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giddin
(animal sinew)
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Sewing the y'riot (sheets of parchment) together is done with giddin. These course threads are made from the dried veins of a kasher animal.
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These are usually from the hind quarters (the bit we can’t eat!), but giddin can also be made from tendons taken from the foot muscles. The sinew is extracted then bashed until the threads inside are released. These are then stretched and spun. A single ball of giddin should suffice for a whole Torah.
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There are no set rules for sewing though scribes are warned not to sew right up to the very edge of the sheet as this would prevent an element of flexibility when the scrolls are being handled and lead to rips.
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However over time styles have developed and one can often date a scroll by the type of sewing technique used. Click on the buttons right to learn about sewing y’riot together or sewing the atsey chayim (rollers) to the parchment.
Mordechai Pinchas
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