© 2006 by Daniel D. Stuhlman. All rights reserved.
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Last revised February 9, 2006
by Daniel D. Stuhlman
February 2006Preservation of Parchment
On February 4, 2006 the Orthodox Union had a conference for Gabbai'im that I attended via
a web cast. Rabbi Tzvi Chaim Pincus of Tiferes Stam made a presentation called "Recognizing
a Pasul Sefer Torah." [1] I would like to expand some of his thoughts as connected to the
physical preservation of Torah scrolls. Rabbi Pincus related a story of a ceremony made
by a synagogue completing and dedicating a new sefer torah. As the scroll was lifted
and turned for everyone to see one woman yelled, "That Torah is not new; look at all that
brown dirt on the back. All the other sefire Torah we own are white." After the rabbi
assured her the Torah was indeed new and written especially for the shul, the sofer (scribe)
started to explain why this Torah had brown markings and was not white. The brown markings
were part of the natural coloring of the hide.
There are several environmental enemies of all organic materials including the parchment
of the Torah scrolls and the paper of books. Some of these enemies were not known 40,
50 or more years ago. The first papers used for the printing of books were made from rags.
When a shortage of rags developed in the late 18th century, papermakers were forced to
search for other sources of vegetable fibers. The first successful substitute for linen
and cotton fibers appeared in the 1860's when wood pulp was used in commercial production
of papers for book and newspaper publication. The wood pulp paper was much less expensive
than rag fiber papers. By the 1880's this kind of paper became very wide spread. The term,
"pulp fiction" originated from the source of the paper used to make these inexpensive books.
One big problem with this paper was that it yellowed very rapidly. It was not until the
1940's that acid used in the paper's production was discovered as the source of the fragility
of the paper.
Internal acid was the main problem for paper made from wood pulp. Today we have the option
of acid-free or acid neutralized papers. Environmental acid (i.e. air pollution) is the
source of problems for the preservation of sifrei Torah. In early part of the 20th century
coal was a major source of fuel for heating homes and businesses. The burning of coal
released sulfur dioxide(SO2) into the atmosphere which combined
with water vapor to produce sulfurous acid H2SO3
and then becomes sulfuric acid H2SO4.
This acid attacks all kinds of organic materials. The damage starts as bleaching and later
breaks down the fiber structure. A fine dust on the surface is the indication of this damage
in progress. Since the acid is very weak the materials take a long time to show damage.
Preparing Parchment
The source for the skin is from kosher animals slaughtered for meat. After skinning the
animal, the skin is soaked in water and lime is used to help removed the hair. The skin
can be made into either leather or parchment. Leather is a flexible sheet material. Its
structure, of interwoven, three-dimensional network of fibers makes it an excellent material
for clothes, shoes, and book covers because of its strength and flexibility. In general,
the younger the animal at time of slaughter the thinner the hide, the smaller surface area,
the smoother and finer the grain structure, and the less likelihood of damage due to disease,
injury, or insects.
When leather is used in clothing, the problems of acid deterioration are on no consequence
because the material wears out or is outgrown before the acid damage is evident. When
used as a book binding material its softness and strength add beauty and elegance to a
book, while its chemical nature gives it the ability to adhere well to paper, and other
materials used for the cover boards. As a book binding material it needs care [2] to maintain
its beauty, softness, and strength. A Torah scroll may be written on leather,
but the resulting scroll will be very heavy and few people will be able to lift it.
Parchment is prepared by soaking the hide in a lime solution and then scraping to remove
the hair. The skin is dried under tension on a wooden frame without using any metal to
hold the skin. The metal would discolor the parchment. While drying more lime is applied
to remove moisture and grease. The surface is smoothed with a tool and may to sanded or
rubbed with pumice for additional smoothness. Even after this treatment the hair side is
still distinguishable because it is rougher and has more color than the flesh side. Torah
scrolls are written on the flesh side.
In previous times the hair side of the parchment was white washed. That is why the woman
thought the new Torah was not white enough. This white wash is the source of two problems.
First it adds weight and bulk to the scroll; second it flakes off. The white wash falls
off as a white powder more readily than the ink of the letters. Since the while wash is
lime based and is alkaline, the parchment is "protected" from the acid in the air for
several years. But the acid causes the wash to become a powder. This powder comes off
on the letters and can at first glance cause the reader to think the Torah is pasul
(unfit for reading.) That problem is solved with a gentle blowing or a soft brush.
While theoretically the Torah can be chemically cleaned and the whiteness restored, this
processing is rarely done. Sometimes a clear coating of shellac is used to prevent further
deterioration of the letters. I am not sure if this is good long term solution or just
a temporary stop gap measure.
