The Written Torah - How It Came About and Who Wrote It

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On the Text of the Torah, by Rabbi Gil Student, Torat Emet - Textual Criticism Of The Torah

At the end of his life, Moshe wrote thirteen Torahs - one for each of the twelve tribes and one for the priests to keep in the ark (Devarim Rabbah 9:9; Deut. 31:9, 24-26). The Torah only specifies the priestly scroll, but that might be due to the importance this text would play in history. The priests safeguarded this Torah and brought it to the Temple when it was built. Sefer Tagi (introduction in Torah Shelemah vol. 29 p. 87), an ancient work on the letters of the Torah, tells us that Eli the priest (of 1 Samuel) wrote a book with details of the Torah's script based on another of Moshe's writings. This, too, was kept in the Temple……Thus, Moshe's Torah scroll was kept in the Temple as a reference. Due to the antiquity and historical importance of this scroll, there were probably other copies of it that were kept in the Temple for everyday use. This would minimize the wear-and-tear on the important Torah of Moshe. Whenever a Torah scroll was written, it would be written based on these codices to guaranty the accuracy of its text. This ensured the integrity of the Torah through much of the Temple period

 

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Ashkar-Gilson Hebrew Manuscript, 7th-8th century CE
by hadassah | Oct 13, 2015 | Early Arab Period

Ashkar-Gilson Hebrew Manuscript, 7th-8th century CE | Center for Online Judaic Studies

cojs.org

New analysis of a previously known scrap of a Biblical text provides fascinating insight into the formation of the Hebrew Bible. Known as the Ashkar-Gilson Hebrew Manuscript #2, the text is a remnant of a Torah scroll from the seventh or eighth century C.E. and contains a crucial section of the Book of Exodus.​

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Although the fragment came to light more than three decades ago, it was disregarded by scholars and remained unpublished. But a recent analysis shows that this damaged sheet fills a gap in our knowledge regarding the transmission of the Biblical text.​

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The Masoretic copyists transmitted the Song of the Sea with utmost care. Apparently they were aware of its unique quality. They copied it in a special symmetric layout that resembles brickwork, with two blank spaces in the even lines and one blank space in the odd lines. This arrangement was chosen not only for its beauty but also for its meaning, with each of the spaces marking the end of a colon (a small poetic unit that must be sung in one breathe). The importance of this brickwork layout is reflected in the fact that it is reproduced in every Torah scroll used in synagogues today.​

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Found in Beirut, Lebanon, by Fuad Ashkar and Albert Gilson in 1972, the Ashkar-Gilson Manuscript might have originated in the Cairo Genizah. However, since Ashkar and Gilson purchased the manuscript from an antiquities dealer, the provenance of the piece is not certain. Ashkar and Gilson donated the manuscript to Duke University. Since 2007 Duke has lent the piece to the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, where it is currently stored in the Shrine of the Book.​

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