Netivat Sofrut: diary of a Soferet

Adventures of a female sofer learning to heal the world by doing Holy Work...writing a Sefer Torah

נחזיר את השכינה למקומה בצייון ובתבל כלה

"Let us restore the Divine In-Dwelling to Her Place in Zion & infuse Her spirit throughout the whole inhabited world."

So wherever we are, let us bring the Peace of G@d's Presence.

: Name: Soferet; Location: Vancouver/London, British Columbia/UK, Canada

SCRIBAL EVANGELIST As the only living certified Soferet (סופרת - female Jewish ritual scribe) & the first woman to practice sofrut (creation of sacred Hebrew texts) in over 200 years, I feel an obligation to blog about my experiences of The Work. I am also currently researching the foundation of a lost tradtion of women practicing this holy craft. For more on the services I provide, please see Soferet.com; Sofrut Nation. I am now available to engage with students, male or female, wishing to enter into the preliminary stage of learning sofrut. You are welcome to join me on this path. "Tzedeq, tzedeq tir'dof - Justice, justice you shall pursue." Devarim/Deuteronomy 16:20.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2005

BLANK MEGILAT ESTHER QLAF

BS"D

Winter 2003: I raise a piece of blank Megilat Esther qlaf up to the lamp to examine the patterns in the skin. (photo credit: Chana Joffe-Walt)
I am looking back on this now, over a year ago, & am seeing how much I have learned in that time. I am still not expert; I have only been certified for 16 months, however all the writing & learning in process has been invaluable & I am truly grateful to G@d for these opportunities. I am now writing my second Megilat Esther, this one illustrated, & I am enjoying this endeavour very much.
I am still struck by the mysterious patterns & randomness of each skin I contact.
If you look closely at this picture, you can see the mark of the calf's spine left in the hide (& you can see that I was not married yet, which is why my head is uncovered in this photo).