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
There is the famous Tshuvas HaRosh who says how the ksavim of different places differ and that they are all kasher. Also see the first tshuva in Shu"t Mishnas R' Aharon (Kotler). Also see R' Moshe Shternbuch who discusses a ksav Ari sefer for those who are normally noheig to use ksav Beis Yosef, both in Tshuvos v'Hanhagos and in Hilchos haGr"a uMinhagav.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing these Teshuvas out. The one from the Rosh is definitely a famous one and a point I often say over. I'm in particular interested in the Teshuvas that discuss the Ashkanazi/Sephardi issue. I know there are a few from the more "famous" and often quoted achronim (Chasam Sofer? Noda B'Yehuda? Others...?) I'm however not sure exactly thus why I am asking...
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ReplyDeleteRav Shternbuch has a detailed section in Stam Kehilchasan on this and is really a must read to understand the history and halacha of Velish, Ari and Bais Yosef.
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