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Adorning or making changes to the Torah scroll is prohibited.
How then is it possible to decorate and honor the Sefer Torah, the scroll containing the Pentateuch, the most sacred object in every synagogue? Even in ancient times, communities found a way around this dilemma by clothing the scroll in beautifully decorated vessels. Styles developed over time, with Sephardic ommunities often housing the scroll in an ornamental case, while Ashkenazi communities used cloth mantles. The Torah is stored in a Holy Ark (aron kodesh) that is covered by a decorative curtain (parochet).
The artistic design of these sacred vessels combines the individual style of the community with typical Jewish symbols. Some believed that these decorative ornaments possessed magical power.
