1500-Year-Old Torah Charred Sefer Torah Discovered In Destroyed Shul

“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.”

This verse is from Leviticus 1:2, the beginning of the Book of Leviticus in the Torah.

The rest of the Hebrew text describes a fascinating archaeological discovery:

Around 50 years ago, excavations led by Prof. Dan Barag, Prof. Ehud Netzer, and Dr. Sefi Porath at the ancient Ein Gedi synagogue (dating back around 1500 years) uncovered the location of the synagogue’s Holy Ark. Inside were charred lumps that looked like utterly burnt coals. The contents could not be identified, and any disturbance threatened to crumble them to pieces. However, the excavators carefully preserved the lumps for 45 years, hoping that one-day, technology would allow them to be examined.

In 2015, Dr. Porath heard that the Israel Antiquities Authority was using advanced new technology to preserve and document the Dead Sea Scrolls. The charred lumps were scanned using micro-CT imaging, and then Prof. Brent Seales from the University of Kentucky virtually unwrapped and digitally reconstructed them.

Astonishingly, this revealed the first eight verses of the Book of Leviticus written in Hebrew on a burnt scroll. This was an extremely exciting resolution to the 45-year-old mystery of the lumps. The Ein Gedi settlement was burned and abandoned in the Byzantine period, leaving behind these treasures in the destroyed synagogue. The reason for the fire is unknown but may have been due to Bedouin raids or conflict with Byzantine authorities. The discovery of a 1500-year-old Torah scroll from a synagogue ark to accompany the Dead Sea Scrolls is a remarkable gift to pass on to future generations.