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Re: "Giving proper burial to holy books"



As you may or may not know, some of our earlier MSS of parts of the OT come
from these kinds of "burial" sites in Egypt and other places. These were
discovered before the Dead Sea Scrolls and date from the early centuries A.
D. (B. C. E.) They are often refereed to in the commentaries I use in
studying the Old and New Testaments. So the practice of burying sacred
"books" is very old indeed.

Russell P. Baker, CA
Arkansas History Commission and State Archives
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-6900
russell.baker@mail.state.ar.us <mailto:russell.baker@mail.state.ar.us>

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Cline [mailto:Scott.Cline@CI.SEATTLE.WA.US]
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 11:18 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: "Giving proper burial to holy books"


I found the NY Times article about the proper treatment of Islamic holy
books very uplifting, particularly in the context of the last three weeks.
I wish the article had included more information on Islamic law related to
the care of worn and discarded holy objects.

To follow up on Daniel's remarks, Conservative (Jewish) congregations also
bury fragments and worn holy objects.   My synagogue has a box for such
objects which are accumulated over the course of a year and then buried in
our cemetery.  We conduct the burial ceremony at this time of year following
the Days of Awe (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).

When I archivist of the Cleveland Jewish Archives at the Western Reserve
Historical Society, I attempted to collect the records of an old Orthodox
congregation.  I had several exchanges with the president of the shul who
was very supportive of the idea, but he did not know where the records were
kept.  He asked his father, who had been a long time leader in the
congregation, to give me a call.  As you've probably guessed by now, the old
minute books and membership rolls and most other records had been buried
along with old worn prayerbooks.  I did not ask that they be exhumed.

Scott Cline
Seattle Municipal Archives
600 Fourth Avenue, Room 104
Seattle, WA 98104
206-684-8353


>>> Daniel Sokolow <DSokolow@NSHS.EDU> 10/01/01 08:26AM >>>
Just as a means of comparison, Jewish tradition also mandates burying
fragments of holy objects, on the belief that texts that contain the word
(and the name) of God as well as sacred objects past their useful life
should not be discarded with one's normal garbage.  Many synagogues (at
least the Orthodox ones I'm familiar with) have a box or a cabinet meant for
these remnants, and they are often buried with much the same dignity as
human remains are.  Anyone who might have heard of the Cairo Genizah, this
treasure trove from an old synagogue in Egypt was such a repository (more
info on the Genizah: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/ )

Not to start another hullaballoo, but the article in the Times is one
example of one of the positive aspects of Islamic life likely to get lost in
the screaming about Islam following September 11.

DS
______________________________________
Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator
David Taylor Archives
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
155 Community Drive
Great Neck, NY 11021
mailto:dsokolow@nshs.edu

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