PITTSFORD, N.Y. —  The Torah scroll is one of the most sacred objects in Judaism.

“Every synagogue or Jewish center needs it as the anchor,” Pittsford Jewish Center Rabbi Yitzi Hein said. “We read the scroll, by the holidays, by the Shabbat, by the Sabbath, the bar mitzvahs use it. It very much a central thing of Jewish life.”

The new scroll is being dedicated by the Pittsford Jewish community in memory of Yitzi Hein's father, Chaim Hein.

“It’s in his memory,” Hein said. “It's very special. This is exactly who he was. You can feel his presence in the festivities here.”

The Torah was completed during a street celebration and parade outside of the Pittsford Jewish Center by a trained religious scribe.

“It’s a very important part, and we try to preserve it as much as we can," the rabbi's son, Mendel Hein, said. "I feel very special and very lucky to be here today.”

Members of the community purchased a word, or letters, or sections to help pay for the scroll. They ended up raising nearly $40,000.

“I gave a donation and this is my certificate and I also honored my granddaughter," volunteer Jaclyn Richard said. "Towards the scribe and the doing of the Torah and my name should be inscribed. And it’s an honor and they call it a mitzvah. So you get like a plus point.”

The Torah is made up of 79,847 words and 304,805 letters. The scrolls are kept by Jewish communities and housed in synagogues.

“So right now I am using a coal, which is better,” Judaic studies teacher Dov Chastain said. “I am dipping it in ink which is a very specific type of ink. It’s the ink that a Torah scroll or other holy writings have to be written with. It's a skill I have that I can help people with. So I enjoy doing it. It’s therapeutic.”

Aside from witnessing how the scroll is written, the celebration consisted of dancing, treats and many activities to learn about the Jewish tradition.

“How beautiful to have this sort of Jewish renaissance festival and festivities right here in Pittsford,” Hein said. “And next week is a new year. And hopefully it will be great for all of mankind.”