A Tour of the Torah

Aron hakodesh:

• Literally the “holy ark,” this special closet is where Torahs are kept in a synagogue.

Atzei chaim:

• This term, similar to etz chaim (“tree of life”), refers to the wooden dowels that hold the scroll.

Chumash:

• Many synagogues use a book that includes Hebrew and English text for all of the Torah readings so that the congregation can follow along.

Eid:

• This Hebrew word means “witness,” and it’s spelled using the last letters of the first and last words of the Shema. It’s an example of the special meanings we can find in the Torah text.

Keter:

• This refers to the crown that sits on top of each wooden dowel.

Rimonim:

• Rimonim are the bells that sit on the crown, but the word actually means “pomegranates,” because the bells are shaped like the fruit.

Sofer:

• The Hebrew word for the scribe who writes the Torah by hand comes from the same Hebrew root as sefer (“book”).
• Fun fact: You may recognize the inspiration for the names of a character and a setting from our podcast Beyond the Bookcase, Mr. Saifair and Congregation Sofer Shalom.

Yad:

• Hebrew for “hand,” the yad is the pointer used to read from the Torah (with a tip that’s even shaped like a hand).