Torah Scroll Column Locator Handbook cover

Torah Scroll Column Locator Handbook NOW Available

Torah Scroll Navigation is the Joyful Experience of accurately and quickly locating a Specific Aliyah, while remaining calm and peaceful. Using easy to recognize “Anchor Columns” within the Scroll, this book introduces a systematic, two-step Process:

  • Locate the Column containing your Aliyah, then
  • Locate the beginning text for your Aliyah within that Column

Students practice locating Aliyot using a Tikkun Kor’im.  A Tikkun is a book that follows the layout of the Torah Scroll, helping individuals prepare for reading Torah publicly. The Tikkun contains the text of each Column in two ways – with vowels and without vowels. The Reference Tables in this workbook are based on the following Tikkun:

Tikkun Layout: 245 Columns / 42 lines

  • Tikkun Korim Hamefoar: Tikun for Reading the Torah with Instructions and Laws in Hebrew and English – by Abraham B. Walzer

Equipping Future Leaders to Locate Aliyot – Today, Torah Scroll Navigation skills are reserved for an elite few. Tomorrow’s leaders, from diverse backgrounds, can gain this expertise at an earlier age, and in much greater numbers, experiencing joy in this new facet of their journey to leadership.

Counting Columns

How to Count Columns when Rolling the Torah Scroll or Practicing with a Tikkun

Locating the Column containing your Aliyah -  An Anchor Column is a Column that has layout features so distinctive that even a non-Hebrew reader can comfortably recognize the Column. Examples include the usage of closed spaces in the poetic “Song of the Sea” (Column # 78) and the distinctive layout of the text for Parashat Ha’azinu (Columns # 242 and # 243).

To locate the Column containing your Aliyah – students are instructed to roll to a specific Anchor Column. This diagram illustrates exactly how to follow the Rolling Instructions in Section 3 in order to roll the Torah Scroll (or turn the pages of your Tikkun Kor’im) from a specific Anchor Column to the Column containing the beginning text for your Aliyah.

page 3 of Torah Scroll Column Locator Handbook

Locate the COLUMN
containing your Aliyah

Locating the Column containing your Aliyah – For each Aliyah for each Parashah, Section 3 identifies a specific Anchor Column for the student to locate and then provides specific rolling instructions. Example – Roll LEFT → 4 Columns or Roll RIGHT ➔ 9 Columns.

Anchor Columns Used:

  • Column # 1 - First Column within the Torah Scroll – Beginning of Genesis/Bereshit
  • Column # 61 – Conclusion of Genesis/Bereshit – 4 BLANK Lines – Beginning of Exodus/Shemot
  • Column # 111 – Conclusion of Exodus/Shemot – 4 BLANK Lines – Beginning of Leviticus/Vayikra
  • Column # 148 – Conclusion of Leviticus/Vayikra – 4 BLANK Lines – Beginning of Numbers/Bamidbar
  • Column # 200 - Conclusion of Numbers/Bamidbar – 4 BLANK Lines – Beginning of Deuteronomy/Devarim
  • Column # 245 - Last Column within the Torah Scroll – Conclusion of Deuteronomy/Devarim

Students who are very familiar with their Aliyah – can locate it just by locating its Column, since in addition to the Column # where the Aliyah begins, the Line # where the Aliyah generally begins is also provided.

Locate your Aliyah within its Column

Locating your Aliyah within its Column – For each Aliyah for each Parashah, Section 4 identifies the specific characteristics that uniquely identify where each Aliyah begins.

  • Column #
  • Line # (in different 245 Column / 42 Line Torah Scrolls – this may vary by a few lines, occasionally)
  • Beginning Text for Aliyah
  • Type of Space that precedes the Aliyah (Open Space, Closed Space, or No Space)
  • Words preceding the Beginning Text (very helpful when Aliyah is preceded by No Space)
  • Chapter and Verse reference for the Beginning Text of the Aliyah

Gaining Expertise through Practice

Instructors can use the Practice Session Tracking Worksheets to assign class activities and homework. Self-paced students can use these Worksheets to track their progress, even timing themselves to see how they become more proficient in quickly locating Aliyot with more practice.