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Torah Scroll Cases
The Largest Selection in the Country
Odem Series Cases
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A vast selection of Torah scrolls in various customs of Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities at especially competitive prices
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Torah scrolls can be customized according to client requirements
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Special dedications according to client requirements
Torah Scroll Case
How to Choose Your Torah Scroll Case?
Is your Torah scroll ready? Have you reached the exciting moment of choosing the case? How can you do this correctly without wasting your money and damaging your Torah scroll? Our experts at Sifrei Torah Jerusalem have prepared a list of tips and advice that you must not skip.
Purchasing a quality case suitable for your Torah scroll is a decision that must be made carefully and in consultation with experts in the field. One can encounter many ‘experts’ from the woodworking and metalworking fields who thought they could produce Torah scroll cases themselves, but were quickly forced to replace them with professional cases due to the numerous problems with the cases they produced.
Of course, the first consideration is the weight of the case.
It is important to ensure a relatively light weight that will not burden elderly congregants who lift and carry the scroll. Another point related to convenience as well as protecting the Torah scroll itself is a comfortable rolling system installed in modern cases.
This is our challenge: to create a case that is strong and durable on one hand, yet not heavy on the other. A Torah scroll parchment weighs an average of 7 kg, so we must calculate the case weight correctly and constantly make attempts to achieve the best result.
Rolling System
Rolling and Case Covering
A rolling system creates height alignment between the rotating plate and the wood, preventing creases in the parchment that could damage the Torah scroll. It is also important to have an upper plate so that when rolling the Torah scroll, one holds it and prevents damage to the delicate parchment.
Additionally, it is very important to ensure that the case covering is precisely sized for the Torah scroll parchment. Not more and not less.
Each Torah scroll has a different parchment size. If the Torah scroll has 50 cm parchment, it is advisable to build the case for 50 cm parchment. Similarly, the scroll diameter must match the case as precisely as possible. If it is thick parchment or gevil, then it should have a wider diameter. There are thin Torah scrolls, so the diameter can be reduced—the main thing is that it be precise for the parchment, and thus it will be better preserved.
The Torah scroll case is constantly in motion—taken out and placed back in the ark, danced with on Simchat Torah, and more. Therefore, it is very important that the parchment not move within it and that it be very strong and of high quality. While there is a concern not to place iron on the Torah scroll columns to which the parchment is sewn, the rest of the case can be made from various materials.
Typically, wood is used, which is strong and relatively light compared to heavy metal, with metal plating on the outside for decorating the Torah scroll. It is recommended that cases not have exposed wood on the outside and be entirely metal-plated. From our experience, inside arks, Torah scrolls are constantly moved and the cases rub against each other, causing damage to the wood. At Sifrei Torah Jerusalem, we stopped making cases with protruding wood on the outside so that the Torah scroll case remains smooth from beginning to end, with everything as unified as possible.
Great thought is invested in constructing the cases, and they are handmade in Israel. There were those who thought cases could be mass-produced industrially in China, but all failed. There are so many details that must be attended to, and anyone who is not an expert will certainly fail.
Case Structure
Perfect Cases Down to the Smallest Detail
Great thought is invested in how Torah scrolls are held when embraced, and attention must be paid, for example, to ensure that the case decorations do not catch on the bearer’s shirt. When we manufacture a case, we ensure that the upper rail is strong. Some carry the scroll open while holding only the rail. Lack of attention to small details can lead, God forbid, to the Torah scroll falling.
There has been tremendous progress in recent years regarding the quality levels achieved today. While in the past, an ornate case was made with complete handwork that was lengthy and very expensive, today we achieve this high level but in a much more affordable manner.
Great thought is invested in how Torah scrolls are held when embraced, and attention must be paid, for example, to ensure that the case decorations do not catch on the bearer’s shirt. When we manufacture a case, we ensure that the upper rail is strong. Some carry the scroll open while holding only the rail. Lack of attention to small details can lead, God forbid, to the Torah scroll falling. There has been tremendous progress in recent years regarding the quality levels achieved today. While in the past, an ornate case was made with complete handwork that was lengthy and very expensive, today we achieve this high level but in a much more affordable manner.
Case designs are a field unto themselves, practiced by true artists. One can design anything desired—some want reliefs of the synagogue on the case, dedication inscriptions on the outside, and various stone inlays and special combinations. In the past, we made a case entirely of solid silver and gold valued at 250,000 shekels for a community in South America. Although it is very heavy and requires cleaning due to tarnishing, we use oven-baked lacquer that also solves the silver tarnishing problem.
We work not only with new cases but also with restoring cases of old Torah scrolls. Often people want restoration for scrolls that are difficult to roll, and we add a rolling system to the case. Of course, one must verify that there are approximately 7 cm available inside the case for the rolling plate system.
Cases should only be purchased from Torah scroll experts. Many people have tried to manufacture cases but did not succeed and encountered problems. A Torah scroll case requires its own uniqueness. Torah scrolls are delicate. Just as Torah scroll letters must be precise, so too must the cases be precise.