The writing-printing tag has no wiki summary.
10
votes
1answer
119 views
Overhead projector on Shabbos?
A discussion came up with some guests over shabbos. One asked if one could use an overhead projector on Shabbos if it was turned on from before, i.e. could one put a new plastic sheet on it or not? In ...
10
votes
1answer
80 views
Ta'amei Mikra and the Torah Scroll
I have heard that a haftorah klaf (scroll) is still considered kosher and usable if the Ta'amei Mikra have been written on it. Yet I've always been told that this is not true for a Torah scroll. Why ...
1
vote
1answer
59 views
Why is the ק in “וקנינא” left incomplete in ketubas until the signing?
In the ketuba, the ק in the word "וקנינא" is sometimes left incomplete until the time that the ketuba is signed. Why is this?
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Writing Sefer Torah for Melech (King)
It says in the Mishnah (Sanhedrin Daf 21b):
וכותב לו ס"ת לשמו
— that a Sefer Torah should be written for the King "l'shmo". What does l'shmo in this case mean: for the "sake of the King"? ...
7
votes
2answers
67 views
How large is a typical contemporary hagada commentary?
In a contemporary published hagada with commentary, how many total words does the commentary typically comprise? (For comparison, "Hagada - Mi Yodeya?", in its current form, weighs in at about 14,000 ...
3
votes
0answers
33 views
Tattoo of an image of idolatry
According to this exhaustive article on the subject of tattooing in Halachah, there is an important opinion with many ramifications that states that one is only liable for the biblical prohibition of ...
3
votes
2answers
270 views
What are the halachik issues involved in drawing from a nude model?
Aside from seeming obviously inappropriate for a good Jewish boy/girl, what are the halachik issues involved in drawing from a nude model? Are there any distinctions with regard to men/women?
5
votes
1answer
231 views
What is the font with points in the middle of the letters called?
What is this [type of] font called - the kind that makes it look like every leg of every letter is a snake that swallowed a block?
Where can I download such a font?
6
votes
1answer
72 views
Is it permitted to use a thermochromic cup on Shabbos?
A novelty cup, see for example here, appears black when cold. When hot liquid is poured into it, the black changes to white and the previously concealed writing (underneath, so to speak) becomes ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
Typing on Shabbos
If one would type on a computer on Shabbos would he be ovar an issur d'oraisa in regards to the malacha of writing? (The other malachos involved aside for a moment.)
Is there any room to say this ...
7
votes
5answers
252 views
Different Size Letters in the Torah
I've often wondered if someone has compiled anything about the "special letters" in the Torah: All the letters that are either big or small. Together, do they read as something special? One or more ...
3
votes
1answer
73 views
When did David Hamelech write Tehillim?
When did David Hamelech write Tehillim? Or to be more technical, when did David write his first Tehillim and when did he write his last?
Also was there a certain period of time within which he wrote a ...
0
votes
1answer
90 views
Is there a kosher way to get a permanent image on the skin?
Based on these excellent questions it appears that writing with ink permanently on the skin is forbidden and that there is no question of maras ayin for non permanent tattoos. Is there a way to make a ...
12
votes
2answers
262 views
Is getting a “fake” tattoo a violation of halacha?
Inspired by Curiouser here:
Is getting a "fake" (temporary) tattoo a violation of halacha? I'll define this broadly as any tattoo that doesn't permanently show on your body. This includes transfer ...
5
votes
3answers
205 views
Drawing with ink on your skin
Shalom,
I have heard many times that there is a problem with drawing on your skin with ink. Can anyone provide sources on the topic? I would like to know things like what issur this falls under and ...
4
votes
3answers
164 views
Writing on t'filin straps
Is there any problem with having stray marks or writing on the underside of a t'filin strap?
If it is in a non-essential location (such as down at the end of a long strap) is it preferable to cut it ...
6
votes
1answer
159 views
Learning the shapes of the letters as a Baal Koreh
I would have thought that the shapes of the letters would be a good thing for Baal Koreh to know, but I was told that since Sefrie Torah are not invalidated until they are declared as such, this would ...
-2
votes
2answers
221 views
Why say Hashem wrote the torah?
Why do people say Hashem wrote the torah, shouldn't it be He created it, made it, edited it, etc?
2
votes
1answer
127 views
Why werent Rashi letters changed back
What is the basis of the change in Rashi's letters from the standard Hebrew ones?
And if it was something that was dependent on a specific factor then, why weren't they changed back?
5
votes
3answers
86 views
Sefer about the writing of Neviim and Megillos
What sefer discusses the details pertaining to the writing of Nevi'im and Megillos (i.e., how the paragraphs are broken up, where there are "special letters", etc.)?
5
votes
3answers
153 views
May one use a Sephardic Torah in an Ashkenaz minyan?
May an Ashkenaz minyan use a sephardic torah (written in כתב וועליש) for their minyan or vise versa? Please cite a source
6
votes
1answer
129 views
G-d's Name in Fridge Magnets (Erasing)
If one were to arrange fridge magnets of letters to spell G-d's name, what are the halachic ramifications of rearranging them (erasing)?
If the magnets were small dots, rather than letters, but were ...
5
votes
1answer
56 views
Birkot HaTorah and Typing
Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 47:3) as well as Yalkut Yosef (47:14) write that before one writes down words of Torah, he must recite Birkot HaTorah (because people that write sometimes voice their ...
