Peter Ehrenthal, president of Moriah, a Manhattan firm specializing in Judaica, says he has just purchased the world’s smallest Torah. The parchment is 2 1/2 inches high and the hand-written text is 1 3/4 inches high but clearly legible without the aid of a magnifying lens, Ehrenthal told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today.
He said the miniature was acquired for the firm by his son at an auction at the Southby Gallery in London this morning for $25,000. The price included a sterling silver filigreed Ark 9 3/4 inches high. The Torah itself stands 4 1/2 inches from top to bottom of the scroll handles and is contained in green velvet cloth with silver braid and the Hebrew letters Koff and Toff.
Ehrenthal said he is satisfied that it is the smallest Torah extant though he believes Southby was not aware of that fact. The Southby catalogue described it only as a “small size” Torah and Ark. According to Ehrenthal it originated in Austria, probably in the early 19th Century. An inscription refers to “Yaacov, son of Rabbi Meir Landau,” who was the original owner but may or may not have been the craftsman, he said. He estimated that it took the scribe 5-10 years to complete the sacred text.
Ehrenthal believes that despite its tiny size the Torah had a practical use. He said such miniatures were commissioned by pious Jews as gifts for their rebbes to be used while traveling. Ehrenthal said he has not decided whether to place it on sale or add it to his private collection of Judaica. He did not exclude the possibility of lending it to a museum.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
