Common Questions

Questions

What is soferut, and is the atelier a real soferut workshop?

Soferut is the Hebrew tradition of writing sacred texts by hand, on parchment, with a quill and ink prepared in the workshop. The work covers the Sefer Torah, the mezuzah, tefillin, the ketubah, and other Hebrew calligraphy that a household, a congregation, or a study hall asks for. The atelier has done this work in the Old City of Jerusalem since 1946, alongside the smaller iconography practice that the parish communities of the Old City bring it.

How long does a Sefer Torah take?

A complete Sefer Torah, written by a single sofer, takes between twelve and eighteen months. The work cannot be rushed. A patron who needs a scroll for a stated date, such as a synagogue dedication or a bar mitzvah, must commission it well in advance and confirm the date in the acceptance letter; otherwise the order is taken in turn.

Are tefillin written for left-handed clients?

Yes. The atelier asks the patron at the time of inquiry whether the tefillin are for a right-handed or a left-handed wearer, and writes accordingly. The two are not interchangeable; the convention is observed strictly.

May we commission a custom ketubah?

Yes. The text is the standard one of the patron's tradition, with the names, the date, and any clauses the patron's officiating rabbi requires inserted in the proper places. The illumination is composed by the workshop in consultation with the couple, in any of the workshop's Hebrew calligraphic hands. A ketubah takes a season.

Does the atelier ship outside Israel?

Yes. Commissions are sent by registered post anywhere the postal carriers will deliver, in board and oilcloth packaging, with insurance to the value of the agreed price. Customs documents for ritual objects are prepared by the workshop. The patron is responsible for any duties levied on arrival.

What is the atelier's relationship with the Beit Din?

The atelier writes for households, congregations, and study halls of any tradition. Where a commission must be certified by a particular Beit Din, the patron arranges that certification with the Beit Din directly, and the atelier writes in compliance with whatever standards the certifying body requires. The workshop's hands have been read by senior sofrim of several traditions over the years.

Does the atelier write icons too?

Yes, when asked. The Old City's parish communities have long brought iconography commissions to the workshop, and it has kept that practice alongside the soferut work. Iconography is quoted individually, not on the subscription cadences, and is described under Other Commissions on the services page.

Are visitors received at the workshop?

By prior letter, on weekdays, between the hours of nine and noon, outside the High Holy Days, the Great Lent, and Holy Week. The workshop has no shop and no objects for sale on the day of the visit.

Why is the atelier's hand withheld from the work?

A soferut piece carries no signature at all; the scribe's hand is recorded only in the workshop ledger. An icon panel, where one is commissioned, is signed on the reverse, in Greek, with the date and the patron, and is otherwise withheld. In neither tradition does the maker's name appear on the face of the work.