Torah Scroll

Artist Unknown

Datemid-19th century

MediumCalf skin vellum, ink, animal sinew

DimensionsW: 20 1/4 in. (51.4 cm) (variable)

ClassificationsNatural Substances

Credit LineGift of the Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery in honor of Hannah P. and B. Elmo Scoggin

Object number2008.14

On View

On view

Label Text
This Torah scroll was formerly used in religious services at the Western Wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The scroll is rolled to the passage where God proclaims the Ten Commandments:
You shall have no other gods besides Me.
You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth…
You shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD your God…
Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy…
Honor your father and your mother…
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…or anything that is your neighbor’s.
—Exodus 20:3–14.

The translation is from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society, 1985.ProvenanceCreated North Africa, probably Morocco, mid-19th century. Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Jerusalem; [Katz Judaica, Brooklyn, 2008]; sold to NCMA, 2008.
Published ReferencesYonat Shimron, "Torah case now has a Torah scroll," The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), October 8, 2008, 4B, illus. (b-w).
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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