Questions tagged [safrus]
Ritual scribal work relating to the writing of holy texts
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Are Rabbeinu Tam's Tefillin really Rabbeinu Tam's Tefillin?
I once heard from a Sofer the shocking revelation that Rabbeinu Tam's Tefillin do not actually follow Rabbeinu Tam's opinion. Is that correct? Did I misunderstand? Are there any Soferim in our ...
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Is there a standard format for the start of each column in writing Sifrei Torah?
When I looked at a few Tikunei Lakor'im, they seem to follow what appears to be a standard where certain words begin at the top of a column. I did see several Sifrei Torah that seem to follow this ...
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What is the reason for "stretched" letters in the Torah?
I noticed that in many Sifrei Torah, Sofrim prefer to "stretch" certain letters. It seems that these letters are stretched to end a line if there wouldn't be enough space to start a new word. That's ...
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Composition of Sofer's ink
What ingredients are currently used in the manufacture of ink for Safrus? Is there a different formulation for the paint that is used to dye tefillin straps/boxes?
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Can one add in missing words above the line in a Torah scroll? [duplicate]
One of the Torah's in my shul has this interesting safrut style. Note that the last word of the verse appears between the lines. It seems that the Sofer (scribe) ran out of room, and stuck in the last ...
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Is one allowed to remove sections from a Torah to repair one or more pasul ones?
This is a scenario of possibly benefiting multiple communities.
Let's say there are five different shuls all in remote communities. Each shul has just one Torah but it is pasul (non usable). They ...
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Is this a mistake in a Torah scroll or intended decoration?
In the following pictures, is the superscript addition a correction or intended decoration? Are corrections like this kosher?
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May one write with a pencil or marker in the margins of a sefer Torah?
As a Ba'al Kri'ah (Torah reader), I sometimes find it difficult to locate the start of an aliyah (reading) on Shabbat, esp. in parshiot Vayetze and Miketz where both of these are one contiguous parsha ...
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May one use mezuzot with different scripts in the same house?
May one use mezuzot with different scripts in the same house? For example can the mezuzah in one room be ashkenaz (beit yosef) and in another be sefardi (vellish)?
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Could a Torah Scroll Be Writtin in Ktav Ivri (Paleo Hebrew)?
The Talmud (ibid) brings different opinions about the origin of the two in regards to how was the Torah initially written.
It is agreed by all that the language has remained the same, Hebrew – as we ...
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Are there any safrut teachers in Boston?
I have, as I've expressed in previous questions, a strong interest in safrut. As such, I would love to learn the relevant halachot and beautify my writing, which although it would likely be kosher (...
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Must every sidrah begin at the start of a parsha? (Rashi on Breishit 47:28)
Rashi on Genesis 47:28 (excerpt)
ויחי יעקב לָמָּה פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ סְתוּמָה?
ויחי יעקב AND JACOB LIVED — Why is this section (weekly reading) totally closed?
Explanation for novices: The Torah ...
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Has any commentary explained why the Torah reading for fast days doesn't begin at a parsha?
Every public Torah reading, except for two, begins at a parsha (the start of a new "paragraph" as written in a Torah scroll.)
The two exceptions are:
Vayechi which has a space of just one letter ...
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Is there any particular standard recension/variation of the masoretic tradition that scribes use for torah scrolls in shul?
I don't know if i'm entirely correct in this, but I understand that there have in the past been variations in malai and chaser, throughout both the ashkenazi and sephardi world..
And then there was ...
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What does the /shin/ marker (like Petucha/Setuma) at the end of Torah books mean?
I've been reading about details of Torah sofrut, and after learning about the paragraph markers peh / פ (petucha) and samekh / ס (setuma), I noticed some similarly placed shin markers (mostly at the ...
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Did Rabbi Dovid Feinstein of Uzda wear tefilin that were Ktav Ari or Ktav Beit Yosef? What about his son?
The biographical sketch of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein that appears in the beginning of Igrot Moshe volume 8 states that his father, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein of Uzda, was born and raised Hassidic, but took on ...
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Can a section of the Torah having the same words be "cut and pasted" to a different section?
While reading parshat Naso last week, it was easy to notice that near the end of the reading, there is a large section discussing the donations made by the 12 tribes for the dedication of the ...
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If the "Nun" preceding Bamidbar (Num) 10:35 is not upside down, is the Torah still kosher?
While reading last week's parsha, I noticed that the letter "nun" immediately preceding the verse Vayehi B'nso'ah ha'aron Bamidbar 10:35 was written as regular nun (tagin on top) rather than upside ...
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Has Paleo Hebrew (Ktav Ivri) Ever Been Found With Crowns?
Has Paleo Hebrew (Ktav Ivri) Ever Been Found With Crowns? Whether we are talking about ancient scrolls, or amulets, or any type of ancient Hebrew writing.
