Genesis | Exodus | Leviticus | Numbers | Deuteronomy
The 19th-century Sephardic Torah scroll on display in the Otto F. Linn Library at Warner Pacific University contains the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Each column of the scroll has been photographed and indexed.
Reading a Sefer Torah is a unique experience. The text in the scroll contains many unusual features that do not appear in a printed book or translation. For example, the scribe wrote some letters unusually large and others unusually small, while distinctive dots appear above letters in specific verses. Entire passages, such as Exodus 15 (the Song of the Sea) and Deuteronomy 32 (the Song of Moses), are written in distinctive visual patterns. Some of these oddities are described on the website GraceTranscendingTheTorah.com.
We invite you to view, enjoy, and download the images below. To read an English translation alongside the Hebrew text, visit Chabad.org.
Leviticus (Vayikra)
| * Exodus 39:31 – Leviticus 1:5 (columns 99-100) |
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Leviticus 14:49-16:8 (columns 117-118) |
| Leviticus 1:5-3:17 (columns 101-102) |
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Leviticus 16:8-18:3 (columns 119-120) |
| Leviticus 3:17-5:6 (columns 103-104) |
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Leviticus 18:3-19:32 (columns 121-122) |
| Leviticus 5:6-7:3 (columns 105-106) |
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Leviticus 19:32-21:21 (columns 123-124) |
| Leviticus 7:3-8:24 (columns 107-108) |
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Leviticus 21:21-23:22 (columns 125-126) |
| Leviticus 8:25-10:19 (columns 109-110) |
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Leviticus 23:23-25:4 (columns 127-128) |
| * Leviticus 10:19-13:5 (columns 111-112) |
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Leviticus 25:4-26:2 (columns 129-130) |
| * Leviticus 13:5-14:2 (columns 113-114) |
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Leviticus 26:2-27:7 (columns 131-132) |
| Leviticus 14:2-14:49 (columns 115-116) |
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Leviticus 27:8 – Numbers 1:22 (columns 133-134) |
| * denotes pages of special interest | ||
Points of Interest:
| Lev. 1:1 | : | Small Letters (Otiyot Ze’ira). The first phrase of the Book of Leviticus “And he [God] called” (vayikra) ends in a small Aleph (א). “The Little Aleph and the Grand Story It Tells: Thoughts on Parashat Vayikra” discusses some of the reasons for this difference, including the possibility that it is a sign of Moses’ deep humility by not wanting to call attention to the fact that he was specially chosen by God to lead the Israelites. |
| Lev. 11:42 | : | Large Letters (Otiyot Rabbati). The large Vav (ו) in the phrase “whatsoever goes upon its belly” (gachon) indicates the letter that is traditionally recognized as the middle letter in the Torah. For additional information, refer to “Four Large Letters in the Bible” by Zvi Ron. |
| Lev. 13:33 | : | Large Letters (Otiyot Rabbati). The large Gimel (λ) in the phrase “and he will be shaven” (v’hitgaleach) indicates the word that is traditionally recognized as the middle word in the Torah. For additional information, refer to “Four Large Letters in the Bible” by Zvi Ron. |