Not a "khaf"
This gave me a "Safrut smile"... OK, I realise that this is not Ktav STaM, however it is interesting what happens when graphic/font Hebrew becomes too stylised. Case-in-point, a colleague and I were visiting the mayor's office in the Gaza Belt region of Shaar HaNegev (adjoining Sderot). He is new to reading Hebrew and pronounced the welcome sign as "brooning" or "broobing" (instead of the intended "brookhim". I replied that he was more correct than the graphic designer, as the letter meant to be a "khaf" was closer to a halakhic "Nun" or "Bet", and had this been Ktav STaM, the letter would likely be considered pasul as a "Khaf".
I have a long standing issue with some sofrim writing alter rebbe and trying to copy Reb Ruvens ches and they make it look like a tav. The heter too this is If you would be used to ksav alter rebbe it would look like a ches. If this is true then nowadays this square chaf should be kosher
ReplyDeleteYou can use him as a tinok
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMaybe graffiti some corrections on. add some tagin while you are at it.
BTW rav freidlander once told me you can use a chozer b'teshuvah who has basic Hebrew proficiency as a tinok. So long as he isn't advanced enough to read the words....
Rav Friedlander held that any adult can be asked when a child isn't available as long as all surrounding letters are covered.
ReplyDeleteWhether an adult with the Hebrew reading/knowledge proficiency of a child who's a candidate for a shailos tinok can be asked the same way as a child is a machlokes between Rav Moshe Feinstein (Sefer Masores Moshe) and Rav Chaim kanievsky (Daas Noteh). I didn't hear from Rav Fridlander on this matter.