The National Library of Israel preserves several other ancient Torah scrolls, among them a scroll from Yemen, dating from around 1050-1150. The scroll contains large fragments of the Book of Numbers.

Another Torah scroll from Germany dates from the 15th century.

There are several exquisite Jewish Bible codices at the NLI known as the 'Damascus Crowns'. One of these was written in Burgos, Spain, and dates from around 1260. After 1492 the Jewish exiles from Spain brought the Burgos Bible with them to Damascus where it was used by the local Jewish community for hundreds of years. In 1940, in the wake of the political turmoil in Syria, it disappeared.  After 22 years, in 1962, it was suddenly presented and offered to the highest bidder on a public auction in London.  Later that year the Burgos Bible was purchased by the National Library of Israel.  The Manuscript is beautifully and delicately illuminated. 

 

 

 

The Scroll presented here was donated to the NLI by the Adini-Edel family.

Unlike the Torah scrolls usually used in synagogues, this is a miniature scroll, written in micrographic script.

The scroll was either written or owned by a well-known Jewish scholar from eastern Europe, by the name of Rabbi Judah Edel (1757 – 1828). In his capacity as a preacher, Rabbi Edel travelled a lot and needed a compact version of the Torah to carry with him . After it was donated to the library, it was discovered that one of the library's most experienced manuscript experts was a descendent of the same Rabbi Edel.