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'Gevil' (often transliterated "gewil") is animal hide that has been prepared as a writing material in Jewish scribal documents, in particular a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll). Gevil is an ancient Hebrew word.
There are three qualities of parchment known to Jewish law. ''Gevil'' is parchment made from the whole hide, after the hair is removed. The other two qualities result from splitting the hide into two layers; however, there is some confusion about their identification.
According to the ''Halakhot Gedolot'', klaf is the inner layer, adjacent to the flesh, while ''dukhsustos'' is the outer layer, on which the hair grows. The same view is expressed in the manuscripts and critical editions of Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. However, more recent authorities reverse the two descriptions, and many printed editions of the Mishneh Torah are "corrected" to reflect this. There is a consequential confusion about which side of any parchment should be used for writing.
Precise requirements for the processing of ''gevil'' are laid down in the Talmud, and by the Geonim and Rishonim. According to law, the ancient Hebrews prepared (and some modern Jews still prepare) hides with salt, flour and ''mey afatzim'' (wasp residue/gall-nut water). Others use more modern chemical processes, though some believe that this invalidates the parchment for scribal use.
Maimonides wrote that it is the law transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai that a Torah scroll must be written on ''gevil'', and that scrolls that are not prepared according to this method are invalid for use. (Maimonides, Hilkhoth Tefillin 1:14).
According to the Talmud (Tractate Bava Batra 14b and Gittin 54b), ''gevil'' existed during the time of Moses (approximately 1280 BCE); Moses is described as using ''gevil'' for the Torah scroll he placed into the Holy Ark of the Covenant. Elsewhere in the Talmud (Tractate Gittin 54b), there is testimony that Torah scrolls were written on ''gevil''.
Today, a handful of Jewish scribes and artisans continue to make scroll material in this way. However, the majority of Torah scrolls are written on ''klaf'', in the belief that the Talmudic recommendation of ''gevil'' relates to the optimal beautification of the scrolls rather than an essential halachic requirement. Given the uncertainty about which layer is in fact the ''klaf'', there is a growing movement for insisting on ''gevil'' in Torah scrolls in order to avoid all doubts.
Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls (200 BCE), found in and around the caves of Qumran near the Dead Sea, are written on ''gevil''.
Properly, ''klaf'' should be used for tefillin and ''dukhsustos'' for mezuzot. Once more, this rule is often relaxed in practice but there is a minority which seeks to return to the strict rule.
★ Talmud, Bava Batra 14b and Gittin 54b
★ Talmud, minor tractate Sofrim
★ Halakhot Gedolot (a Geonic work from 743 CE)
★ Maimonides/Rambam (1100-1200 CE): Hilkhot Tefillin (Laws of Tefillin) Chapter 1
★ Klaf
★ Sefer Torah.
★ The Gevil Institute: Machon Gevil The only online organization dedicated to the preservation of gevil.
| Contents |
| Definition of ''gevil'' |
| Uses of ''gevil'' |
| Sources |
| See also |
| External links |
Definition of ''gevil''
There are three qualities of parchment known to Jewish law. ''Gevil'' is parchment made from the whole hide, after the hair is removed. The other two qualities result from splitting the hide into two layers; however, there is some confusion about their identification.
According to the ''Halakhot Gedolot'', klaf is the inner layer, adjacent to the flesh, while ''dukhsustos'' is the outer layer, on which the hair grows. The same view is expressed in the manuscripts and critical editions of Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. However, more recent authorities reverse the two descriptions, and many printed editions of the Mishneh Torah are "corrected" to reflect this. There is a consequential confusion about which side of any parchment should be used for writing.
Precise requirements for the processing of ''gevil'' are laid down in the Talmud, and by the Geonim and Rishonim. According to law, the ancient Hebrews prepared (and some modern Jews still prepare) hides with salt, flour and ''mey afatzim'' (wasp residue/gall-nut water). Others use more modern chemical processes, though some believe that this invalidates the parchment for scribal use.
Uses of ''gevil''
Maimonides wrote that it is the law transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai that a Torah scroll must be written on ''gevil'', and that scrolls that are not prepared according to this method are invalid for use. (Maimonides, Hilkhoth Tefillin 1:14).
According to the Talmud (Tractate Bava Batra 14b and Gittin 54b), ''gevil'' existed during the time of Moses (approximately 1280 BCE); Moses is described as using ''gevil'' for the Torah scroll he placed into the Holy Ark of the Covenant. Elsewhere in the Talmud (Tractate Gittin 54b), there is testimony that Torah scrolls were written on ''gevil''.
Today, a handful of Jewish scribes and artisans continue to make scroll material in this way. However, the majority of Torah scrolls are written on ''klaf'', in the belief that the Talmudic recommendation of ''gevil'' relates to the optimal beautification of the scrolls rather than an essential halachic requirement. Given the uncertainty about which layer is in fact the ''klaf'', there is a growing movement for insisting on ''gevil'' in Torah scrolls in order to avoid all doubts.
Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls (200 BCE), found in and around the caves of Qumran near the Dead Sea, are written on ''gevil''.
Properly, ''klaf'' should be used for tefillin and ''dukhsustos'' for mezuzot. Once more, this rule is often relaxed in practice but there is a minority which seeks to return to the strict rule.
Sources
★ Talmud, Bava Batra 14b and Gittin 54b
★ Talmud, minor tractate Sofrim
★ Halakhot Gedolot (a Geonic work from 743 CE)
★ Maimonides/Rambam (1100-1200 CE): Hilkhot Tefillin (Laws of Tefillin) Chapter 1
See also
★ Klaf
★ Sefer Torah.
External links
★ The Gevil Institute: Machon Gevil The only online organization dedicated to the preservation of gevil.
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