STAM

What are the different styles of Safrut Writing?

There are 3 basic Hebrew Scripts used today:

Beit Yoseph is the script generally adopted by Ashkenazi Jews;
Ari is the script generally used by Jews of Chassidic descent or influence;
Vellish is the script generally used by Sephardi Jews.

The Beit Yoseph and Ari scripts are similar, differing only in the form of 5 or 6 letters. Vellish is generally a more rounded hand than the Ashkenazi scripts, and it can be written more quickly. Actually there is some variation also within these three scripts, such that various Sephardi communities write Vellish script differently in characteristic ways and the Lubavitch Chassidim have their own variant of the Ari script. Some Sephardi scribes write with the original Kanai - reed pen; however the accepted form amongst Ashkenazi scribes today is to use a Kulmus (a Latin Roman word) - feather quill.

The Benarroch Sofrim use Beit Yosef Ashkenazi script.

Torah Scrolls - Sifrei Torah

Why does it take so long to write a Torah Scroll?

Torah scrolls - Sifrei Torah contain the Five Books of Moses (the Pentateuch), written with special black ink on sacred specially lined parchment. Hundreds of laws govern the most minute details of the materials, letter shapes and writing of a Sefer Torah.

Written entirely in ancient scribal Hebrew, a sefer Torah contains 304,805 letters, all of which must be duplicated precisely by a trained sofer ("scribe"), an effort which may take as long as approximately one and a half years. Any error during inscription renders the Sefer Torah pasul ("invalid").

Today Sifrei Torah are usually written with 42 lines of text per column - known as Vavei Amudim because the top of each Amud (column) begins with a Vav. This has been designed to give the Torah scroll a uniform artistic appearance, but has nothing to do with Halacha. Very strict rules about the position and appearance of the Hebrew letters are observed. Any of several Hebrew scripts may be used, but usually complex and elegant calligraphy is employed. The Hebrew text of the Tanakh, and the Torah in particular, is considered holy, down to the last letter: translations or transcriptions are frowned upon for formal service use, and transcribing is done with painstaking care.

Many of the letters have ornamentations known as Tagim - crowns. This takes considerable time and skill and hence a Torah scribe is a specialist and in fact many Sofrim do not even consider writing a Sefer Torah in their lifetime.

If 99.9% of the Torah Scroll is written correctly, is it still Kosher?

No, our Sages have explained that even if the Kutzo Shel Yud - the small tail of the Yud - is not the minimum length it renders the letter invalid and consequently the letter would need to be repaired.

This is why new Torah Scrolls are checked three times for mistakes, and repaired if necessary. Despite the best efforts of the expert scribe, checkers usually find a number of mistakes and problems requiring improvement or correction.

It has become the norm to substitute a check by computer for one of the human checks. The computer is better than human checkers at locating mistakes in the consonantal text--missing, garbled, or extra words--but it cannot substitute entirely for expert human inspectors (Magi'him), who also locate fine breaks and joins between letters and various other problems which the computer doesn't catch.

If you are interested in dedicating a new Torah scroll and would like some advice or have specifications in mind, we would be delighted to assist. If you are purchasing a Torah scroll from Israel, but would like independant advice or just need assistance with the actual Hachnasat Sefer Torah, please do contact us.

What about older Sifrei Torah - do they need checking? Can they be repaired?

Even Old Torah scrolls can also benefit by being checked by computer. Experience indicates that there are unnoticed mistakes even in many Torah scrolls which have been read for long periods of time. While the halakha (Jewish law) does not require rechecking an old Torah which has presumably already been checked properly, a computer check is nonetheless recommended if the owners of the Torah can afford the expense.

Often Torah scrolls deteriorate and need to be repaired. Even a single broken or wrong letter in a Torah scroll renders it unfit for public reading. It is especially common for the fine lines of the script to crack, for entire letters or parts of letters to break off the parchment, or for the writing to fade until it no longer has any body. All of these problems can be dealt with if they are not too severe. We specialise in the repair and restoration of old scrolls here in the UK.

Jewish law does not require checking an old Torah scroll unless several mistakes or problems are found in it. If you have a Torah with problems, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.

For those interested in reconditioned Sifrei Torah, please contact us in confidence.

Tefillin

Tefillin are phylacteries (amulet!! in ancient Greek). The Tefillin are made from specially treated leather boxes which Jewish men from the age of Barmitzvah - 13 bind with Retzuot - leather straps onto their left arm (unless they are left-handed, in which case they bind it onto their right arm) and on the crest of their foreheads during the morning prayers.

What are the boxes made from?

The boxes of the tefillin (known as BATIM, "containers" for the written parchments) must be square/cube. They vary in quality, in the way they are made. Peshutim are basic Batim - boxes, Dakot are sheepskin Batim, Gasot are cowskin hide - ideally from one whole hide Or Echad - see raw batim below.

Almost all the tefillin Batim today are produced in Israel using advanced factory technology in the curing and shaping processes. This has helped produce higher standards in the manufacturing of the tefillin batim

What is inside each box?

They contain parchments on which are written the four sections of the Torah in which they are mentioned: "And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand and for a remembrance between your eyes" (Exodus XIII/9, and with slight variations in Exodus XIII/16, Deutoronomy VI/8 and XI/18).

The Biblical texts must be written by hand, in order, on parchment from a kosher animal. Tefillin for the head contain the four Biblical passages written on four different pieces of parchment and placed in four separate compartments; in tefillin for the arm all four passages are written consecutively on a single parchment and inserted into a single box. These parchments are known as parashot.