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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 ...
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Thickening letters for tefillin and mezuzos
The poskim in Orach Chaim 32 talk about the requirement that the letters for tefillin and mezuzos be written כסדרן, in order. As a result (32(23)), if a letter is missing there is no way to fix it ...
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Is a Torah that does NOT have the (rabbati) large and small letters (keti'ah) still kosher?
I have a Torah in my shul that does not have any large or small letters where required (e.g. - the 1st letter in the Torah, "Breishit", is written larger than the rest.) Is this Torah still considered ...
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Criteria for special formats of some chapters in the Tanach Scrolls
Usually, when writing verses in Tanach Scrolls, words are written across the column from the right margin to the left (except, of course, for required Parsha spacing.)
I have seen two "special" ...
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Must the spacing between words in a written Torah be consistent?
I'm asking this question with some emphasis on the beginning of parshat Vayechi.
Most chumashim that I have seen have a notation that unlike the end of every other weekly Torah reading that has a ...
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Why does a Torah have 2 poles and a Megillah have 1?
A Torah scroll is a very long piece of parchement with two poles ("atzei chayim") at either end, while a Megillat Esther is a not-as-long piece of parchment with one pole at the end of the book.
...
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Is a Sfardi ש incorrect according to this Gemara?
In Masechet Shabbat 104a, it talks about the shapes of the letters, and meaning behind it. One thing it says is:
ומאי טעמא שיקרא אחדא כרעיה קאי ואמת מלבן לבוניה?
And what is the reason that [...
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Confusing Tes with Pei
The Gemara (Shabbos 103a) gives a list of letters that should be written very carefully to avoid being mixed up with other letters:
"וכתבתם שתהא כתיבה תמה שלא יכתוב אלפין עיינין עיינין אלפין ביתין ...
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What is the source for writing names of Haman's sons in a separate column?
What is the source for writing names of Haman's sons in a separate column? We see that most megillos are written this way, but where can I find halacha? Shulchan Aruch doesn't seem to be discussing it?...
user17319
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פ in German Sta"M Script
Does anyone know the German custom for the letter pey in Sta"m sofer? I know that the shape in Litvisch Bet Yosef is influenced by the Mekubalim of Tzfat (The Ari in particular) who said that the ...
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1
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Antiquarian Safrut
Is there any resource for looking at examples of the old forms of safrut from before the Second World War? I have seen un-sourced photos of strikingly different variations within the Ashkenazi and ...
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Bent/Inverted Kaf in Torah Scroll, Parshas Bereishis
If a Torah reader finds certain writing errors in a Torah scroll, the scroll may be invalid, and the congregation would be required to take out a different one to continue the service. Some errors, ...
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May one patch a hole in a Sefer Torah?
Let's say the Torah parchment has a hole such that a letter is missing where the hole is, making the entire Torah "pasul".
May one use either of these methods to fix the problem?
1 - Get a small ...
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Is there ever a rule not to place certain words on separate lines in a Sefer Torah?
The Gemara in Chulin 64b - 65 discusses the Bas Hayaana bird, and explains that although that is indeed the name of the bird, the fact that it is two separate words allows us to also interpret them ...
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When Sofrim write Sifrei Torah, do they think of the Ba'alei Kri'ah (readers)?
I have read from many different Sifrei Torah as a Ba'al Kri'ah during the past approx. 30 years. Each Torah is unique, as B"H, it should be. Every sofer has a slightly different writing style, even ...
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Resource for dotted letters in Nakh
It is relatively easy to find a list of dotted letters in Torah. Even a good tikkun kore will list them.
However, it's harder to find a list of these in Nakh. Where can I find that resource? ...
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Taz on Sefer Aftarta: why mention that printing is writing?
On the topic of a sefer aftarta (a scroll containing the haftarot of the year), the Taz writes as follows (OḤ 284:2, translation mine):
א"כ אפי' אם יהיו נכתבים אין להם דין ספר אלא משום עת לעשות ...
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Dyo lesafrut - mutar beficha or not
I came across a thread today on the International Sta"m Forum. In the comments, some of the sofrim who frequent the site were debating whether sofer's ink, or dyo, need be mutar beficha (permitted to ...
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Understanding places where the Torah writes היא instead of הוא
In most cases in the Torah, the feminine 2nd person word (equiv. to "she" or "her" in English) is written as הוא using a ו and pronounced הִוא .
Avot Derabbi Natan 42:5 lists 11 places in the Torah ...
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Mehudar K'tav: erasing touching letters before continuing
One of the hiddurim on my tefillin is that any letters which touch are erased and re-written before continuing. However, if I recall properly, the Kesset haSofer (Siman 7) requires that this be done ...