Gevil

''Gevil'' or ''gewil'' ( he, גויל) or ( he, גוויל) is animal hide made of whole parchment that has been prepared as a writing material in Jewish scribal documents, in particular a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll).

According to most views of Jewish law, a ''Sefer Torah'' (Torah scroll) should be written on ''gevil'' parchment, as was done by Moses for the original Torah scroll he transcribed. Further, a reading of the earliest extant manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah indicate that ''gevil'' was halakha derived from Moses and thus required for Torah scrolls.

Maimonides wrote that it is a law given to Moses at Sinai that a Torah scroll must be written on either ''gevil'' or ''klaf'' in order to be valid, and that it is preferable that they be written on ''gevil''.

Etymology

Related to גויל, ''gewil'', a rolling (i.e. unhewn) stone, cf. :he:wiktionary:גול, "to roll." (Jastrow)

Definition

''Gevil'' is a form skin for '' safrut'' (halakhic writing) that is made of tanned, whole hide. The precise requirements for processing ''gevil'' are laid down by the Talmud, Geonim and Rishonim.
:Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Ami said in the name of Ulla: There are three ntannedhide tages before it is tanned into gevil Matza, ḥifa, and diftera.
:א"ר חייא בר אסי משמיה דעולא ג' עורות הן מצה חיפה ודיפתרא —.
According to Jewish law, the preparation of ''gevil'' must include salt, flour and ''mey afatzim'' (wasp residue/gall-nut water).
These requirements were reconfirmed as a Law given to Moses at Sinai by Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah.
Gall nuts—rich in tannic acid—are a tree's reaction to an invasive parasitic wasp's egg; the pure black tint of the ink used on Torahs results from the reaction between the tannic acid and iron sulfate (a powder used to make the ink).

There are three forms of tanned skin known to Jewish law. The other two forms (''klaf'' and '' dukhsustus'') result from splitting the hide into two layers. The rabbinic scholars are divided upon which is the inner and which is the outer of the two halves. Maimonides is of the opinion that was the inner layer and that was the outer layer
The Shulchan Aruch rules in the reverse that was the outer layer and that was the inner layer The opinion of the Shulchan Aruch is the accepted ruling in all Jewish comunities.
Recently a small group has advocated fpr the return to using the full hide known as ''gevil'' for ''Sifrei Torah'' as it avoids this issue, but unfortunately this solution won't work for '' tefilin'' which must be written on klaf and are not kosher if written on ''gevil''.

Uses

According to the Talmud, Moses used ''gevil'' for the Torah scroll he placed into the Ark of the Covenant. Elsewhere in the Talmud, there is testimony that Torah scrolls were written on ''gevil''.Gittin 54b

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 their belief that the Talmud recommends (as opposed to requires) ''gevil'' and relates to the optimal beautification of the scrolls rather than an essential halachic requirement. Given the uncertainty about which layer of the hide is in fact the ''klaf'', there is a growing movement for insisting on a return to ''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 '' duchsustus'' for ''mezuzot''. However, this rule isn't an obligation is just a preference and Klaf is used for Mezuzot as well today but there is a minority which seeks to return to the actual law.

See also

* Ktav Stam

References

External links

The Gevil Institute: Machon Gevil
The only online organization dedicated to the preservation of gevil.
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080410134250/http://www.ccdesigninc.com/MishmeresStam/Leaflet.pdf

{{Sofer

Hides (skin)
Book design
Jewish law and rituals
Writing media
Uses of leather in Judaism
Torah
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law