According to the halakha (Jewish law), hundreds of laws govern every detail about the making of tefillin, including the most minute details of the materials and the writing. Due to the meticulous requirements, it is very easy for something to go wrong during the production of tefillin, sometimes in ways which cannot be seen at all afterwards. If a mistake is found after the tefillin are written, it simply cannot be scraped or repaired. This is one of the reasons it is imperative to purchase tefillin only from an honest, authorized, reputable scribe.

Do Tefillin need checking?

Jewish law does not require checking tefillin which are in regular daily use unless some mishap befalls them, such as exposure to water or excessive sun. Nonetheless, it is customary that they be examined from time to time to ensure that they are kosher (some check yearly, some twice in seven years--like mezuzot, some less frequently). Our recommendations depend on the quality and kind of tefillin which you have. Tefillin which are not being used must be checked like mezuzot, twice in seven years.

Below the Sofer is sewing up the batim of the tefillin using Gid (treated gut).

Mezuzot

What is a Mezuzah for?

Mezuzot are the parchment scrolls which Jews attach to the right doorposts of their homes to fulfill what is written in the Torah as understood by our Sages: "and you shall write them on the doorposts (mezuzot) of your house and upon your gates."

The two sections of the Torah in which this verse appears (the first two paragraphs of the Shema prayer, Deutoronomy VI/8 and XI/18) are written on parchment, rolled up and attached to the upper third of the doorpost, usually enclosed inside a decorative container.

Where do you place the Mezuzah?

All the doors of the home should have a Mezuzah, with the exception of bathrooms or very small rooms (e.g., closets). The garage door is not exempt from the mezuzah.

According to Halakha, the mezuzah should be placed on the right side of the door (from the point of view of one entering the building or room), on the lower part of the upper third of the doorpost (or, for high doorways, around shoulder height), within approximately 3 inches of the doorway opening. The case should be permanently affixed with nails, screws, glue, or strong double-sided tape. Great caution should be exerted not to puncture, rip, or crack the parchment or the wording on it, since this would invalidate the mezuzah entirely.

Where the doorway is wide enough, Ashkenazi Jews tilt the case so that the top slants toward the room the door opens into. (This is done to accommodate the variant opinions of Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam as to whether it should be placed horizontally or vertically.) Others place the case vertically.

When and what blessing do you make?

We hold the mezuzah against the spot upon which it will be affixed, then make the blessing, which translates as:

"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His mitzvot, and commanded us to affix a mezuzah."

After the blessing is made, the mezuzah is attached. When affixing many mezuzot, the blessing is made only before affixing the first mezuzah, while having in mind that that first blessing applies to the affixing of all the other mezuzot.

Below left - Sephardi Mezuzah Below right - Ashkenazi Mezuzah

What size Mezuzah should I ask for?

Today mezuzot are generally written in the standard sizes: 6 cm (about 2.5"), 7 cm (about 2.75"), 10 cm (4"), 12 cm (about 5"), and 15 cm (6").

As you might imagine, it is quite difficult to write 22 lines of script in 7cm. Thus, even though they are smaller, good little mezuzot often are more expensive than the cheaper larger ones. Unfortunately, even today many invalid, non-kosher mezuzot are sold to the unsuspecting public. This is true of mezuzot of all sizes, but it is especially prevalent with the small mezuzot. In checking, scribes sometimes even find paper inserts with photocopied text. It is not uncommon to find the latest trend which is to silk screen on parchment. Even trained Sofrim find this one very difficult as the letter writing is slightly raised with the ink indentation and the parchment is real. If you are unable to check them yourself, you should be sure always to buy mezuzot only from an authorized, reputable source.

Can a Mezuzah be repaired?

According to the halakha (Jewish law), hundreds of laws govern every detail about the making of mezuzot, including the most minute details of the materials and the writing. Due to the meticulous requirements, it is very easy for something to go wrong during production of the mezuzah, sometimes in ways which cannot be seen at all afterwards. If a mistake is found after the Mezuzah is written, it simply cannot be scraped or repaired.

The Halachists suggest that Mezuzot are checked twice in seven years.

Megillot

Megillot/Megillah means "Scroll(s)". While the term could accurately be used of scrolls of any of the Biblical books, it most commonly refers to the Book of Esther which is read on the Purim festival. Indeed that book is commonly called "The Megillah".

What are the Five Megillot and when do we read them?

Esther, read publicly on the festival of Purim;
Song of Songs (Shir ha-Shirim), read on the intermediate Sabbath of Pessach (Passover);
Ruth, read on the festival of Shavuot (Weeks) ;
Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), read on the intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot (Tabernacles);
Lamentations (Eicha), read on the fast day of Tisha B'Av (the Ninth of Av).

While many congregations read these books--except for Megillat Esther--from printed books, there are still some congregations or individuals who read them all from halakhically kosher parchment scrolls. On Purim the halakha (Jewish law) requires the use of a kosher scroll. Nowadays it is common for many congregants to follow the reading from their own parchment scrolls.

What is a HaMelekh Megillah?

Megillot Esther are commonly written with the word HaMelekh ("The King") at the head of almost all the columns, as this format is popular. There is also an old tradition of illuminating scrolls of Megillat Esther especially above the word HaMelekh as on a deeper level this is a reference to the "King of Kings".

Megillot Esther are usually written with columns of 11, 14, 21, 28, or 42 lines. They vary in height from about 6 cm (3") up to about 50 cm (20").

If you require illuminated crowns for your HaMelekh Megillah, please contact us.