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Klaff Tanning question:
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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.
Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz clarifies his position on Ksav Chabad (and my final thoughts)
By
Rabbi Eli Gutnick
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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...



Good shailos.
ReplyDeleteThe one I'm most concerned about is the daled. It depends how it hits you in real size real life viewing. If it was a narrower and thinner ksav it would be worse...
I'd love to hear what Rav Friedlander says. Pls share
The other two can be repaired (by adding ink)
I would think that the dalet is similar to the old vovin lefufin that are a discussion in the poskim I don't want to misquote it. but see the Bnei Yona about it.
Deletedalet is kosher since its thin like a tag,
ReplyDeletesamech has moshava katzar
chaf is shailas tinok
Seems to me from the Mishnas Sofrim that "just adding ink" is insufficient:
ReplyDeleteויש מקילין ביש לה זוית מלמעלה כיון שהיא עגולה למטה וכיון שהוא מלתא דאורייתא צריך להחמיר כדעה הראשונה דפסולה ולא יועיל לה תיקון ע"י גרירה דהוי ח"ת אלא (ו) יוסיף עליה דיו לעשותה עגול אם לא כתב עדיין יותר כדי דלא ליהוי שלא כסדרן. ואפשר דבזה שיש לה זוית מלמעלה ועגולה מלמטה אם התינוק קוראה כהלכתה צורתה עליה מיקרי ויכול לתקנה בתיקון הנ"ל אף שכתב יותר ואין בזה משום שלא כסדרן וכנ"ל בל"ב סכ"ה
Rav Friedlander said:
ReplyDeleteDalet- shouldn't use unless bshaas hadchak. My understanding for his leniency is due to multiple factors: it has an ekev, skinny Yud hafuch and is same length as regular letters (Even though the regel sticks down a kulmus longer.)
Samech - pasul (Darchei Noam as brought by MKM) I had thought that even though left side is straight and has a corner than the right side strong curve/narrow base would allow for a ST.
Chaf- kosher (even though Kesiva Tama brings that even a straight corner is a ST and an ekev is pasul
The case of the daled and the case of the chof was pretty much what I was expecting him to say....
DeleteBut I'm surprised about the samech. While I dont see this much in Arizal and Beis Yosef ksav, I often have this or similar shailos in Chabad or Vellish ksav, (where it is much easier to err and make this tzurah) and it is usually fixable esp when the right side is so round.
(A shailos tinok will always be read as a samech because that is how it appears in the siddur and children are used to a samech looking like that lechatchillah....)