Dobbs Ferry synagogue celebrates new Torah

Dobbs Ferry, NY – Jewish tradition holds that God revealed his teachings to Moses at Mount Sinai more than 3,000 years ago.

Recorded in the Torah, these teachings are central to Judaism and have been revered throughout the ages.

The reproduction of a Torah scroll, therefore, is a momentous event for the Jews. Written in Hebrew by a certified sofer, or scribe, each word of the Torah, it is believed, has divine meaning and that any error renders it invalid.

The completion of a new Torah scroll yesterday attracted more than 200 people to the Chabad of the Rivertowns synagogue in Dobbs Ferry.

As is customary, the Torah began the day incomplete so that members of the synagogue could participate in writing one of the more than 300,000 essential letters.

Once finished, the crowd paraded up Broadway with the scroll under a chupah, a marriage canopy, as live music blared from a float and families danced in celebration. The scroll was under the Chupah because it symbolizes a marriage between Jews and God. Prayers and a mitzvah meal followed at the synagogue.

“Today is a big day. It’s actually considered one of the most joyous events in Jewish history,” Rabbi Benjy Silverman said. “As long as the Torah survives, the Jews survive. It’s a link to the future, ensuring Jewish survival.”

In this particular case, however, the reproduction of a Torah scroll also provided a link to the past.

Cheryl Reader Leban commissioned the Torah in honor of the Reader family, which was one of the original Jewish families to settle in Dobbs Ferry about 100 years ago. Today, Leban is the only member of the line who remains in the village.

The idea of commissioning a Torah first arose as Leban sat in the Chabad synagogue some 18 months ago. She said she wanted to honor her family, whose roots are in Austria and Hungary, while also continuing the local Jewish legacy that the Readers had helped to cultivate.

“It is the most joyous occasion of a lifetime,” said Leban, 58. “It will stay at the synagogue, and then I will leave it as a legacy to my family.”

It was no coincidence that the Torah in Dobbs Ferry was completed on the same weekend that Jews celebrated the holiday of Shavous, which marks the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

During the past 18 months, great pains were taken to make sure the new Torah would be exactly the same as the original Torah. Yesterday, the sofer kept his eyes close to the scroll as he crafted the final letters with a feathered quill pen.

By his side were a few of the hundreds of sponsors who donated money to support the project. One by one, they held the sofer’s arm and posed for a photograph as he finished his masterpiece.

“To actually go up and write (a letter) with a sofer is a tremendous mitzvah, an honor,” said 26-year-old David Ross, a professional musician who grew up in Ardsley and now lives in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. “It’s very rare to get that opportunity.”

Meanwhile, sisters Julia and Danielle Brody were busy preparing for the parade. Julia waved a handmade sign, which sparkled with multicolored glitter and a drawing of Mount Sinai.

“We wanted to have banners because we are celebrating the new Torah,” said Julia, 11, of Scarsdale.

“It makes you feel special about your synagogue,” added Danielle, 13. “It’s a fun place.”