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Klaff Tanning question:
By
Rabbi Eli Gutnick
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I received this question via email. I am not really a klaf expert, I was wondering if anyone could answer this question: Dear Rabbi Gutnick, I am writing to you because a good friend of mine has put the idea into my head that the klaf in my tefillin were not really tanned and therefore are not kosher. He referred me to Megilla 19a re diftera. From the research that I have done so far, it seems that the klaf that is used today is tanned only with a lime wash. On all of the tanning websites I’ve seen so far, they say that the lime doesn’t accomplish tanning but only the removal of the hair and some other pre-tanning effects. Would you be able to explain to me or refer me to a website that explains how the tanning process that is used today takes the hide out of the category of diftera? Thank you very much.
Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz clarifies his position on Ksav Chabad (and my final thoughts)
By
Rabbi Eli Gutnick
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Last week I posted some thoughts in response to a public lecture given by Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz regarding Ksav Chabad (the Alter Rebbe's ksav). I felt he did not represent the issue fairly, and since I had received questions about it from a number of people I felt it made sense to write a general response. After I posted my response on this forum, Rabbi Mendlowitz reached out to me by email and we ended up having a respectful and productive email exchange regarding the relevant issues surrounding Ksav Chabad. His position is a lot clearer to me now, and I think he also took certain things on board that I clarified with him. The purpose of the Stam Forum (at least back in it's heyday before all the whats app groups took over) was to connect sofrim from around the world, to promote achdus and build bridges, as well as to offer support and advice. In that spirit, I felt I should write a follow up post, to clarify some of the issues and misconception...
I would think that the chuf is kosher since it is not meruba 90 degrees.
ReplyDeleteThe ב seems like a shailos tinok since there is a little of a blita going to the right. (Although I admit I would personaly make this a shailos chacham).
I printed this out and showed it to R' Shammai Gross this morning. His maskana after looking at it a few times is that the Chof is pasul. The Beis he said a tinnuk should be asked.
ReplyDeleteWhy should the Beis need a Shailos Tinok when there is a Blita on the right bottom corner? Doesn't the A"R Shulchan Aruch say that an Akev Av is according to Kabbalah? Does that not mean that any Blita sticking out of that lower bottom corner would suffice to be called a Beis? See also Mishnas Hasofer #22 Siman Hey.
ReplyDeleteYitzchok,
ReplyDeleteAkev Av is according to kabala, but a minimal akev might be me'akev to differentiate between this Beis and a caf?
But even according to a thought that a square edge or anything boilet is suffice - that doesn't automaticaly make it a kosher beis, it isn't so easy to differentiate between this beis and a caf, so even if accepted hallachicaly as a zavis/akev it still might be problematic or shaylas tinok!
See the AR on letter caf that has a square zavis top and bottom right-side is pasul because it is דומה לבי"ת that means it might not be a kosher beis, but still not accepted as kosher caf either.
It looks to me that the bottom corner of the chuf is not exactly 90 degree angle. Although from the screen it could be a little different in seeing it in person. Cant machshir in this case through a tinok?
ReplyDeleteR' Shammai at first said it was a shailos tinnuk. He then looked a few more times, covered up the letters around it, looked again, thought..Finally said that it's pasul.
ReplyDelete