This video shows a sofer writing a sefer Torah. This sofer has a good hand, writes at a nice pace, and can ask a decent price. But one can also tell how the sefer Torah industry has commercialised the process, allowing for better productivity.
Note the following:
1) The sofer is writing on a light table, which means he does not have to worry about planning the spacing and can just trace over the letters. This saves a lot of time. This also minimises mistakes and saves time of repairs.
2) The quill is a plastic kulmos with a repository, which means you need to dip it into the ink every few lines instead of every few letters. Also you do not need to sharpen it and make new quills. Both of these save time.
3) The klaf today is more refined and smooth, easier to write on. Not uneven and rough like the old days. I'm sure lots of "mei klaf" is added. This enhances writing speed and quality of writing.
4) Double sirtut. Again this enhances quality and neatness.
5) The tagin / …
Yes there certainly are tikkunim available. Contact your klafmacher, he'll probably either have them or be able to get one for you. I use Klaf Roseman in B'nei Brak and they were able to get me a tikkun for a sefer tehillim I was asked to write as well as tikkunim for the five megillos. A word of caution, sometimes these tikkunim can be really expensive.
ReplyDeleteI really wish someone would devise a computer program that would create tikkunim for sofrim on demand that would include absolutely everything a sofer would ever be asked to write. Then we could simply select the appropriate minhag, ksav, size, etc., print it off and be ready to go. I've seen these kinds of programs to teach leyning where the computer will sing to you in eighty seven different nusachim, switch from this ksav to that ksav, print, export itself as an mp3 and I just wonder if something like this couldn't be done for sofrim.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe that there are such programs, but I would imagine that they are not sold commercially, for the simple reason that whoever made them has a right to make a profit off of tikkunim made from them. A friend of mine wanted a tikkun for a Ben-Asher Esther (no need to comment on this...he also knew the Ram"a, Raavy"a, etc. about stumos) and he contacted someone who emailed him a tikkun made to his specifications on the computer. It would be awfully convenient though.
DeleteThanks. Now I just have to find a good source here in New York.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll write myself a program like that. The tikkun I'm using for my current project has no minyan hayuddim and was photocopied off of an old scroll with bad spacing. Not something I enjoy dealing with as a beginner who has more than enough trouble as is.
ReplyDeleteI would get in touch with Rav Tshinagel from Bnei Brak. I don't have his number, but I'm sure someone on this forum does.
ReplyDeleteThere is this guy in Bnei Brak called Nachmani that can print actually any tikkun of anything at any size with any ksav (he uses his own computer generated fonts), just like Benyomin mentioned. He specializes in "Transparencies" and "Folding" tikkunim, but the "Folding" tikun can be used as a regular tikkun. If there is something he doesn't have on hand, he usually can make it specially with no problem. His site is http://www.or-lasofer.com/, and Tel # +972508752138. I don't know if he speaks English.
ReplyDelete