Chapter Four The Torah Mantle

It used to be the custom to donate a mantle (me’il) to the synagogue, either along with a new Torah scroll or on its own. When a mantle is donated with a scroll, they are kept together and the mantle acts as the scroll’s permanent covering, making it easier to identify a specific scroll. In congregations with many Torah scrolls, the dedicatory inscription on the mantle is of great importance since it helps to pick out the scroll that is to be read. There are also mantles with no connection to a specific scroll, the intention behind the donation often being that they should be used on particular sabbaths or to commemorate special occasions....