Monday, November 09, 2009

A VERY OLD TORAH SCROLL is up for auction at Sotheby's:
730-year-old Torah scroll on auction this month
By TALI MINSBERG (Jerusalem Post)

The oldest complete Spanish Torah scroll will be up for sale at Sotheby's Judaica auction on November 24.

The scroll, the only Spanish Torah to include the kabbalistic traditions of curved letters, has an estimated worth of $300,000-$500,000.

Yitzchok Reisman, a world-renowned sofer (scribe), discovered the 730-year-old scroll about 10 years ago, and was able to date it and identify its origin.

[...]
Need I say it? It belongs in a museum. In any case, I hope that whoever buys it will make it available to scholars for study. That will only increase its value, which makes access a win-win proposition.