Sefer Torah

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Pronunciations

Sefer Torah (SEH-fehr TO-ruh) listen
Sefer Torah (SEY-fehr TOE-ruh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A Torah scroll (a scroll with the text of The Five Books of Moses on it).

Example Sentences

  • "My shul just purchased a new Sefer Torah for $5,000."

  • "Two of the oldest sifrey torah in the ark were brough over from Slovakia." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Heb. סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה sefer torah 'book of Torah' (plural סִפְרֵי תּוֹרָה sifrei torah) > Yid. ספֿר־תּורה seifer toireh 'Torah scroll' (plural ספֿרי־תּורה sifrei toireh)

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      Seyfer Toyreh, Seyfer Toyre, Seyfer Toire, Seyfer Toirah, Seyfer Toira, Seyfer Toreh, Seyfer Tore, Seyfer Torah, Seyfer Tora, Seifer Toyreh, Seifer Toyre, Seifer Toyrah, Seifer Toyra, Seifer Toireh, Seifer Toire, Seifer Toirah, Seifer Toira, Seifer Toreh, Seifer Tore, Seifer Torah, Seifer Tora, Sefer Toyreh, Sefer Toyre, Sefer Toyrah, Sefer Toyra, Sefer Toireh, Sefer Toire, Sefer Toirah, Sefer Toira, Sefer Toreh, Sefer Tore, Sefer Tora, Seyfer Toireh, Seyfer Toyra, Seyfer Toyrah

Notes

  • Plural Sifrei Torah / Sifrei Tora / Sifrei Tore / Sifrei Toreh / Sifrei Toira / Sifrei Toirah / Sifrei Toire / Sifrei Toireh / Sifrei Toyra / Sifrei Toyrah / Sifrei Toyre / Sifrei Toyreh / Sifrey Tora / Sifrey Torah / Sifrey Tore / Sifrey Toreh / Sifrey Toira / Sifrey Toirah / Sifrey Toire / Sifrey Toireh / Sifrey Toyra / Sifrey Toyrah / Sifrey Toyre / Sifrey Toyreh.

    Can also be spelled with neither word capitalized or only the second word capitalized.

    In contrast to Torah, which can refer to the text in the abstract or the physical scroll, Sefer Torah always refers to the physical scroll itself.

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