Margins
A torah that I'm due to check shortly has apparently had it's top and bottom margins trimmed some years ago quite drastically (to within 3-4mms near the otiyot) to fit the atsey - I don't know who did this. Assuming that the letters are still mukaf g'vil then b'dieved this is kasher even though it should be 3 thumbs and 4 thumbs thickness (though varies for big and small sifrey). Is there a source that I can rely on for this as most of the discussion I've seen is around what is appropriate for margins depending on the relation to the size of the script.
The shiyur gilyonos [margins] are all lechatchila (shulchan aruch YD 273:5). Therefore it is pashut that bdieved this sitaution is kosher.
ReplyDeleteI dont think this is your obligation, but probably it is a mitzva lechatchila (whatever can be done is always lechatcila) to glue new gilyonos [from klaf that was prepared "ibud leshem kedushas sefer tora"] to fix the gilyonos so they should be correct on measure.
R. Moshe - thanks for this and that is pashut - I thought that was the case given my reading. I have seen this sort of glueing on of the gilyonot before and actually it looks quite horrible and so I would tend to avoid because of zeh keli v'anvehu, but if you think it is a mitsvah l'hatchilah to do that I will raise it with the Rav as a possibility. Depending on how old the sefer is it would be interesting to see if I can find k'laf l'shem k'dushat sefer torah that is of a similar colour.
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