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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...

For the first mezuza - very well!! behatzlacha!!
ReplyDeleteYou have to widen the spacing between the lines, by using a thinner kulmus/kane so the letters are even, half the hight between one sirtut to another. You have small caf sofit which doesn't fit in with the general size, and eventualy they are going to cause you problems.
You write the ches pashuta. So I assume you are writing Temani script ?!
The Nun peshuta should not be bent or curved, but the regel coming down straight.
Hi Nathan,
ReplyDeleteKol HaKavod on the writing of your first mezuzah! It looks really good. The rest will come with practice. Tell us, how many hours did it take you? I remember my first took me 7+ hours. It felt that time went really slow, but once done it was a major accomplishment.
Here are some other tips besides those above.
1. Try to work on making your SHINS a bit more compact so that they will not be as wide and tall as they currently are. The height should be 3.25 kolmosim, and should descend halfway between one sirtut and the other as indicated by R. Moshe Weiner.
2. The same goes with the AYINS. Only the left part of the BASE should descend a bit below the 3.25 kolmosim - halfway sirtut mark.
3. Make sure that the right heads of the AYINs are all made at a 45 degree slant - similar to the middle and right teeth of your SHINS. Stay away from writing them straight.
2. Square the bottom right of your Mems.
3. Work on having the foot of the TAVs beginning consistently left of center of the roof of the letter.
4. Make sure that the left foot of the CHET PESHUTA begins at the extreme left of the roof. Once it is indented in a bit, it coincides with the old ZURAT HEH which originally was connected at the roof. As such, the only differentiation between them in the original Ashurit was that one had its foot indented and the other not.
5. Likewise, try and work on the width of your ALEFS so that they will be a bit narrower. Make your diagonal a bit steeper than 45 degrees that way, you will see that you will have a more space to fit all your letters comfortably on the parchment.
Keep up the good work and let us know of your progress!
Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteYes this first one took me about three hours to write...im trying to cut it down to 2hrs.
really appreciate the advice!!
This was already mentioned, but I'm gonna repeat it: When making flat chesin it is EXTREMELY important that they not look like connected heys. You cannot even make a shaylas tinok because no tinokos nowadays know what connected heys look like. I would ask someone who is thoroughly familiar with these inyanim, perhaps someone on this forum if the chesin are kosher.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, it looks really great! Keep up the good work and tizke l'mitzvos