ABSTRACT
In Judaism, holiness pertains to Torah to such a degree that numerous religious norms determine scriptural handling, not only during everyday rituals, but also when it concerns preparation, storage, renovation and disposal of this most central piece of Jewish scripture. By considering Torah as more than just a text, but as an artifact, that is, a manipulable object that attracts personal and cultural representations, this chapter will trace the practices of renovating and discarding sacred text fragments and scripture through history, from antiquity until today, to explain their function and significance in the Jewish religion. A limited amount of examples will be taken from normative religious works such as the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud (bTalmud), the Zohar, and Shulkhan Arukh, while sources of contemporary practices of restoration and disposal will stem from Internet sites as well as my interview with the Danish Chief Rabbi, who is head of the modern Orthodox community in Copenhagen. 1
