The Moment That Moved the Western Wall: The Ninth Torah Scroll of the Children of Israel Entered in a Grand Celebration
Tens of thousands participated at the Western Wall in the inauguration of the ninth Torah scroll of the Children of Israel, written after the registration of 304,805 children from around the world. The ceremony included writing the final letters, a procession, hakafot, and singing with the participation of rabbis and singers. The scroll was brought into the 'Tzemach Tzedek' synagogue.
The inauguration of the ninth Torah scroll of the Children of Israel at the Western Wall took place this evening (Wednesday) in a grand celebration, with tens of thousands of participants. The ceremony included writing the final letters in the Torah scroll, a procession, hakafot, and singing, during which the scroll was led to a central decorated stage in the Western Wall plaza. At around nine in the evening, the official ceremony concluded with the singing of "Ani Ma'amin," and the Torah scroll was brought to the ark of the 'Tzemach Tzedek' synagogue, where it will join the eight previous Torah scrolls. The new scroll was written after the individual registration of 304,805 children from around the world, corresponding to the number of letters in the Torah, as part of an initiative launched by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1981. Over the past three years, thousands of Chabad emissaries worked on registering the children, with each child purchasing one letter in the Torah scroll. The event was likely broadcast live, and published photos show the celebrating crowds.