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
Superficially speaking: it requires skill to do it without the Chatoteres filling up with ink. So, some air on the side of caution and just don't do it at all.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it is important to note that the A"R cites the Ari Za"l as the source. Tagei Lame"d have sources much earlier.
ReplyDeleteI fail to understand why the A"R citing the Arizal as a source is reason for not doing it.
Regarding the fact that it's difficult and requires skill. I think you'll find a lot of diyukim and hiddurim are " finicky" but we still do it anyway. (Take your own example of tagei lamed, it's very easy to make negiyos on the line above or have a tag go a questionable space in the line above. It can be very finicky at times but we still do it). The ches is much easier to modify than many other things. Futhermore there are only four chesin in a mezuzah, I really find it's not a very big deal to touch up at all.
I couldn't agree more. I was not justifying. Just observing:)
ReplyDeleteOk, no problem. I'm just wondering...
ReplyDeleteThe kol yakov http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=34817&st=&pgnum=58 is the source for not making right side of chatoteres thicker
ReplyDeleteactually what I touch up on the 4 chesin is that the makal should be a makal and not a kotz. Reb menachem always makes it thin and taller then the chatoteres.
ReplyDeleteהכוונה בקול יעקב שם - לא לענין החטוטרת. אלא שלפי האר"י אין קבלה כלל לעשות ו' ז', אלא תמונתו כמו בכתב ב"י ז' ז
ReplyDelete