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...
Take a look in the sefer kesivah tama, he brings the gedarim there as well as the mare mekomos. I don't have it handy but I remember looking it up a few times. Some say he is too machmir on that issue, but the good thing is he brings the Mare mekomos on the subject so you can research it yourself.
ReplyDeletePersonally it is not a shaila I encounter often. Sometimes in cheap mezuzos and parshiyos I see a roundish corner or two and I usually fix them so they are lechatchillah. I have never seen a totally round rosh. However by os zayin the bottom right corner could present a shinuy tzura if it is not bolet properly
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ReplyDeleteSee Mishna Brura 36:15 (and in MS ois tes) writes that tzarich iyun if the corners of a rosh (one of the shaatnez getz) are rounded lacking the zavis, of 3 corners. Meaning lacking one corner is OK, lacking 2 or more is a problem.
ReplyDeleteMost poskim don't seem to be machmir as the MB (see Mishnat Hasofer, Yalkut haosfer p. 53), and hold bdieved it's kosher.
It is worthy to fix, and as Eli wrote can be fixed even according MB because the letter has its tzuras ois.
Thanks, that helps to clarify things. My sofek was because the MB/MS is not so clear l'maseh so thanking you for pointing out these sources.
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting to get familiar with the seforim in the inyun. Who wrote "Kesivah Tama"?
correct the rabbanim quote אין הלכה כיראים בזה
ReplyDeletethe rabanim worlwide are machshir
Reb Moshe,are there different opinions in Ksav Chabad regarding the upper right corner of the Zayin?
ReplyDeleteNo, in csav chabad the upper right is not a zavis but rounded a bit. Leaving the other 3 corners as zaviyos, so the head of the zayin and many other letters resemble a yud that has 3 corners only.
ReplyDeletesee SA Harav begining of alef - nekuda ha'elyona is a yud so therefore has 3 uktzim.
Ksivah tama is written by Rabbi Avraham Zilberger from machester.(not sure how you spell his name in English). I think its out of print? Its an excellent sefer.
ReplyDelete