The Torah scrolls being written today are much smaller in physical size and weight than the
scrolls many people remember from years ago. This is because most are written on parchment
made from calf skin. Since calves are smaller than full grown cows, the amount of parchment
for one piece is smaller. The size of the parchment is about 16-19 inches compared to
older scrolls of about 24 inches. Parchment made from calves is thinner and lighter weight
than parchment from older animals.
The term vellum is sometimes uses synonymously with parchment, but there is a technical
difference. Vellum is generally a finer product produced from the skin of calves. Parchment
may be from sheep, goat, or cow skin. Both parchment and vellum are produced in the same
way. The finest vellum is produced from fetal [3] calves because it has the fewest flaws
and is also most expensive to produce. Based on this definition, modern Torah scrolls
are written on vellum.
The other enemies of Torah scrolls are heat and humidity. Many Torah scrolls in warm
climates show signs of deterioration after as few as ten years, while scrolls in northern
climates are usable for more than 150 years.[4] All organics have moisture in them. The
water expands and contracts with changes in the temperature. This causes letters to flake
off. Rabbi Pincus mentioned two additional sources of unwanted moisture-- saliva from
the Torah reader or the one called to the Torah. Liquid water may cause the letters to be
smudged or act as a source or medium for the growth of bacteria or mold. We must be very
careful to never allow the parchment to get wet. Someone kissing the sefer Torah must
take care to never get saliva on the Torah letters. The reader must be careful not to
expel saliva. Since mold can grow on any surface, [5] heat and humidity must be controlled
to prevent mold growth. In warm climates special precautions must be taken. Not only
is the mold harmful to the scroll it is the source of allergic reactions or symptoms in
people.
While parchment is more resistant to tearing than paper, it is much more sensitive to the
environment than paper. In designing an aron hakodesh (cabinet for the scrolls) care must
be taken to ensure ideal storage conditions. The best conditions are temperatures between
4° and 20° C. (40° and 68° F.), with a relative humidity of 50 to 65%. It is best to keep
the temperature as constant as possible. Under no circumstances should parchment be
allowed to freeze, become wet, or allowed to dry out. That means in very dry climates
and in winter moisture must be added to the air. In cold climates the scrolls should be
in heated rooms. Rabbi Pincus described a synagogue with an aron hakedesh (Closet
to hold the scrolls) that had the sun shining on it. The sun on the aron was impressive
and beautiful, but it baked the parchment causing premature aging. Frequently the
aron hakedesh is on an outside wall
that creates temperatures more extreme than the rest of the room. Care must be taken for
climate control purposes. In extreme climate conditions a heating-air conditioning vent
may need to be added.
Another interesting case of Torah conservation occurs when the actual scroll is no longer
fit for use in the synagogue, but a library or museum wants to keep it and display it for
historical reasons. Even after the scroll can no longer be read during services, it is
part of the historical legacy of the community. Since the parchment still has kedusha
(holiness) attached to it, one needs to figure out how to preserve it. I know libraries
have these scrolls and so do some synagogues and museums. Since very few trained conservators
are Jewish, one would hope that non-Jewish curators would know that the parchment from
Torah scrolls, mezuzot, and tephillan need special reverence. This kind of conservation
project would take a team consisting of a sofer (trained scribe), librarian, and a person
trained in the technical aspects of preservation. I leave this for further study.
As always, I welcome comments and ideas for future columns.
1. Recognizing a Torah scroll that is not fit for use in the synagogue.
2. Leather requires treatments to be preserved. This treatment includes potassium lactate
mixed with distilled water and mold inhibiter and/or oils such as lanolin. See
Cleaning and preserving bindings and related materials, by Carolyn Horton. American
Library Association, 1969, for more information.
3. Uterine or fetal vellum was produced as early as the 13th century. Vellum was sometimes
used for a limp covering for books in the 16th and 17th centuries and in later years as a
covering for stiff book boards. Today those vellum bindings, unless they received expert
care, are curled and in otherwise poor condition.
4. I have never seen any documentation on the ages of Torah scrolls. Only in very recent
years have synagogues registered their scrolls. My synagogue did this only within the past
9 months. Since the scrolls themselves have no colophons with dates or information on
the scribes, internal dating is not possible.
5. After floods and water from fire fighting, extra care must be taken to avoid mold damage.
That is the subject of another paper. I have heard of mold damage on Torah scroll as far
north as a synagogue in Milwaukee. I don't know the details of how the mold grew or how
they solved the problem.
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