fixing - and worrying
Today I had an instance when I was fixing a letter and got a little worried if during the tikun I may have done lo kesidran . Its one of those things that keep nagging at you even after you are done. I'll admit it happens to me every now and then.
It was a nun that was quite far from the letter on the right. So I added ink to the back of the nun to make it closer. First the gag, then coming down to the moshav. When reaching the moshav I made the bottom right thicker with a series of thin strokes to the back of the moshav. I did the strokes in quick succession, sort of sketching it. Its very possible that after one of my strokes I had created a tzurah of a gimmel. But before I had a chance to fully comprehend the situation, I had already continued with the successive strokes and filled in the gap, and was left with a fully kosher nun.
So the question is, since I do not have access to slow motion replay, only a bad feeling that maybe there was a shinuy tzurah for about a half a second, what is the status of the parsha now?
It was a nun that was quite far from the letter on the right. So I added ink to the back of the nun to make it closer. First the gag, then coming down to the moshav. When reaching the moshav I made the bottom right thicker with a series of thin strokes to the back of the moshav. I did the strokes in quick succession, sort of sketching it. Its very possible that after one of my strokes I had created a tzurah of a gimmel. But before I had a chance to fully comprehend the situation, I had already continued with the successive strokes and filled in the gap, and was left with a fully kosher nun.
So the question is, since I do not have access to slow motion replay, only a bad feeling that maybe there was a shinuy tzurah for about a half a second, what is the status of the parsha now?
The yetzer-hara is a great mumche depressing people. If you can not say for sure that it has lost its tzura, then - it was, is, and always was a nun!!
ReplyDeleteI never saw a clear cut gimmel. So I guess I'm safe.
DeleteI once discussed this concept with Rav Friedlander who told me the same thing. Also Rav Stern writes it in his sefer as well - that as long as you didn't see a definite shinuy tzurah your'e OK.
An experienced magiha/ sofer of 40 years once told me the key to dealing with these situations is to keep it intellectual and don't let emotions interfere with the bottom line halacha. Easier said than done...
Its good to worry before but to have sfeikos after the fact is as Rabbi Wiener puts it. however I think that in the event you need to add ink to a nun it should be done bottom up. By the way i think i once posted 2 very important rules "if its not broken don"t fix it" ,Do not upgrade STa"M.
ReplyDeleteHatzlacha in your avodas hakodesh
Firstly it was broken - the gap need repair
DeleteI would just add that now that it is done it is at worst a Sfeika Drabanan lekula and therefore clearly Kosher.
ReplyDelete