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Klaff Tanning question:
By
Rabbi Eli Gutnick
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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...
Did you cover the other letters?
ReplyDeleteN.b. those who fix tagin which are not connected properly (or touching slightly at the bottom) by adding a layer of Ink above the head must be very careful when doing this on a nun pshuta because it could extend the rosh enough to affect the proportions and create a problem of a big Zayn..
I didn't cover the rest
DeleteSame issue with a Zayin. Care must be taken if the top of the rosh will be extended to fix tagin as the regel needs to be more than maleh os ketana of its rosh
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI’d be curious to see a post of the different approaches to correcting tagin and the halachic מעלות וחסרונות of each.
DeleteThis nun is better than the one I posted recently, which while more or less had the initial appearance of a nun because it was longer than the rest of the ksav, it only had a leg of 2x the head even then one posek was machshir. The regel of this one looks like a Nun and seems to have around 2-3/4 kulmusin, in which case I'd not have asked a tinok (and think he can be ignored). Consult a moreh horaah, which should have been done in the first place if you had a shaila. (I confirmed with a moreh horaah that the tinok can be ignored.)
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't this a classic shealas tinok? It's a regel in between a zayin and nun?
DeleteThe regel of the nun looks a bit more than 2 1/2 kulmusim. Teorecly Would this be a nun rabosi would do be the correct proportion? If yes should that be enough reason to machshir this nun?
ReplyDeleteThis is not a classic case of ST. It's greater than 2-1/2 and hence is kosher as is. Yes, it looks to be a Nun rabosi and as the proportions are correct it's kosher and a tinok shouldn't have been asked and while he should ask his more horaah, my consultation with a moreh horaah concluded that the child be ignored.
ReplyDeleteSee גידולי הקדש סימן לב, ס״ק י״ג
ReplyDeleteanother point to add : even if it were to be only 2-1/2 kulmusim we can use the breicas hamayim brought down in mishnah brurah to be machshir long chaf sofit since it goes below the line.
ReplyDeleteHowever we must remember that all this works against a zayin that is even slightly to long.
and I think there's been some discussion here as to the variant opinions regarding a slightly long Zayin. Maybe someone can post a link here to that/those posts?
ReplyDeleteThis may have what you’re looking for
Deletehttp://theworldofstam.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post_12.html?m=1