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The Parchment |
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Torah scrolls, Megillot Esther used for the reading of the Book of Esther on Purim, and the
passages in Tefillin and Mezuzot are written on parchment. There are two types of parchment on which such religious objects may be written:
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The graphic form of the letters |
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There are a number of traditions among the various Jewish communities regarding the form of the letters in which the passages of Tefillin, Torah scrolls, Megillot and Mezuzot are written.
According to all the traditions, the letters must be written in black ink.
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Precision in the Writing of the Letters |
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Great care must be taken in the writing of the letters, so that there will be no change, even minor, in the shape of even a single letter, and so that one letter will not resemble another. All of the letters, words, and passages of the Tefillin and the Mezuzah must be written in exact order, that is, in the order they appear in the Torah. This requirement of order of writing does not apply to Torah scrolls and to Megillot (of course, the passages must appear in the scrolls in the correct order).
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The Fitness of STAM |
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There are a number of levels of fitness in the writing of Torah Scrolls, Tefillin, Mezuzot, and Megillot:
1. Fit after the fact (bediavad) - This refers to simple writing, that raises a number of halakhic questions, and which a rabbi has ruled to be fit.
2. Fit from the outset (le-chatchilah) - Writing that is not very fine, but about which there are no halakhic doubts.
3. The finest quality (mehudar) - Fine writing, of unquestioned fitness.
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Types of kashrut examinations |
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There are two types of examinations:
1. Examination by an expert proofreader
An experienced proofreader, who has been ordained to examine Torah scrolls, Tefillin, Mezuzot, and Megillot, must ensure that there is not the slightest suspicion of error in the form of any letter. For if even a single letter is not in the shape required by Jewish law, the entire product is unfit. The expert must also conduct a "missing or extra" examination, that is, to ensure that not a single letter is missing, or that there is not a single extra letter.
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Writing li-shma for Its Own Sake |
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By themselves, the holy written articles: the Mezuzah, the Tefillin, the Torah scroll, and the Megillah are merely inanimate objects: leather, parchment, and ink.
The parchment, the leather, and the ink become holy articles by their processing and writing li-shma - for the sake of the sanctity of Tefillin, Mezuzah, Megillah, or Torah scroll. By his intent, his speech, and his actions, the scribe links these inanimate objects with the spiritual realms. Without the intent of the scribe to write them "li-shma," Torah scrolls, Tefillin, Megillot, and Mezuzot do not become sacred articles, and the scribe is a mere copyist of Biblical verses, with his writing lacking any sanctity.
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