By Rabbi Jill Maderer

For generations and generations, Jewish communities have engaged a sofer (scribe) to pen a Torah scroll.  Each scribe follows extremely specific regulations in order to make the scroll, kosher, or fit.  Although nothing has changed about these regulations, a new initiative is underway, to help make us all more aware of the sofer’s process.  Today’s Inquirer reports on one congregation’s new website that chronicles a sofer’s work on a new scroll. 

What the author of the article does not mention is the fact that there is another Torah-writing innovation of recent times.  The author refers to scribes, as men.  Yet there are at least 2 traditionally-trained female Torah scribes as well!  Female scribes and a scroll-writing website–2 examples of modern ways we can include more people in the world of Torah.