Torah Scroll, manuscript on leather, Yemen: [13th-14th century]

59 sheets (various widths x 21 1/2 in.; 550 mm). Ink on leather parchment (gevil), varnished on text side only. 59 sheets comprising 226 columns of 51 lines of text per column in a 13th-14th century Yemenite Hebrew square script; seven sheets are later replacements by different hands.

Jordan Penkower, "Maimonides and the Aleppo Codex". Textus 9 (1981):39-128; Jordan Penkower, New Evidence for the Pentateuch Text in the Aleppo Codex. Bar-Ilan University Press: Ramat Gan, 1992 (Hebrew); M. Breuer, The Aleppo Codex and the Textus Receptus of the Bible. Mossad HaRav Kook, 1976 (Hebrew).

An extremely important scroll of utmost rarity; the earliest example of the complete Yemenite Pentateuch tradition

Containing the text of the Pentateuch and written by hand on specially prepared animal skins by a trained scribe, the Torah Scroll is the most sacred ritual artifact of the Jewish faith. The execution of a ritually fit scroll depends on a great many factors. In addition to the rules concerning the materials to be used there are numerous requirements concerning the actual text of the Torah. These are authoritatively detailed in the Mishneh Torah, the comprehensive code of law written by Moses Maimonides in the 12th century. Among the issues Maimonides addresses are majuscular and miniscular letters, the shapes of particular letters, the formatting of specific sections of the biblical text, the layout of columns and certain individual lines, the demarcation of  each paragraph as either "open" or "closed," the "dotting" of certain letters and the spelling of certain words as plene or defective. Maimonides cites the Aleppo Codex, written by the 10th century Masorete, Aaron ben Moses ben Asher as authoritative in all these matters.

Although Maimonides was highly respected by Jews the world over, his support of the Yemenite community resulted in his achieving an almost saint-like status. Consequently, Maimonides' halakhic rulings were venerated and adhered to with a particular passion amongst Yemenite Jews.

By close comparison of Yemenite scrolls with the known variants found in both the Aleppo Codex as well as in Maimonides' Hilkhot Sefer Torah, it has been proven by scholars that the great degree of accuracy associated with Yemenite Torah Scrolls is attributable to the practice of Yemenite scribes correcting their codices according to Maimonides' Torah Scroll. That scroll had in turn been written according to the Aleppo Codex, universally acknowledged as the most accurate of the Tiberian manuscripts of the bible. The present scroll is the earliest witness to the various Yemenite customs concerning the writing of a Torah Scroll. Accordingly, it has been suggested by Prof. Jordan Penkower that the "exact details in the present scroll may reflect Maimonides' own scroll."

We would like to thank Professors Jordan Penkower and Malachi Beit-Arie for providing information concerning this manuscript which aided in the cataloging of this lot. For Prof. Penkower's detailed analysis of the scribal characteristics of this Torah Scroll, please inquire of the Books and Manuscripts department.