Questions tagged [writing-printing]
Questions pertaining to writing and/or printing.
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How did Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan write so many books? [closed]
Aryeh Kaplan wrote some 50+ books in the span of a decade or so. Obviously he was remarkably talented at writing, but I'm just curious how exactly was this possible. He's often quoted as saying in the ...
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Why is the last chapter in masechet pesachim called ערבי פסחים in the plural, which does not match the girsa of the mishnah?
The mishnah begins ערב פסחים in the singular, yet the chapter is called ערבי פסחים in the plural. Chapter titles in the gemara almost always match the first words verbatim, very rarely skipping a word ...
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What Is the "Standard" Shulchan Aruch Page Based On? How Many Dapim Are There?
There are many editions of the Shulchan Aruch and they do not all follow the same pagination. However, many editions I have seen call themselves "tzurat hadaf" and appear to have a similar ...
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The letters aleph-lamed are sometimes blended into a single figure in certain texts. What is the origin/purpose of this?
My first guess was that it was a way of avoiding writing out a Divine name, but the texts where I've seen this, the same page may indeed include a full Divine name, so there must be another reason. I'...
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Using a newly created 3D printed object on Shabbos
If a 3D printer automatically started a new job on Shabbos or was already printing when Shabbos started and the print job finishes on Shabbos, may one peel off the object from the hot bed on Shabbos ...
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4
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0
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80
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Differences between Breuer Tanachim
I stayed with Dr. Gabriel Wasserman for Shabbos over the summer and he mentioned that the different editions of R' Mordochai Breuer's זצ"ל Tana"ch have some small differences (eg. the Mosad ...
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1
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Typically how long it takes to finish one page/chapter of the Hebrew bible? [closed]
What is the average time/day/months a prophet can finish writing one page or chapter before writing the next? I can't find a resource online other than how many years it took to finish the whole book.
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Acronym with gershayims above letters
In the Alte-Neu (Old-New) Synagogue in Prague, there are several inscriptions on the wall (see here) - for example this (this one is said to be an acronym of: אך טוב לישראל סלה):
Is it semantically ...
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What Hebrew font should I use for my English sefer? [closed]
I'm writing a sefer on sugyos of the Gemara in English. There is a lot of Hebrew mixed in with the English. The problem with the font(s) I'm using currently (calibri for english, frank ruehl for ...
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Origin of the use of "G-d"
I'm wondering about the earliest uses of the abbreviation "G-d". Obviously, it's used as an extension to avoiding saying Hashem's name in vain, but was this practice common from the ...
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Why is there a switch from Sin to Samech?
related Relationship between Samekh and Sin
(referencing the Schottenstein edition of Masechet Ketubot -- I haven't checked other printings)
In the mishna on 46b, the text reads נשאת יתר עליו הבעל -- ...
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What is the rationale for only marking certain letters with sheva, when they are the last letter in a word?
In printed and manuscript editions of Tanach, I've noticed that a sheva on the final letter of a word is almost never marked, and is meant to be inferred.
The two exceptions I've come across are:
A ...
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Why is נַעֲרָ sometimes marked as a keri uketiv and sometimes not?
The word נַעֲרָה na'arah (girl, maiden, young lady) is almost uniformly spelled in the Torah in the form נַעֲרָ, without the concluding heh.
However, it seem that it is marked as an instance of keri ...
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Are there books or training exercises that scribes use to strengthen their skills?
I'm not a scribe and I have no plans on becoming a scribe. This would not be used for religious practice or religious needs. I just happen to enjoy the practice of Hebrew calligraphy and I'm ...
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What do these different formatting elements of Hebrew texts mean in Sefaria?
I am interested in gathering Hebrew texts in electronic form and what better resource than sefaria.org. However, upon examining their source, I notice some modern "English" or Latin writing ...
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Lamed with bent back stalk [closed]
In some Hebrew lettered signs, usually the decorative ones (as opposed to functional ones like street signs), I have seen the letter ל with the top ascender or stalk bent backwards, to the right. Is ...
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Must seforim be printed with margins?
I have heard that there is a halacha that seforim must be printed with margins, so that scholars will be able to write notes on their learning.
Is there any source for this?
If this is not in fact ...
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2
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Open and closed parshiot
In the Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, Laws of Sefer Torah, סימן רעה הלכה ב it relates to the issue of between paragraph spacing. I would to know the frequency of open and closed parshiot (paragraphs) ...
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Magnetic Word Games On Shabbos
Is a magnetic version of scrabble permitted to be played on shabbos? Generally, Scrabble is not considered writing (although there may be other problems if you usually write while playing) but ...
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Is typing or writing the same as "saying" for the sake of Sefirat Ha'Omer?
In an effort to ensure that we only count the Omer with a bracha properly, we are careful not to say what day it is until we have counted formally -- this is discussed and explored here.
But is ...
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Bereishit 31:53 "chol"
In my Artscroll chumash, on Bereishit 31:53, there is an asterisk next to the two uses of "elohei" which refer to the "god" of Nachor and of "their fathers."
It looks like this
אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם *...
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Why no vowels for the sounds of the shofar?
In three different machzorim (a Rinat Yisrael, an Artscroll and a Koren -- the ones I had access to over the holiday) the listings of the sounds of the shofar are printed without any vowels. Sefaria ...
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1
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Extending the Leg of a Letter to Remove Sheimos
May one extend the letter Hey in God's name to turn it into a Kuf as a way of removing sheimos? My question is twofold:
1) Is there a problem of erasing God's name here, by taking a holy name of God ...
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Writing with dry erase marker on Shabbos, is it permitted?
Trying to figure out if I can use a dry erase marker for recreation and then erase whatever I wrote. Is this allowed?
