Writing a Torah scroll has a purpose: to benefit the soul of the departed and to bring blessing to the donor and their family – and that purpose is fulfilled only when the scroll is actually read, not when it rests in the Holy Ark. That is exactly what happens in synagogues near home, which are already full of Torah scrolls: your scroll would come out in rotation once every few months, so it would be read only once every few months – and the purpose you invested so much in would not be fulfilled.

When you choose to dedicate your Torah scroll to our soldiers at an IDF base, yours will be the only Torah scroll read there – every Monday, every Thursday, every Shabbat and on holidays – and the purpose of your dedication is fulfilled completely.

Some bases do have a Torah scroll – but there are still bases that have none. And even where there is one, chances are it is very old, may even be invalid (pasul), and the army would be glad to replace it with a new, mehudar, properly checked scroll.

The safest place for a Torah scroll is the synagogue inside an IDF base: the base itself is guarded, the synagogue is secured and locked, and the scroll rests inside the Holy Ark, which is also locked. If a technical issue ever arises in the scroll, the IDF Rabbinate runs a Torah scroll maintenance center in Tzrifin that repairs any defect and returns the scroll to the base. So your scroll is not only protected by the army – it is also maintained for years and years by the IDF Rabbinate.

We bring you a mehudar Torah scroll in the script and level of hiddur you choose, already completed except for the final letters – so there is no need to wait a year for a scroll to be written. This way your loved one merits having the Torah read from their scroll already within the first year after their passing, which is a tremendous elevation for the soul.

As our Sages teach, the soul’s judgment continues until the 12th month after passing, and during that first year we try to do as many mitzvot as possible for the departed – saying Kaddish, holding memorials – and dedicating a Torah scroll within that year is of immense benefit to the soul.

Most people who buy a Torah scroll wait about a year until it is ready, and miss the great benefit of the first year. With ISF, within two to three months we hold the festive dedication ceremony with the family, the soldiers and your guests, writing the final letters at the base – already within the first year.