The International STa"M Forum

does anybody know what would be the din of such a hey while I was writing a mezuzah I went back to fix something on the hay and by mistake smudged it I scratched it off wright away because probably I saw that the ink was less strong than the letter and i don't remember how much the ink came out of the back of the hay

The gimel's left foot is davuk [by majority] to the right foot, which should be a problem just as yud of the alef davuk to the body of alef. The beis although hallachicly kosher [see enlarge picture] because it is perfectly square at its edges, but has almost no akev ("hanir'e l'eynayim"). There is an issue between some lomdim is this a problem that requires a shaylas tinok, since many tinokos define a beis only by its akev, and a square beis lacking an akev, they may call a caf. The mem is lacking ink. I think this is not a shinuy tzura and can be fixed [by adding ink].

I think this situation is a shaylas tinok, because there is a strangeness in this vav, it is square and tilted a bit, and together with the akev entering a bit might be mistaken by a tinok as a hey. But if the tinok read it correctly it is kosher. In order to correctly ask a tinok, the body of the beis left of the vav should be covered.

After Eli's post on the shailo of tagim from the lamed entering in the space of a vav and with the comments I posted there I'd like to perhaps give an example. Eli - Please comment and say if this is what you had in mind. This shailo either appeared here on this blog or on R' Moshe's Hebrew blog. R' Shammai said this is a shailos tinnok. As well he said one doesn't have to cover the lamed in this case when asking the tinnok. Perhaps this is more of a shailo since the gag of the vav is a little bit longer. Hopefully this is a good example of what Eli was speaking about.

I recently refurbished and sold a sefer Torah to a local shul (Frum kehilla, of course).  They have asked me to assist with a hachnossa for this sefer.  Being that it is not a new sefer (although it is in excellent condition), I am uncertain as to the procedure/propriety for a hachnossa.  Has anyone been in such a circumstance before and, if so, please suggest protocol. Any help is much appreciated!

If a tag of a lamed enters the space of  a vav on the line above (on the bottom left of the space to the left of the regel) can this a chash of a hay? By daled and reish it is but some say it applies to a vav too? Must you cover and show a tinok like daled and reish? I know each case differs but I'm talking about a standard (not overly wide) vav and a not overly thick tag (without a rosh). If anyone has any shimush on this please let me know

So In my last post I posted a few pictures of a water-damaged megilah, the few responses I got indicated that it is Kosher and/or I can scratch out/erase the "halo" around the Ayin (and few other letters).  Here are the questions: 1. Doesn't the klaf need to be white? Isn't the Ayin of Odam now on a non-white background? 2. Why isn't erasing the coloration chok tachus (is there a level of blackness that it needs to be before scratching is not chok tachus). For my own learning (I am a student/beginner), I would appreciate marei mekomos for any opinions expressed. Here are the pics again:

I don't know how it happened but a little water sprayed on a megillah I was writing.  Is there anything that can or should be done? See below (ignore the ksav, I am a student/beginner, or better yet, don't ignore the ksav).  This is not for sale, it is the megillah I am writing for myself as part of my first real ksiva. Thanks:

The ends of the lines are not aligned, this mezuza is pasul called "kuba (tent like structure) and/or zanav" (tail like, the lines becoming shorter). BTW the word ויצהרך is lacking the letter hay !!

There are times when a scribe curves his writing so much that a RESH appears to resemble a KHAF instead of a RESH.  If the curvature is extreme to the point that it shows a slight MOSHAV, it appears to me that a SHEELAT TINOK is not necessary as then it's obvious that the letter has lost it's shape.  Nevertheless, it is possible that there will still be those who totter in their perception as in the above RESH's.  The letters will at times appear to them as a RESH, and at others as resembling a KHAF.   Please weigh-in.  Would you off-the-bat invalidate the above RESH's or require a SHEELAT TINOK?

There is a break in the hay's foot. I didn't know if we could permit it to be fixed [in tefilin] because a small strip of the dyo is a "hefsek sh'aino nikar" or we follow the clear majority that is simply a seperate chunk from the main body of letter, and therefore cannot be fixed. I think the second svara is more correct.

some of the ayin in this mezuza are so slanted and bent at their bottom, a tinok is required to define they are ayin and not tzadi pshuta.

What would be a good pen for a rabbi of a shul to have handy for minor minute repairs in middle of laining something that is kosher easy to deal with and will not dry out over time ?

The space between "esev" and "besadcha" at the sirtut is OK, but at their base [the 2 beis letters] may be to close. It seems from SA Harav 32:37 [and Kol Yaacov 32:116] that if the 2 words are close at their bottom although distinct at their top, this may be a problem of 2 words to close.  

is the "beis" of the word "la'vosichem" kosher with that big tag?

Reb Moshe, what is your opinion please on the chof from ki as well as the chof from hakenani?

If the skin that comes from the bayis under the titurah on dakkos is missing a piece or has come away from the corner on the underside of the titurah, does this affect the ribuah?

Any thoughts or comments on this Gimmel? It was suggested to post it on the blog Thanks.

while lechatchillah there should be at least 3 amudim per yeriya, on a cheap refurbished, old sefer torah, how bad is it if as yeriya only had one omud? I don't have much experience in old refurbished seforim but are the sochrim dealing with this makpid about sucha thing?

Is there any mekor for this? (From a Sefer Torah for sale on ebay: http://tinyurl.com/awll7t5 )

There once was a debate in regard to this type of ayin, since there is no break in the slant-right side of the ayin. Does anyone know details about this issue?

the reish from bechor has a blitah on the top right, making it a shailah of a dalet. shailos tinok?

What would you say with regards to a TAV whose left foot is long as in the example of LATET in the above scan. Would you say that the letter still retains it's shape and therefore is still KASHER.  Or would you say that it has changed it's shape resembling a KUF and therefore PASSUL.  Do you think this is a case of SHEELAT TINOK, or that a TINOK would be irrelevant in this case.  Your insight is appreciated.

May a shul sell one of its sifrei torah assuming it does not use or need it to another shul who needs it? perhaps the funds will come to good use for the first shul. What about if the sefer will not be used in the first shul because its possul and the shul has no interest or money to fix it, yet the second shul is prepared to do so after acquiring it? Has anyone ever looked into these halachos?