Question: Shalom. What exactly is Ktav “Vellish”/Script? What are it’s origins and when was it first used? How come Sephardim who use Vellish script (for Tefillin, Mezuzot, etc…) don’t use… Read more »
Category: Torah scroll (Sefer Torah)
Transporting a sefer torah
Question: I am looking for sources on halachos relevant to transporting a sefer torah, such as 1) must it be held the entire car ride, 2) are there anythings which… Read more »
Flying with a sefer torah
Question: If one is flying on a plane with a sefer torah must it be held the entire flight? Is putting it carefully and respectfully in the overhead compartment b’dieved?… Read more »
trimming margins of sefer Torah
Question: We’re a retirement community. We have the opportunity to acquire a very nice sefer Torah that was lained from just a few times, at a reasonable price. However, the… Read more »
Sefer Torah Additions
Question: Would it be technically mutar to make any kind of note on the klaf of a sefer torah? (For instance, marking where the aliyah ends) If not, what would… Read more »
Is it permitted to put seforim on chairs?
Question: Is one allowed to put a sefer on a chair in a flat or upright position? Also, is one allowed to put a sefer on an ottoman when one’s… Read more »
transporting a sefer torah
Question: what is the correct way to transport a sefer torah in a car? Answer: The correct way is to make sure that the sefer is transported in a way… Read more »
Partially Fallen Sefer Tora
someone did Hagbah on a sefer torah and it fell down but not on the floor only on the bench of the bimah which is used for the Magbiah to… Read more »
Torah in Bathroom
May I bring a magazine that has Torah in it in to a bathroom if I am reading non-Torah articles? Answer: Being that the book is not intended for the… Read more »
Writing Sefer Torah for Yeshiva
hi I am in planning of writing a Sefer Torah in my fathers memory and I just wanted to clarify a couple of points, I want to dedicate it to… Read more »
Woman Holding Sefer Torah
Is a nidah allowed to hold a sefer Torah? Can she & other women, particularly women who learned Torah the entire year, dance in the Ezras Nashim with a sefer… Read more »
Going into Bathroom with Siddur
If I place a small siddur/bencher/sefer inside an envelope or Ziploc bag and then inside my jacket pocket, would that be sufficient protection in order to enter a lavatory? Would… Read more »
Taking out Sefer Torah to Show Children
I work in a school and right before Simchat Torah the principal likes to unroll the entire Torah in the gym and show the students what the inside of a… Read more »
Differences in Sefer Torah
Are there differences between an ashkenazi, sephardi and teymani sefer torah in terms of the words? Are any words different between the sifrei torah of these different communities? Answer: There… Read more »
Cutting Away Gilyonos of Sefer Torah
A shul has a Torah that is too heavy & isn’t being used. Are we allowed to cut an inch or two off the top & bottom gilyonos to make… Read more »
Navi Fell to the Ground
If navi that was written on a klaf falls on the ground does one have to fast? Answer: No, the concept of fasting for a fallen Sefer Torah applies to… Read more »
Covering Torah with Tallis
Where does the minhag come from when moving a Sefer Torah from one place to another to cover it with a Tallis? Answer: I do not know of this minhag…. Read more »
Showing Letter in Sefer Torah to non-Jewish Child
When there is a question in a Torah and we ask a child, can it be a girl? What about an Arab that knows alef bais but cannot yet read… Read more »
Women Sewing Sefer Torah
Are women permitted to sew the etzei chaim onto a sefer torah? Answer: It is fine for women to sew the etz chaim for the Sefer Torah. Sources: See Aruch… Read more »
Erasing Letters from Sefer Torah
A new torah arrived with only 6 letters open for the siyum. They want to honor about 20 people. Can we scrape off some letters & let the people fill… Read more »
Cutting Kelaf from Sefer Torah
The tik (silver case for sephardi torah) was made too small. It cannot be fixed & cost $15,000. Is it mutar to cut 1/2″ off the top & bottom margins?… Read more »
Woman Fasting for fallen Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah fell by accident from the hands of a congregant, are the women obligated to fast? Answer: Although it is customary for anybody in the presence of a… Read more »
Megillah on Chumash
May one place a Megillas Esther on top of a chumash? thank you. Answer: A Megillah should not be placed on top of a chumash. However, for our chumashim, which… Read more »
A non-Jew’s Writing of a Sefer Torah
I remember once seeing an article in a reputable newspaper in the USA which showed the (goy) Mayor of a town writing a letter in the Sefer Torah of a… Read more »
Kissing the Torah
Is it better to kiss the sefer torah in shul with one’s hand, or to take a tzitzis string from the talis, touch the Torah with the string, and kiss… Read more »
Selling Sefarim
is it muttar to sell one’s private sefarim? 1) just for the money 2) to buy other sefarim he would rather have Answer: It it permitted to sell one’s sefarim… Read more »
Lottery for Sefer Torah
Is there any problem with having a fund raiser where everyone buys a ticket by giving a donation to a shule and the winning prize is a sefer torah? Is… Read more »
Replace yeriah in Sefer Torah
The Torah is finished. Can we replace the last yeriah in order to be able to write the last few letters & make a siyum? Answer If the final yeriah… Read more »
Form for lending a Sefer Torah
I am lending a Sefer Torah to a Shul. Do you have a form for this? Answer The text should read something like the following: Agreement Mr ………………………….. hereby lends… Read more »
Sirtut on tefillin
Why don’t sofrim make a sritah beneath the last line of writing in t’fillin and mezuzos, as they do in other sifrei qodesh, in order to be m’qayyem the shittah… Read more »
Repairing a Sefer Torah
Can I repair a tear in the klaf of a torah (not in the letters) with tape rather than gluing on the traditional piece of klaf? Answer If the tear… Read more »