11
votes
2answers
307 views
Why does writing on Shabbos need two letters?
In order to transgress "writing" (כותב) on Shabbos, (m'd'oraysah) one must write two letters. (See for example here.)
Why is this so? Shouldn't writing anything still be considered writing?
For ...
18
votes
2answers
200 views
Why the custom to switch around negative-sounding numbers, such as שד?
Often in sefarim we find that if the number of the siman spells out something negative, such as siman 304 which has a letter value of שד, we switch it around so it no longer reads as a "bad" word. ...
7
votes
2answers
132 views
Games (on Shabas) that involve writing: whose writing?
I don't have good sources handy, but apparently some forbid the Shabas playing of games in which one usually writes, even if playing without writing: Scrabble, in which one writes scores, is sometimes ...
3
votes
2answers
91 views
Self-study writing a davar avid?
If I am teaching myself a foreign language as a leisure activity, may I write in a workbook on chol hamoed, for the purpose of retaining my knowledge? If I haven't begun, may I start the new language ...
8
votes
1answer
96 views
Why is the Tetragrammaton vowelized in Siddurim and in Sefarim?
I've often found that the Tetragrammaton (Shem Havayah) is often vowelized in siddurim and sefarim. Since we b'davkah don't say the Shem Havayah how it is spelled, why are the vowels included?
Also, ...
8
votes
3answers
165 views
Saying Tanach by Heart
מִזְמוֹרֵי תְהִלִּים וְכֵן שְׁאָר
פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת מִתּוֹרָה נְבִיאִים וּכְתוּבִים
שֶׁאֵינָם שְׁגוּרִים בְּפִי הַכֹּל, אָסוּר
לְאָמְרָם בְּעַל פֶּה. אֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁהוּא
יוֹדֵעַ לְאָמְרָם בְּעַל פֶּה, יֶשׁ לוֹ
לִזָּהֵר ...
8
votes
2answers
440 views
Citation format for G'mara
If one is citing a g'mara in a scholarly article, what is the proper publication information to use, including title, etc.? I can't seem to find reliable examples in either English or Hebrew.
This ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Printing shem hashem
My siddur does not have the laining for rosh chodesh so I want to print a copy of it. Is there anything wrong with intentionally printing it without removing shem hashem?
7
votes
1answer
120 views
Unique signature of the Chida
The Chida has a very unique signature.
What is the significance of this signature (if any)?
Is it in any way related to the seven kabbalistic seals?
Are there other similarly unusual signatures by ...
11
votes
2answers
147 views
Gap zip up sweatshirt Kesivah on Shabbos?
Does zippering up a sweatshirt like this one, which when zippering causes the letter A to become a letter create a problem of Kesivah on Shabbos? Is an Old Navy sweatshirt where the word Old is on one ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Mitzvas Kesivas Sefer Torah
If you purchase a finished Sefer Torah are you Yotzei the Mitzva of Kesivas Sefer Torah?
3
votes
1answer
145 views
Is drawing a line with a crayon forbidden on Shabbat?
There are board games that involve using a crayon to draw lines (not letters or figures) on a board (e.g. EuroRails). Are these activities problematic on Shabbat? There are two aspects: the drawing ...
13
votes
3answers
121 views
What letter-counting system was used to mark the Planks of the Mishkan?
The sides between the 48 Planks of the Mishkan were marked with letters to keep them in order during assembly/disassembly (Shabbos 103a, & here). If the pairing system was one-letter:one-letter, ...
6
votes
1answer
364 views
What does it cost to write one's own Sefer Torah - and how long would it take?
I'm wondering if anybody else has experience writing their own Sefer Torah, how long it took them and how much it cost.
It took me about 9 years and about $3,500 to write mine.
3
votes
2answers
132 views
6
votes
3answers
235 views
Typing on Chol Hamoed
Is typing allowed on Chol Hamoed? Does it make a difference if whatever is typed will be printed afterwards?
4
votes
1answer
98 views
What is the proper way to write the year when it is a year that ends in מנצפך?
When the year ends with one of the letters of מנצפך - for example 5780 - What is the correct way to write it תש"פ or תש"ף?
8
votes
1answer
933 views
Does ב"ה actually stand for Boruch Hashem?
We asked here about writing either ב"ה or בס"ד on the top of a letter. In the question it was assumed that ב"ה stands for Boruch Hashem.
Do we have a source that ב"ה actually stands for Boruch ...
8
votes
4answers
330 views
Why did Rashi create a new letter system for his commentaries?
I had heard that he created his own lettering system so that his words would be easily distinguishable from the actual words of the Torah. Is this just hearsay or speculation? If so, is there any ...
4
votes
1answer
110 views
Do they still print g'maras with regular Torah Or?
It used to be the standard for many many years that each in-text quotation of a Biblical verse in the Vilna edition Talmud Bavli had a little circle before the first word, which corresponded to a ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
B'siyata D'shmaya or Baruch Hashem
Often, at the top of written work, Jews write either ב"ה, which stands for Baruch Hashem =blessed is the Name i.e., God, or בס"ד, which stands for b'siyata d'shmaya =with Heavenly help.
What is the ...
4
votes
1answer
93 views
Changing “shlit”a“s to ”za“l”s?
The name of living Torah scholar mentioned or quoted in another's book is often followed by an abbreviation of blessing such as שליט"א or נר"ו. The name of a past scholar, no longer living, is ...
