Apologies for the long delay in getting back to my posting schedule – between a brief vacation and some fits and starts, everything is back on track once again.

Well, as we have mentioned previously, there are about 62 parchment sheets in modern Torah scrolls.   The method of attaching all of these sheets together to form a complete scroll is a halacha le-Moshe mi-Sinai, a law communicated orally by G-d to Moses that is usually only alluded to, yet not stated explicitly, in the Tanakh, the Jewish scriptures…

The law is that the sheets must be sewn together with a material called gid.  Gid is a type of tough thread made from the sinews of a kosher animal.

This law is consistent with the general principal that a Sefer Torah must be made using materials that are produced only from ritually pure animals.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the Torah writes in Shemos (Exodus) 13:9, Lemaan tihiyeh Toras HaShem be-ficha, “… so that the Torah of HaShem should be in your mouth.”

The Talmud in Shabbos 108a learns from this verse that the Torah must literally be mutar beficha, permitted to place in one’s mouth, meaning that the materials which comprise a Sefer Torah must come from those animals and sources that are Kosher. For example, the hide upon which a Sefer Torah is written must be from a kosher animal. The animal from which the hide is obtained doesn’t need to actually be shechted, which would make it literally possible to eat the hide, but the animal must only be of a kosher species. It is therefore possible to write upon the hides of deer, cattle, and kosher birds.

Similarly, the thread used to sew the sheets together must be produced from a kosher species of animal.

The Shimusha Rabba, Nimukei Yosef, and Sefer ha-Truma all recommend using ox tendons since they are strong and durable. The Mogen Avraham 32:65 further specifies that the best sinews are from the Achilles tendon of the animal’s heel.

Anatomy of an Ox Hoof With the Best Gid Tendons Circled

The tendons are removed, beaten, and pounded until they separate into their constituent fibers.

A Raw Tendon, Unprocessed - Credit for this photo goes to Pinchas Michaels, a British Sofer friend.

The Gid, after Being Pounded and Pulled Apart - Again, credit for this photo goes to Pinchas Michaels.

These fibers are then separated, twisted, stretched, and spun into thread.

Ball O' Gid - Again, credit for this photo goes to Pinchas Michaels.

As we have already seen, many of the materials used in making a Torah scroll must be produced “lishma,” meaning that the manufacturer must have specific intent to produce the material for the sake of a Torah scroll.  This intent must be verbally declared before the production takes place (or is completed, in some situations).  Without this specific intent, the material is not kosher for use.

Lishma is an absolute must for producing parchment and for the act of writing.   However, it is unclear if lishma is required for making gid.  The Mogen Avraham 32:66 requires that the manufacturer have explicit intent, while the Pri Megadim and Eliyahu Rabba don’t think that intent, or a lack thereof, necessarily invalidates the gid.

Kosher gid is the only material acceptable for sewing Torah scrolls and tefillin.  Any other material can completely invalidate the Torah or Tefillin.  In pressing circumstances, and only as a temporary fix, the Beis Yosef allows a type of thread made from spun strips of klaf (kosher parchment), however a bracha (blessing) should not be recited on anything sewn with this and one should replace the klaf-thread with gid as soon as it becomes available.

Incidentally, I have repaired old Torah scrolls and had to correct a number of ad hoc improper stitchings.  So far, I have found sheets affixed together with silk thread, fishing line, twine, copper wire, and (sigh…) duct tape.  Oy vey!

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