some shailos
samech above?
samech above (both)
How about the Bais of Uleovdo?
Popular posts from this blog
Klaff Tanning question:
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)
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...
samechs kosher.
ReplyDeleteno problem with the caf, I doubt any tinok would read it a zadi.
In terms of sources I think it's Mishnat HaSofer who says if the moshav of a samech is noticeably narrower than the gag, even if it has squared corners (which btw would have to be angles greater than 90 deg anyway) it's kosher...
ReplyDeleteBut Rav Moshe, re the kaf yud - don't we measured spaces compared with the rest of the ktav? Accordingly this Sofer wrote the other spaces between letters much larger and I would think that in reality (not in a blown up photo) the yud kaf would be mamash lo nikar lehedya, in which case would be noteh lipsul if not sheilat tinok? Meaning - if I received that case where it was supposed to be a tzadi I don't think I'd pasel a tikun straight away? Unless your intention is that since its a kaf, the left rosh makes it less likely to be read as a tzadi than if it were say a nun peshuta and that's why you're machshir?
since its a kaf, the left rosh makes it less likely to be read as a tzadi than if it were a nun peshuta, and that's why it is kosher.
DeleteIndeed if this would be a nun pshuta instead - it would be a big shayla.
It is interesting to note that the SAMEKH has a prickle on the bottom left. This is also the case with many of the old extreme cursive Sephardic Scripts. I have seen a manuscript in R. Yehuda HaLevy's cursive hand dating around 1140 in which this prickle is quite pronounced. This is likewise the case with Rashi's script. Has any one in this forum studied some of these older forms of Hebrew writing and how this & other similar cursive writing features have crept into our block lettering?
ReplyDelete