Cut Out in Mezuza for Shakai.
Why?! Any comments?
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
So you can see it when it's rolled up...
ReplyDeleteWell yes, but why mutilate the Mezuza?
DeleteBecause the cutting doesn't affect the Kashrus of the mezuza and there is a strong minhag to see the shakai. It just doesn't look so nice.
ReplyDeleteI should point out though that if the cutting were to go into the parsha stuma it would present a problem...
This is often done by sfardi mezuzos. The put the shakay further in so it's one of the ways you can still see it after its rolled.
ReplyDeleteThe second way is to fold the right margin. I prefer that method to cutting
I've never heard any discussion or asked Rav Friedlander about folding the right side so I don't know which is better. This is also an issue on high end mezuzahs where they leave a margin of blank klaf for k'dei lagol. Rav Friedlander did suggest that its better to cut the klaf and make a flap and fold it back rather than remove the piece completely. The best eitzah is, if possible, to use a case that doesn't require the klaf to be rolled tightly.
ReplyDelete