HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON
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Commandment 613

Rabbi Kevin Hale & the Sacred Craft of a Torah Scribe
Commandment 613
A 23-minute documentary film by Miriam Lewin and Randi Cecchine, 2020
In this short documentary, Rabbi Kevin Hale practices the sacred craft of a Torah scribe, bring new life to scrolls that were saved in Czechoslovakia during the Shoah.  In conjunction with an at-home virtual screening of the film, Historic Northampton and Circles for Jewish Living are honored to co-sponsor a virtual calligraphy demo and class led by Rabbi Kevin Hale and a virtual film discussion with Rabbi Hale and producer/director Miriam Lewin and cinematographer Randi Cecchine.  The film discussion will be moderated by Larry Hott of Florentine Films/Hott Productions.

Picture
March 5, 2021
link available as of 9:00 am

Watch the
documentary at home

Picture
Sunday, March 7, 2021
at 10:30 AM

Attend the virtual calligraphy demo / class*
Picture
Monday, March 8, 2021
at 7:00 PM

Join the
virtual film discussion


REGISTER
By clicking the registration button, you will be directed to the website
of the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival to register for these programs.

*For the demo/class, you will need paper, pencil, ruler and a calligraphy pen or chisel-tip marker. 

Watch Commandment 613 at home
Friday, March 5, 2021, as of 9:00 am, the link will be available for 96 hours.
Picture
DOCUMENTARY | 2020 | 23 MINUTES
DIRECTED BY MIRIAM LEWIN
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY RANDI CECCHINE
UNITED STATES | ENGLISH

Torah scrolls are written by hand, following rules that go back thousands of years. Made to last for centuries, they are central to Jewish ritual; what is contained in them – the first five books of the Hebrew Bible – is the foundation of Jewish life. The final commandment in the Torah, number 613, is to write the scroll for yourself.

In this short documentary we meet Rabbi Kevin Hale, a joyful Torah scribe who restores scrolls that were saved in Czechoslovakia during the Shoah.  As he goes about his sacred craft, this son of refugees from Nazi Germany reflects on his own path to a life of faith and practice.  And, at communities now entrusted with the scrolls, congregants and clergy explain the powerful bond they feel with these precious objects – and with the generations that previously cherished them.


Register through the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival website.  Watch Commandment 613 at home beginning March 5, 2021 at 9:00 am.  The link will be available for 96 hours.

Virtual Calligraphy Demo/Class with Rabbi Kevin Hale
Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 10:30 AM
Join us for an online calligraphy demonstration with Commandment 613 film subject Rabbi Kevin Hale of Northampton.  Rabbi Hale will be showing us the traditional tools, materials and techniques used to write and restore Torah scrolls and other sacred texts, as he guides us in writing Hebrew letters.  All ages are welcome.  Free and open to the public.

* For this instruction, you will need paper, pencil, ruler and a calligraphy pen or chisel-tip marker. 

Click here to register for the workshop.

Picture

Film Discussion: Zoom Conversation and Q&A
Monday, March 8, 2021 at 7:00 PM
This Zoom Conservation and Q&A will feature Miriam Lewin, producer/director; Rabbi Kevin Hale, sofer; and Randi Cecchine, cinematographer/editor.  Larry Hott of Florentine Films/Hott Productions will moderate the film discussion.
Picture
Miriam Lewin
Producer/Director

Picture
Rabbi Kevin Hale
Sofer
Picture
Randi Cecchine
Cinematographer/Editor


REGISTER
HISTORIC
​NORTHAMPTON
46 Bridge Street
Northampton
​Massachusetts 01060
[email protected]
​413-584-6011
Museum Hours

Historic Northampton is temporarily closed in May and June 2025. Stay tuned for the next exhibit:
Slavery and Freedom in Northampton, 1654 to 1783.


For upcoming events and programs, see the  Events Calendar.
​

Hours and Directions
© COPYRIGHT 2015-2024. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • About
    • About Historic Northampton
    • Hours and Directions
    • Volunteer
    • Board-Staff
    • Legal/Financial
  • Programs
    • Upcoming Programs
    • Past Events at Historic Northampton >
      • Past Programs 2025
      • Past Programs 2024
      • Mill River Flood 150 Commemoration >
        • Mill River Flood 150 Commemoration Events
        • Mill River Flood Introduction
        • Mill River Flood Lives Lost
        • Mill River Flood Commemoration Markers >
          • \\\\Williamsburg Mill River Flood Markers
          • Skinnerville Mill River Flood Markers
          • Haydenville Mill River Flood Markers
          • Leeds Mill River Markers
          • Florence Mill River Markers
          • Northampton Mill River Markers
        • Mill River Flood Who Was Responsible
        • Mill River Flood Guided Walks to the Dam Ruins
        • Mill River Flood Memorial Tree Project
      • Past Programs 2023
      • Past Programs 2022
      • Past Programs 2021
      • Past Programs 2020
      • Past Programs 2019
    • MCC Card to Culture at Historic Northampton
    • Help I am not receiving email announcements
  • Explore
    • Collections & Research
    • History at Home >
      • Videos
      • Interactive Witch Trial
      • Paper Dolls
      • Hidden Histories
      • Scavenger Hunts
      • Coloring Pages
      • Brain Teasers
      • Peg Doll Hunts
      • Jonathan Edwards Prayer Requests
    • Properties >
      • Parsons House
      • Damon House
      • Shepherd House
      • Shepherd Barn 2020
      • The Bridge Street School Sprouts
    • Educational Websites
    • Historic Highlights
    • COVID-19 Stories >
      • Vaccination Photos
      • Submit Your COVID Story
      • Children React
      • Family and Neighborhood Fun
      • It's a New World
      • Hope and Togetherness
      • Images
      • How Illness Feels
      • Brings Forth Memory
      • Blessings and the New Busy
      • Fear and Worry
  • Indigenous Native History
    • Native Histories in Nonotuck
    • Nonotuck Histories Essay by Margaret M. Bruchac
    • Recovering Nonotuck Histories Photo Essay
    • Profiles of Native People
    • Extended Biographies of Native People
    • Nonotuck to Northampton Maps
    • Native LIves Bibliography
  • History of Slavery
    • About the Slavery Research Project
    • Black Enslaved People
    • Free Black People
    • Native Enslaved People
    • Enslavers of People
    • Relationship Map >
      • Relationship Map Family Groups
      • Relationship Map Enslavement
      • Relationship Map Indenture
      • Relationship Map Legal
      • Relationship Map Commerce
      • Relationship Map Foster or Guardian
      • Relationship Map Social Connections
    • Timeline of Slavery in Northampton
  • DONATE
    • Donate to the Spring Appeal
    • Donate to the exhibit Slavery and Freedom in Northampton
    • WAYS TO GIVE >
      • Monthly Donation
      • IRA Giving
      • Stock Giving
    • Join the Email List
    • Donate to the Collection