--- title: German Sofer Robot Can Write the Torah description: A testament to the power of machinery canonical: https://time.com/2983053/introducing-the-worlds-first-torah-writing-robot/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-14T21:15:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:11:40.282Z og:title: This Is the World's First Torah-Writing Robot og:description: A testament to the power of machinery og:url: https://time.com/2983053/introducing-the-worlds-first-torah-writing-robot/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3d7c96e97d4cbaf/69869bacf983e7ffb204ece5/451961936.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Robot Begins Writing Torah og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is the World's First Torah-Writing Robot twitter:description: A testament to the power of machinery twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3d7c96e97d4cbaf/69869bacf983e7ffb204ece5/451961936.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Introducing the World's First Torah-Writing Robot by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Jul 14, 2014 9:15 PM UTC  An industrial robot, an installation work called 'bios \[torah\]' by the artist group robotlab, begins writing a Torah on July 10, 2014 in the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany. An industrial robot, an installation work called 'bios \[torah\]' by the artist group robotlab, begins writing a Torah on July 10, 2014 in the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany.Adam Berry—Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Jul 14, 2014 9:15 PM UTC On display now at Berlin’s Jewish Museum is a robot that acts as a _sofer_, a.k.a a specially trained scribe who very carefully writes the words on the scrolls of a Torah. This technological scribe is the brainchild of of the German artists’ group robotlab. It takes three months to complete the 260-foot long scroll, compared to the full year it takes for a human to finish the job, the Associated Press [reports](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/torah-robot-berlin-jewish-museum%5Fn%5F5574936.html). “While the Sofer guarantees the sanctity of the Scripture, the installation highlights its industrial reproducibility,” the museum [explains ](http://www.jmberlin.de/main/EN/01-Exhibitions/02-Special-Exhibitions/2014/bios%5Ftorah.php)on its website. “It simulates a centuries-old cultural technique that has long since been overtaken by media developments.” No matter how authentic the robot’s work may _seem_, though, its scrolls cannot be used in a synagogue. “In order for the Torah to be holy, it has to be written with a goose feather on parchment, the process has to be filled with meaning and I’m saying prayers while I’m writing it,” Reuven Yaacobov, a rabbi and sofer, told the AP. If you’re curious, and have plans to be in Berlin, the robot is on display now through January 15. 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