Sefer Torah, a Jewish scroll that houses formal text of Hebrew law and the five books of Moses, reportedly has arrived in Eastern Nigeria from Israel.
The arrival of the Sefer Torah comes a few days after the re-arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been to Israel quite a number of times before his repatriation back to Nigeria.
GoldenNewsNG learnt that Nnamdi Kanu, had before his re-arrest, declared in a broadcast that “any day you see Sefer Torah appear in Biafraland, it means Biafra has come.”
A post shared by Rudy Rochman on Wednesday, 7 July, says “The Sefer Torah has touched down Igboland from Jerusalem. We were welcomed by the community in Lagos, Nigeria and later in Ogidi, Anambra.”
He added that “the were never lost journey has just begun’
What is Sefer Torah?
Sefer Torah, also spelled Sepher Torah, Hebrew “Book of the Law”, in Judaism, the first five books of the Old Testament written in Hebrew by a qualified calligrapher (sofer) on vellum or parchment and enshrined in the ark of the Law (aron ha-qodesh) in synagogues.
The Sefer Torah is used for public readings during services on Sabbaths, Mondays, Thursdays, and religious festivals.
While Sephardic (Spanish-rite) Jews often enclose the Sefer Torah in a case of wood or metal, Ashkenazi (German-rite) Jews generally cover it with an ornate mantle of cloth, with ritual ornaments attached.
In Sephardic congregations the Sefer Torah is displayed to the congregation before the reading of the Law, but among Ashkenazim this occurs only after the daily reading has been completed.
Torah scrolls are removed and returned to the ark with a solemnity that reflects deep reverence for the Word of God.
A Sefer Torah is so sacred to Jews. It is said that if one is accidentally dropped in the synagogue the whole congregation must fast for 40 days.
