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Daily Life · Orach Chaim 36

Laws of Mezuzah

14 questions · 35 opinions

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Must a scribe write STaM (Sifrei Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzot) in 'ketivah tamah' (the traditional calligraphic script style)?

4 opinions across 2 eras

Ketivah Tamah Style

Does a letter's shape becoming defective after writing (through a hole, tear, or smudge) invalidate STaM?

1 opinions

Post-Writing Defects

Does partial resemblance of a letter to another letter (only part of the letter resembles a different letter) invalidate STaM?

3 opinions

Partial Resemblance to Anoth…

Must each letter in STaM be a single unified entity (guf echad), and what does this require for letters with detached components (such as the Yud of an Alef, the Yuds of Shin and Ayin, the Yud behind a Tzadi)?

5 opinions across 2 eras

Connectivity of Letter Compo…

What is the minimum gap required between the suspended leg of the Heh (and Kuf) and the roof of the letter?

2 opinions across 2 eras

Heh and Kuf Suspended Leg Gap

Is the leg (regel) of Heh or Kuf touching the roof (gag) a post-writing defect or does it only invalidate at the time of writing?

1 opinions

Heh and Kuf Touching After W…

Must a scribe add tagin (crowns) to the letters of SHATNEZ GETZ in STaM, and does omitting them invalidate the document?

5 opinions across 2 eras

SHATNEZ GETZ Obligation and …

Are there additional tagin beyond SHATNEZ GETZ that scribes add to STaM, and do they invalidate if added improperly?

2 opinions

Additional Scribal Tagin

Does the prohibition of writing STaM 'shelo kesidran' (out of order) apply to correcting or completing individual letter components (such as a Yud not touching the Alef) after writing the next letter?

3 opinions across 2 eras

Shelo Kesidran and Letter Co…

Can a letter with a separated component (e.g., a Yud not touching its parent letter) be corrected (repaired) after the fact if a child can read it as the intended letter?

2 opinions

Tikkun After Non-Touching Co…

Does chok tochos (engraving from within, i.e., erasing to create a letter form) apply to correcting letters in STaM, and can erasing part of a letter to fix its form be valid?

1 opinions

Chok Tochos in Correction

What is the proper form of the tagin (crowns): are they three separate lines or each shaped like a small Zayin?

2 opinions

Physical Form of Tagin

Does reading a Torah that lacks Sifrei Torah (i.e., only one is available and it is defective due to a touching leg of Heh/Kuf, or Magen Avraham's cited leniency) require a beracha?

1 opinions

Reading from Defective Sefer…

Must the lower Yud of the Alef (and similarly the upper Yud and other letter components) be present for the letter to be valid, and does the right vs. left spine of a Yud have different legal status?

3 opinions across 2 eras

Yud Components and Alef Yud