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...
Yes, you have to redo the sirtut. It is done with what I think is called in English an "awl". See picture here. Of course you can use anything similar.
ReplyDeleteיישר כחך
ReplyDeleteI use a rose thorn glued to a piece of dowling - nice and natural and not too sharp that it would tear the k'laf. You must have sirtut if it erased - see Keset Hasofer 3:5 and R. Ganzfired says that they should be re-ruled lishmah (though based on Pri M'gadim this isn't necessary). The B'ney Yonah states that even for one letter there should be a rule but most others say three. I am assuming here that this erasure is such that you are still writing the mezuzah k'sidran.
ReplyDeleteMordechai,
DeleteIs a perennial blackberry thorn okay to use? The only rose bushes I have available have very small soft thorns. I also currently use and all-metal awl "angled correctly".
(I don't currently write any STa''M, just learning.)
Elad ben Avraham/Dale Edmons
just a tip when using an awl it should be not pointed straight down because then it might make a hole in the klaf the trick is to hold it on a slant almost flat some people use a stone to make it not so sharp but this is unnecessary if you hold it like that and also then you can decide how big of a sirtut you want and how wide by pressure you put and the angle you hold it(by pressure it will just bend the metal a little) and you can also decide to which derection you want the sirtut to go its hard to explain in words without showing someone
ReplyDeletethanks all the tzadikim!
ReplyDeleteFor years I use a very small screwdriver, the corners originally dulled by scraping against stone or concrete.
ReplyDelete