A place for English speaking sofrim (scribes), magihim (examiners), rabbis and vendors of Stam (Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzah scrolls) from around the world to communicate, share ideas, ask questions and offer support and advice.
I just spoke with Rav Friedlander on asking a tinok this shailah. He feels that since children are used to the printed Nun Sofit, in which the leg protrudes from the right corner that a tinok will likely call even a very long Zayin as a Zayin and therefore it's best for a moreh horaah to pasken and not ask a tinok. However, in my humble opinion, if the moreh horaah is besafek and one tests a child on a number of Zayins and Nun pshutas (mixed in with other random letters) in this ksav and he proves to know his letters then it would be best to ask him and if need be, an adult can be asked by covering the surrounding letters.
It is greatly preferable to use a tinok proficient in osiyos stam. Most kids proficient in osiyos stam will know the difference between a zayin and nun pshutah is the length of the regel only, as they are identical on the top....
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.
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...
I just spoke with Rav Friedlander on asking a tinok this shailah. He feels that since children are used to the printed Nun Sofit, in which the leg protrudes from the right corner that a tinok will likely call even a very long Zayin as a Zayin and therefore it's best for a moreh horaah to pasken and not ask a tinok. However, in my humble opinion, if the moreh horaah is besafek and one tests a child on a number of Zayins and Nun pshutas (mixed in with other random letters) in this ksav and he proves to know his letters then it would be best to ask him and if need be, an adult can be asked by covering the surrounding letters.
ReplyDeleteIt is greatly preferable to use a tinok proficient in osiyos stam. Most kids proficient in osiyos stam will know the difference between a zayin and nun pshutah is the length of the regel only, as they are identical on the top....
DeleteWe agree.
ReplyDeleteMISHMERES STAM holds posul.
ReplyDeletei will post rabbi kleins tshuva that tinok doesnt help