1,828,830. That’s the number of Jewish children who have purchased letters in special “children’s Torah scrolls,” the sixth of which was finished last week in Jerusalem.
In the spring of 1981, the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—spoke of the special power children have to make the world a better place. Quoting the Talmudic description of their speech as “breath free of sin,” the Rebbe explained that they can fuel a dramatic demonstration of unity that could change the planet.
To that end, the Rebbe urged that every Jewish child possess a letter in a Torah scroll written specifically for them. All it would cost is the symbolic amount of one dollar (or its equivalent in local currency), ideally coming from the child’s own funds or sponsored by parents and family members. Each letter would link Jewish children the world over to the foundation of their heritage and to each other.
The Rebbe also asked that the Torah scroll be written in Israel, “the land where the Eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d are upon it at all times, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.” The Rebbe specified the Old City of Jerusalem as the location for the writing of the Torah scroll. This is because Jerusalem also represents “the concept of unity,” as it was never divided among the tribes and was the focal point of the people in Israel. The Rebbe further requested that the Torah scroll be written in the Tzemach Tzedek synagogue—the only synagogue in the Old City whose walls and roof remained intact throughout the Jordanian occupation between 1948 and 1967.
Every Torah scroll contains 304,805 letters; writing a complete one usually takes a whole year. But the campaign—launched with the backing of rabbinical leaders, such as Rabbi Israel Abuchatzera and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein in Israel and New York, respectively—sparked such enthusiasm that the first children’s Torah scroll was successfully completed in just three-and-a-half months.
That first scroll was finalized on the 20th day of the Hebrew month of Av, 5741 (1981). Exactly 35 years later, the sixth Torah scroll was finished in the same place.
Thousands gathered on Thursday at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem to celebrate its completion. Honored guests included Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinowitz and leading Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis from throughout Israel.
The writing of the seventh Torah scroll has already begun. Letters can be purchased online or via mail (still for just a dollar). Every child receives a colorful certificate with his or her Hebrew name on it and the portion of the Torah where his or her letter can be found.
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