator. Perhaps in this case, it all depends on the rabbi. At Temple Om Hadash, the previous rabbi was traditional and women did not participate. He basically got turfed out in a bitterly divisive coup. I remember that one time, I touched the Torah with my fingers and he gave me a thunderous look. Wow! I was so taken aback! I slouched back to my chair and it took me a long time to get up the nerve to touch it with a naked hand again anywhere else.

My friend, L, is now buying a word for 2 women who cared for her cat and took care of her home, while she was away after her father's death. We're also buying a letter for a woman who is going to be 98 this Shabbat! What they all have in common is that are Jewish. Only L is not. The rabbi never gave an indication that this was not done and was pleased that she had ascended to "inscribe" a letter. In fact, L has attended services with me once in while, chows down at kiddush, and learns in some of the rabbi's classes even though she is not a member. She is like a sister to me, and the rabbi knows that and treats her accordingly, I think. We're like an intermarried couple, in a sense, and she is definitely treated like an honorary Jew by those who know her ( she really does a lot of mitzvot, btw).

My rabbi does not strike me as an ideologue and he is always drawing people closer to the Torah. To have the whole world participate and celebrate in the scribing of a new sefer Torah, I think, could only draw all nations closer to it.