Can I have the publics opinion on this "End-Mem"?
How about the Bais of Uleovdo?
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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".
shin in "Alter Rebbe" script
Both the Shulchan Aruch Harav and the Mishnah Brurah use similar terminology when describing the importance of the shin being "pointy" on the bottom and all three branches of the letter shin meeting at a point or "chad" at the bottom of the letter. There is a strong foundation in Halacha for this and for the bottom of the shin to be flat like a moshav (base) is considered questionable (Pri Megadim) and definitely not Kosher Lechatchillah. It is worse if the moshav is very wide, but it is still questionable if it is lechatchillah if there is a thick noticeable base rather than a chad. Even for Sephardim, who lechatchillah make an angular base, it is still important that the base is indeed on a (significant) angle. If the base is flat, even if all three branches of the shin come out of the base connected , as in the top picture, it is problematic. It is worse in the bottom picture below where the right head/ branch comes out of the right part of the base and the m
The left side is very square - I don't think this is an issue. It is kasher. You can ask a tinok, but I don't think this is a case of genuine safek.
ReplyDeleteOne must show it to a tinok.
ReplyDeleteI once wrote an article explaining why such a shailo is problematic for a shailos tinuk since the samech in many siddurim today that kids are used to are actually kosher as mem stuma
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I was thinking. I always have a hard time deciding, at what angle does it become problematic. I would be surprised if a Tinok would read this as anything but a Samech, since this is the Samech children are taught. The question is wheather this is technically Halachakly the case as well.
Deletethe mem should be asked by a tinok, since it is lechatchila incorrect. the mem should have been square, and a variation although slight, may not be accepted by a tinok.
Delete