Object numberM2012/039:001
DescriptionMiniature paper Torah scroll with red plastic Torah rollers - atzei chaim, covered by a white satin mantle embroidered with a crown and a Star of David.
The donor, Edith Swieca, is not clear on the provenance. She believes that her father-in-law must have given it to her brother-in-law, Sam Swieca, before he came to Australia in 1938. She thinks that is was given to him as some sort of parting gift or good luck charm from Sciea (Shia), Poland and it could have been given to him in France which is where he departed from.
In some reform synagogues children are given miniature mass-produced Torah scrolls, such as this one, to brandish on Simchat Torah or as bar mitzvah gifts or souvenirs. Miniature in form, they are printed on paper instead of hand-written on parchment; they are not regarded as kosher.
A kosher Torah scroll used in a synagogue is handwritten by a scribe on parchment, and is a copy of the Torah, meaning: of the Pentateuch, or the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). It must meet extremely strict standards of production (unlike the miniature version). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish prayers. At other times, it is stored in the holiest spot within a synagogue, the Torah ark, which is usually an ornate curtained-off cabinet or section of the synagogue built along the wall that most closely faces Jerusalem, the direction Jews face when praying.
The donor, Edith Swieca, is not clear on the provenance. She believes that her father-in-law must have given it to her brother-in-law, Sam Swieca, before he came to Australia in 1938. She thinks that is was given to him as some sort of parting gift or good luck charm from Sciea (Shia), Poland and it could have been given to him in France which is where he departed from.
In some reform synagogues children are given miniature mass-produced Torah scrolls, such as this one, to brandish on Simchat Torah or as bar mitzvah gifts or souvenirs. Miniature in form, they are printed on paper instead of hand-written on parchment; they are not regarded as kosher.
A kosher Torah scroll used in a synagogue is handwritten by a scribe on parchment, and is a copy of the Torah, meaning: of the Pentateuch, or the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). It must meet extremely strict standards of production (unlike the miniature version). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish prayers. At other times, it is stored in the holiest spot within a synagogue, the Torah ark, which is usually an ornate curtained-off cabinet or section of the synagogue built along the wall that most closely faces Jerusalem, the direction Jews face when praying.
SubjectJudaica, ritual prayer
Object nameTorah scrolls
Dimensions
- width: 70.00 mm
height: 170.00 mm
depth: 30.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Edith Swieca