ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sefer Torah

A Sefer Torah is a special book that Jewish people use in their religious ceremonies. It is a long scroll made up of parchment paper that is carefully written by hand with special ink. It contains the entire Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, which is made up of three parts: the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings.

The Torah is the most important part of the Jewish Bible, and it contains the first five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books tell the story of how God created the world, how he chose the Jewish people to be his special nation, and how they received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.

During religious services, a Sefer Torah is usually carried by a special person called a Torah carrier or reader. When the Torah is read, everyone stands up as a sign of respect. The reader takes off a special cover on the scroll called the mantle, and then carefully reads from the Torah using a pointer called a yad.

A Sefer Torah is considered to be very holy, so it is always treated with special care and respect. It must be written by a specially trained scribe called a sofer, who must follow certain strict rules when writing it. Even the ink used to write it is made in a special way and cannot contain any mistakes or smudges.

In summary, a Sefer Torah is a special handmade scroll that contains the most important book of the Jewish Bible. People use it in religious ceremonies, and it is treated with great care and respect.