Woman to sew ס"ת ?
is it ok for woman to sew torah to atzei chaim?
in keses - lishkas hasofer siman 1, s. k. 7 it seems that not, although dosent mention specificaly sewing to atzei chaim.
in keses - lishkas hasofer siman 1, s. k. 7 it seems that not, although dosent mention specificaly sewing to atzei chaim.
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ReplyDeleteKeset is very clear that 'one must warn the scribes and punish them, such that they carry out no repairs through means of a woman or a child'. That said, Mishnat Hasofer writes that since the sewing should be done lishma we shouldn't give it to a women to do and if it's already been sewn it's good for a man (if possible) to unpick it and resew but one doesn't invalidate it after the event. But there are those who say if the man stands and finishes and does a bit in the middle one doesn't invalidate what the woman does in between.
ReplyDeleteThis need for two or three stitches by the man seems a bit odd in that if the rest of it is a) fine and b) after the event it isn't pasul rather suggests a leniency that does allow women to sew.
Interestingly in terms of otehr reapirs, Shoneh Halachot (25) details that if there is a large gap in a word so that it looks like two words these individuals can lengthen a letter before it so it becomes one word. They can also repair taggin on She’atnez Gats (see section 5 letter gimel) or pass a quill over a letter whose root [form] is still there but so that it keeps it from rubbing out and becoming invalid. Shoneh Halachot (26) and similarly Mishnah B’rurah (39:2:10) bring the opinion that they can scrape out any joins between otherwise properly formed letters, because this is not describable as writing. Ideally, both sources state, these individuals shouldn’t initially get involved in repairs but one shouldn’t be strict [and invalidate] after the event. The key distinction for the Mishnah B’rurah is that these individuals cannot amend a letter to make it valid by means of actual writing (39:2:10). The root of the issue is the creation of the form of the letter itself through the medium of ink.
This is what I have picked up from the sources and learnt over time. I'm sure others on the forum will bring different opinions and sources to your query. Hope this helps.
i recall a chasam sofer bringing down bnei yona in discussion if sefer is kosher without eitz chaim,as soon as i have time to look it up i will post iy"h
ReplyDeleteI learned that the Orach HaShulchan is in favour of women sewing. And the Rokayach's wife reportedly sewed numerous Sifrei Torah (according to the hesped at her levaya), according to Rav Shmuel Scheid.
ReplyDeleteFascinating YU lecture by Rabbi Scheid. Go to 55:23 for discussion on women sewing.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/Uc0B-jfmsds
Good Shabbos. Frielich Purim.