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The Talmud says that one who involves himself in the writing of a Sefer Torah is credited as if one received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Even being responsible for the writing of one letter has an element of Kabbalath HaTorah, the accepting of the Torah. If a person writes or hires someone to write a Sefer Torah and involves himself in overseeing the production, he is considered a person who would have been willing to go to the Midbar, the wilderness, to receive the Torah.
There are two aspects involved in receiving the Torah: the giving of the Torah and receiving the Torah. Go to the Midbar and toil, then you can receive the gift. G-d placed this obligation of having one’s own Kabbalat HaTorah (personal receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai) on every Jew. If a person purchases a Sefer Torah, he doesn’t properly fulfill this Mitzvah. It must be an act of involvement. To find the parchment, assign the Sofer, and arrange to pay for it: that shows you would have gone into the desert to obtain it. When we strive to bring about the creation of a Sefer Torah, each one of us – as individuals and together – celebrates truly receiving the Torah anew.
Rabbi Shmuel Miller is a master scribe who has been involved in a number of successful New Torah Writing Projects. Call or write for a free Torah Project Kit. In addition to writing new Torah Scrolls, Rabbi Miller also appraises, repairs, buys, sells and exchanges older scrolls.