Members of Temple Beth Israel, Sharon, bid farewell to one of their most precious ritual objects May 2, as they donated a Torah to a start-up congregation in Barcelona, Spain.

The Torah is “God’s most precious gift unto us after life itself,” Temple Beth Israel Rabbi Daniel A. Roberts said. “We’re sharing one of our wealths with a congregation that doesn’t have as much.

“May they have as many inspirational moments as we have had” through it, he said.

Rabbi Roberts said the Spanish congregation’s summer rabbi, Rifat Soncino, would carry the sacred scroll to its new home overseas with “loving hands.”

A group of about 40 families was studying Judaism and had no rabbi or Torah, Rabbi Soncino said, and he put out the word that he was looking for one to borrow.

The Torah is written by hand on the skins of a kosher animal and takes more than a year to complete. They must be perfect and can cost more than $12,000, temple President Dr. Alan Frank said.

After the Torah was removed from the ark at the front of the synagogue, it was carried by Carl Frank, son of Dr. Frank, throughout the room so all members of the congregation could touch it.

Then the Torah was removed from its velvet case and members of the congregation read verses from it.

“A central part of Judaism is being holy,” Rabbi Roberts said. “Holiness is not here in the synagogue … holiness is the way we act.”

Rabbi Roberts and Frank showed a cloth cover for the Torah, featuring handprints from Temple Beth Israel youth and 12 colors representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Members of the congregation signed the cover to be sent along to Barcelona.

The Torah will be returned to a different ark in a faraway city, Rabbi Roberts said.

Rabbi Soncino, who was born in Turkey and is an adjunct professor at Boston College, spoke to a crowd of about 50 during the service and noted that Judaism is alive and well in a world that tried to destroy it.

“In many places there is a resurgence of Jewish life in places we never thought we’d be again,” Rabbi Soncino said, noting that the new liberal congregation is studying the religion in the country where the Inquisition forced them out 500 years ago.

Congregation Beth Shalom has already planned a dedication service and celebration for when their Torah arrives, Rabbi Soncino said.

“What you are doing is absolutely magnificent,” he told the Sharon congregation. “They are thrilled to receive it.”