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Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz clarifies his position on Ksav Chabad (and my final thoughts)
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...
Its a nice ksav, however what makes me nervous are some of the nuns.
ReplyDeleteI know its less of an inyan by A'R ksav, but when the gug of the nun is SUBSTANTIALLY wider than the moshav, I fix them. Look at the nun form "nishba" or "levonecha", I would fix them, as well as some others.
Also, Rabbi Yurslavsky once told me that if the eikev of the beis goes up on an angle all the way to the bottom of the gag, it is not mehudar and should be fixed. Look at the first beis of uuveshochbecho (p' shma) compared to the second one. The second one is much better. there are other beises like that too, where the eikev isn't done perfectly. Its hard to see on the screen but if they go up on an angle all the way to the gug, it should be fixed.
Finally, the lower yud of the alef is supposed to have a tiny protrusion to the left. while this is less pronounced than in Arizal ksav, there should still be a mashehu. I notice he does not do it on some of the alephs.
It's a geshmakeh ksav though overall
I should add re the alephs, that even if you follow the Rebbe Maharash's megilla (which we usually don't, we follow Reb Ruvain for A'R diyyukim), namely, that there is no blita on the left of the loer yud of the aleph, Yet the sofer makes the blita 70% of the time, and such a level mezuzah should be consistent.
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