Torah Completion Celebration & Dedication Ceremony

Procession to welcome the Torah, followed by Hakafot and the program will include music, song and dancing.

The Torah

The Sefer Torah scroll is the most precious article in Jewish life. The Torah itself is the expression of the Divine will and wisdom and is G-d’s treasured gift to the Jewish people. The Torah-reading is at the center of Shabbat and holiday services, and in times of need, prayers are offered in the Torah’s presence. Study of the Torah and adherence to its teachings bestow long life, wealth and honor. Of special value in these troubled times is that “its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace” (see Proverbs 3:16-18).

The Torah also represents the unity of the Jewish people. In the Torah scroll, no letter is more important than another; every letter is essential for the Torah to be considered complete. Similarly, every Jew is indispensable for the wholeness of the entire Jewish people.

Just as a wedding is celebrated by the whole family and everyone connected, so is the completion of a Sefer Torah joyously celebrated by the entire Jewish community. After the final letters are inked in, everyone accompanies the Sefer Torah, which is carried to the synagogue under a Chupah (wedding canopy). As on Simchat Torah, this is followed by Hakafot, dancing and song, with refreshments, in a festive atmosphere.

The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, wrote: “Several days before a Sefer Torah completion celebration, announcements are made in all synagogues throughout the city.” The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, adds: “Nowadays, with modern technology, not only Jews in the same city but Jews the world over should be made aware of a Sefer Torah completion celebration… Dissemination of this news accomplishes unity among all Jews, who are connected with the unity of the Torah… for if even one letter is not complete and in its proper place, the entire Sefer Torah is affected.” (Sicha, 17 Kislev 5741).

The very last commandment written in the Torah is to write a Sefer Torah scroll. To honor the memory of their dear father, Ravchida ben Gilad, of blessed memory, the Safaniev family of New York has commissioned a scribe to write a new Sefer Torah. They are dedicating it to be used for services at the FREE Headquarters, America’s first Russian synagogue.

As the scribe, who must be pious and skilled in his field, copies the letters of the Torah’s final verse, we realize how fortunate we are to welcome this new Torah scroll – the latest link in a holy, eternal chain.

You are cordially invited to join us at this special event honoring the Torah. In emulation of the Safaniev family’s example of boundless generosity, you are also invited to contribute whatever you can to help the vital activities of FREE to ensure Jewish continuity, particularly among immigrant families from the Former Soviet Union.