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.
Yalkut Yosef (Kitzur SA OC 36) says that a Sefer Torah that has shatnez getz but not bedek chayah can be taken out for leining lechatchila even if there are others that have it, since bedek chayah is מצוה מן המובחר but not l'ikuva. But the tagin should be added by a Sofer if possible.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast he says that a Sefer with no shatnez getz should only be taken out bediavad if there are no sefarim metuyagin.
Based on this I'd say they can be used as is. Obviously a person should try it to מצוה מן המובחר especially by tefillin but based in this yalkut Yosef I don't think I'd tell someone they were bediavad.
(Although שו״ת ישכיל עבדי יו״ד יד:ג and others seem to say that shatnez getz and bedek chayah are equal in din)
I presume the Yudden have some Kotz on the top left corner, not just a square (or worse)
ReplyDeleteThe kotz d'Rabbeinu Tam of the yud is different from bedek chayah. It is Rabbeinu Tam's interpretation of the gemara and we pasel a yud that doesnt have it (it can be fixed of course).
ReplyDeleteBedek chayah as far as I know has no source in the talmud rather from kabbalah.
There certainly are Talmudic sources! The "tag" on ח is one interpretation of Rashi's pshat in חטריה לגגיה דחי"ת. The Machzor Vitri says that the tag on top of the yud is Rabbenu Tam's pshat in קוצו של יו"ד. The tag on the ה is based on Rashi (Menachos 29b s.v. אית ליה תגא). The tag of the ק is mentioned in Shabbos (104a) ומאי טעמא מהדרה תגיה דקו"ף לגבי רי"ש. The tag of ב is based on a Medrash that the Torah begins with ב because it has two עוקצין.
DeleteAccording to the Tikkun Tefillin, ד has no tag on the left because it is not mentioned explicitly in Chazal. According to the Alfa Beisa (brought in Beis Yosef), the tag of the ד is learned out from ה.
I meant bedek chayah has no source in the talmud as having an implication ledina, rather those that are machmir base it on kabbalah and equate them to shatnez getz. (as oppose to kotz of yud which does)
DeleteIn the talmud bedek chayah seems to be referred to as tangential to the halacha or in agad'ta.
In addition to the sources you posted the tagim of the bet is a yerushalmi (i think) that brings the reason for the tagim.
If there is any shpitz on the top left of the gag it is completely fine.
ReplyDeleteAri,
ReplyDeleteThe question was in regard to Vellish. A Yud without kotz of R"T in this case is kosher and even lechatchila, even though the minhag of Sephardi sofrim today is to do it.
Yankev,
I'd think the questioner was asking if there was no kotz whatsoever, either on the left edge or intended. You are correct that any shpitz on the left suffices.
My comments about kotz RT were purely to establish that there's a source in the Gemara that it has implications ledina. I wasn't saying anything about Pasul/kosher for Sephardim. My point was it's not the case that kotz RT is necessarily equal to the minhag of bedek chayah. That's why I also said "we pasel it". As oppose to bedek chayah.
ReplyDeleteIf you read my first reply comment you will see that I addressed the question referencing specifically a Sephardi posek with respect to Sephardim.