The Torah scroll may be touched only indirectly – with a ceremonial pointer or with a corner of the tallit (prayer shawl). Textiles that come into direct contact with the scroll thereby acquire a part of the sacredness of the Torah, which is why they are also included in the requirement of genizah. Aside from Torah binders, these are primarily mantles and covers for the bimah (a raised platform with a reading desk from which the scroll is read). When not in use, the Torah scroll is tied together with a Torah binder, dressed in a mantle, decorated with silver ornaments, and placed in the holy ark. Of these Torah scroll accessories, binders are the most frequently found in genizot. Torah binders were traditionally made out of the swaddling cloth used at the circumcision of a baby boy. The inscription on a Torah binder gives the boy’s name, his parents’ names, and the date – and sometimes place – of birth; it also contains the wish that the Lord grant that he may grow up to the Torah (to attain religious adulthood and to acquire the obligation to fulfill the commandments of the Law, the Torah), to the huppah (the wedding canopy) and to good deeds.