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Pinhole Camera on Shabbos
I read somewhere that one of the reasons you can't take pictures on Shabbos is because of the melacha of Kotev/Writing.
Does this also apply to a pinhole camera which does create a temporary image ...
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Which Mesivta volumes contain appendixes?
I’d like to compile a list of the various features found at the end of select Mesivta volumes. They usually provide extra help with Gemara study using fancy charts and the like.
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Tweeting on Shabbat: d'oraita or d'rabbanan violation?
There was a dangerous situation in my community on Shabbat and I knew (from the amount my house phone was ringing and my cell phone was buzzing) that people I knew across the world would be concerned ...
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Why did Ralbag's commentary to Leviticus take so much longer than the other books of the Torah?
At the end of each book in his Commentary to the Torah, Ralbag gives us the date he completed it.
At the end of the book of Genesis he tells us that it was completed in October of 1329:
והנה היתה ...
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Halachic restrictions on Sefarim shelves
If memory serves me correctly, I believe Jonathan Rosenblum cites in his biography of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky a story where Rav Yaakov complained that someone had placed a sefer on an arm of a bench ...
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Can items for the Temple Be Written in Ivri?
The halakha is that scrolls of the Torah, mezuzot, and parchments for tefillin must be written in Ashuri. But what about items used for the Temple Service? Such as the tzitz (crown that the Kohen ...
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How does "Elokim" ("אלקים") solve the problem?
Please seriously pardon my lack of Hebrew skills.
If "א-ל" is already a shem Hashem (to the point where in many contexts we might say or write "קל" - "Keyl"), how is it OK to leave the א-ל intact at ...
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Why is the format for referencing books sometimes backwards?
The Rambam is usually reference in the following way: פרק א׳ מהלכות ק״ש הלכה ט׳ - chapter 1 from from hilchos kerias shma, halacha 9.
Why is it referenced this way? Why not the way many ...
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What are the earliest accusations of censorship in rabbinic literature?
Sefarim are sometimes censored for various reasons. It used to be mostly external censorship, but nowadays I think it is mostly internal censorship.
When people print sefarim and censor them, they ...
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Opening bottle on Shabbos where it will destroy letters on cap
One is opening a bottle of relish which has already been opened and closed many times before Shabbos. When he screws off the cap of the bottle, the letters that are on the cap are destroyed, as the ...
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Rashi script in certain seforim
I noticed that some authors of seforim have their books published using Rashi script instead of ashuris script. Was this done by default of the printers or was there some halachic reason not to use ...
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Is one allowed to wear a tallit that has writing on the collar on Shabbat or Yom Tov?
Many of the large tallitot contain writing on the atarah ("collar"). Is one allowed to unfold or fold such a tallit on Shabbat or Yom Tov?
When unfolding, one is putting words together - is that a ...
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Why is public reading of the haftarah not required to be from parchment?
Public Torah reading (Kri'at Hatorah Betzibbur) is always done from a parchment.
I have seen some congregations read the Haftarah from a parchment, as well. But, this seems to be a minority. It seems,...
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Is it bad for one to let bits of one's personal life become known online?
Isaac Moses wrote:
Over the years, Gershon Gold has demonstrated great research skills, often coming up with on-point sources for interesting Halachic questions very quickly. He has also been an ...
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Why is the Frankel Rambam divided unusually? Madda-Ahava and Avoda-Korbanot
The printing of Rambam's Mishneh Torah by Hotza'at Shabsi Frankel was a revolutionary achievement. The publishers searched the globe for the earliest and most authoritative manuscripts and attempted ...
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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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Can i write the letter "t" without worrying that I'm making a cross?
Is it important for a Jew to avoid making the letter "t" without the curl on the bottom in order to avoid making a letter that looks like a cross? Is it something that some communities try to avoid ...
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What justifies the rules for a mezuzah to be kosher?
Why is a non-kosher scroll (e.g. a photocopy of a kosher one) invalid, especially if the text is correct and looks right? Doesn't such a scroll still fulfil the purposes of serving as a reminder? And ...
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In RAMBAM hilchot avoda zara 9:4 What publisher or translator first changed notzrim to canaanites?
In this censored version online at chabad.org, Hilchot Avoda Zara 9:4 says:
"The Canaanites are idol worshipers [sic], and Sunday is their
festival..."
(And it says Canaanites in both the hebrew ...
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To interrupt Tefila by writing
For Birkat Hatora, writing is as speaking (SA OC 47,3): it is not allowed to write Divre Tora before Birkat Hatora.
If someone ask you a question when you are davening, can you write
an answer or is ...
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Writing during Chol HaMoed
I've heard some people don't write during the intermediate days of the festival (Chol HaMoed). Is this a formal prohibition or just a custom? What's the origin of this?
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Does Graphology Have Any Basis In Judaism? [duplicate]
Graphology is the theory/science that one's middos can be deduced from one's handwriting.
Is there any source for such ideas from the rishonim or earlier?
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Writing down Torah she'beal peh for personal use before the Tannaic period
Before the ruling was given that allowed the oral component of the Torah to be written down, what exactly was permitted and what was not permitted?
More specifically, I would like to know if an ...
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Tikunei Ha-Zohar: What happened to Tikun 20?
hebrewbooks has a scan of the 1558 Mantuba edition of Tikunei HaZohar. In that edition, Tikun 20 is several pages long. (Starts here, goes for several pages).
The only other edition I found on ...
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1
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BS"D on documents for secular/non-Jewish audiences
Many Jews write BS"D or בס"ד (standing for בסיעתא דשמיא meaning "with God's help") or something similar at the top of all documents. As far as I am aware, there is no halacha that requires anything ...
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What is the history of writing on the Kotel?
Some photos of the Kotel (the western wall of the Temple) show large, black lettering, such as:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/wallpics.html
I have seen other drawings or photos ...
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