The congregants of North Country Reform Temple, (NCRT), in Glen Cove participated in a once-in-a-lifetime experience as they welcomed a new Torah scroll from Israel. On June 6, the new Torah accompanied by its scribe, Benjamin Cohen, on the journey from Israel, was dedicated in a ceremony filled with overwhelming emotion and boundless joy as a two-year effort came to fruition. With the torah's dedication came the rare opportunity for any Jewish congregation, which is the fulfillment of the 613 Commandment which says every Jew in his or her lifetime is supposed to write a torah scroll. The first panel of the scroll was sewn together by the scribe only after the first letter and the final 50 letters were inscribed by congregants with Mr. Cohen guiding their hands. The first letter, starting the phrase, "In the beginning," opens the first five books of the Old Testament, (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).

The Torah was commissioned by North Country Reform Temple last year when an older scroll was found to be no longer usable according to ritual law. "Four years ago I discovered our torahs were all in really poor shape. One needed to be buried because it's beyond repair, one needed work and the third torah is our Holocaust torah. The new torah will replace the one we will bury later on, " said Rabbi Janet Liss of North County Reform Temple. Rabbi Liss explained that Torah's are buried because they are given the same respect as that given to a human being. "To commission the new Torah we held a large and successful torah project. The money raised went to repair a Torah, to commission the new one and for capital improvements," said Rabbi Liss.

A scribe does not always accompany a torah on its journey to dedication and placement in the ark of a synagogue. The board of trustees and Rabbi Liss of North Country Reform Temple wanted the scribe to complete the writing and the sewing of the Torah in the synagogue so the faithful could take part in the 613 Commandment which, according to Rabbi Liss, is a Commandment that most people do not have the opportunity to fulfill.

Scribe Benjamin Cohen said he learned this sacred skill through a personal teacher. " The teaching goes from one man's mouth to one man's ear. There are many laws and I learned through experience," said Mr. Cohen. He has repaired eight Torahs and has completed three new Torahs. Mr. Cohen has taught other scribes to inscribe Torahs. It takes 295 working days, 12 hours a day, to complete a new torah according to Mr. Cohen. When asked how he felt upon completing this particular Torah, Mr. Cohen said, "It's like giving birth or giving away one's child in marriage. It's like parting with a piece of myself," said Mr. Cohen. The Torah panels are animal skin and when referring to a torah as kosher it means that it is fit for public reading. If there are words missing, or the ink is dried up, sections flaked off, the Torah is no longer considered kosher. There can't be any mistakes in the Torah, every word must be correct and in order otherwise it is no longer considered kosher. The scribe's work is proofread and with new technology, computer programs scan torah for errors.

"Our joy at this time is boundless. I personally feel honored beyond words that we attained this milestone during my tenure at this small but vibrant congregation. In my 12 years as a rabbi I have never experienced the overwhelming emotion of dedicating a new scroll," said Rabbi Liss.