Torah, Tanakh and Old Testament Photos

Jan 17
5 min read

Updated: May 13

This page is dedicated to posting photos of the Torah, the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Old Testament. All of the photos are taken from donations of photos from synagogues and friends or are scriptures that are from my private collection. If you would like to contribute, send a photo(s) of your Torah, Torah Scroll, Tanakh or Old Testament to jdrye195@gmail.com.

What is the difference between Tanakh and the the Old Testament?

The Tanakh and the Old Testament contain the same content, but they differ in the number of books, as well as in some places order, language, punctuation and emphasis.
The Tanakh has 24 books. The Old Testament has 39 books.
The 24-book Tanakh contains the same content as the 39-book Old Testament, it is just that the 24-books of the Tanakh take as one book each the following: Samuel 1 and Samuel 2, Kings 1 and Kings 2, Chronicles 1 and Chronicles 2, Ezra–Nehemiah and the Twelve Minor Profits. The Old Testament counts these as separate books.

What is the difference between the Hebrew Bible and the Tanakh?

The Hebrew Bible is the Tanakh; they are different names for the same collection of the sacred Jewish scriptures.
The Tanakh is an acronym for its three sections: Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
The Tanakh consists of 24 books, and they are divided into three sections: the Torah (5 books), Nevi'im/Prophets (8 books), and Ketuvim/Writings (11 books).

What is the Torah?

The Torah the first 5 books of the Tanakh.
It is also called the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch.
The books of the Torah are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

What is the Torah Scroll?

The Torah scroll is a scroll containing the entire text of the Five Books of Moses.
The Scroll is handwritten by a devout scribe in the original Hebrew.
It is rolled up around two ornate wooden shafts, attached to either end of the scroll.
In each synagogue, it is kept in the Ark and is read aloud in all synagogues.
A fully unrolled scroll is roughly 86–90 feet.

What is in a Jewish Prayer Book?

It is a sacred book containing prayers and reflections for the High Holy Days, particularly Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Some books contain prayers for the entire year, including weekday and Shabbat services, prayers for the Sabbath, the New Year, the Day of Atonement and the Mourner’s Kaddish.

International

Torah Scrolls, Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, Edinburgh, Scotland. Size: 2 ft by 3 ft.

Torah Scrolls, Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, Edinburgh, Scotland, Photo by Judy Gilbert.

Arrival of the Torahs, Torah Scrolls, Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation

Torah Scroll, B’nai Shalom v’Tikvah in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.

Closed Torah Scroll, B’nai Shalom v’Tikvah in Ajax, Ontario

Open Torah Scroll, B’nai Shalom v’Tikvah in Ajax, Ontario

Torah Scroll, Chabad of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.

Torah Scrolls, Chabad of Sheffield, Sheffield, England

7 Torah Scrolls, Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Munich Germany.

7 Torah Scrolls, © Andreas Gregor, Munich, Germany

Torah Scroll, from Morocco, 18th Century. Size: 2 ft by 3 ft.

Pages from The Erfurt Torah Scrolls, Erfut, Germany, 14th Century. Some of the scrolls from this collection date back to before the program of 1349, and they survived.

Page from Torah, Owner: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Orientabteilung

United States

Torah Scrolls, Ahavath Achim, Sephardic synagogue, Portland, Oregon.

Arc, Torah Sefer Scrolls, Ahavath Achim synagogue

13 Torah Scrolls, Temple Beth Tzedek, Buffalo, NY.

Torah Mantles, Temple Beth Tzedek in Buffalo, NY

Sanctuary, Temple Beth Tzedek, Buffalo, NY

3 Torah Scrolls, Beth Sholom Temple, Fredericksburg, Virginia.

L to R Bavarian scroll, New scroll, and Holocaust scroll from Nymburk

Rescued Holocaust Scroll, Nymburk, Czech Republic, 18th century — Rescued Holocaust Scroll, Nymburk, Czech Republic, 18^th century

Torah Scroll, Manhattan Jewish Congregation, Manhattan, Kansas.

Torah Scroll in Ark, Manhattan Jewish Congregation, Manhattan, Kansas.

Torah Scrolls, Temple Emanuel, Pueblo Colorado.

2 Torah Scrolls in the Ark, (L) Scroll was written in Israel. (R) 190 year old scroll from Poland

Open 300 year old Torah Scroll from Romania, excellent condition

Temple Beth-El Northbrook Illinois.

Sephardic Torah Scroll, open. The Torah Scroll does not possess handles, rather the scroll is turned by hand using a cloth

Torah Scrolls, Mt Sinai Congregation, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Ark with Torah Scrolls, Mt Sinai Congregation

Congregation B’nai Israel, Jackson, Jackson, Tennessee.

3 Closed Torah Scrolls, Congregation B’nai Israel

Open Torah Scroll, Congregation B’nai Israel

Open Ark, Temple Beth Israel, Plattsburgh, New York.

Open Ark, with Torah scrolls covered in all their regalia, Temple Bath Israel

3 Torah Scrolls, Temple B’nai Israel, Tupelo, Mississippi.

3 Torah Scrolls, Temple B’nai Israel Tupelo, MS

Torah Scroll, Kehilah Synagogue, Portland, Maine.

3 Torah Scrolls, Historic B'nai Jacob Synagogue, Middletown, Pennsylvania. The synagogue, 122 years old in 2026, is on the National Register of Historic Places.