DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is For Refuah Shelemah for
 Meda (Misoodah) Bat Mizlee Lelah

Dedicated By
Isaac Moses

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 3.35 MB)
How Does One Identify a Properly Written Letter Het?

It is customary to write the letter het of a Sefer Torah, tefillin and mezuzah in the following manner: The sofer writes two letter "zayin"s, which are connected by a hatoteret, a "roof." The roof is similar to a tree, which connects the two zayins. Although some sofrim make a straight line, the custom of most sofrim is to make a line that goes up and down, like the hump of a camel.

It is also- customary that the right side of the hatoteret is thicker than the left side. Also, a "tag" (crown) is drawn on the upper-left side of the letter, since it is customary to draw single tagim on the letters bet, dalet, hey, het, yud, and koof, often known by the acronym "bedek hayah."

It should also be noted that when writing the two zayins, most sofrim round the top part of the right zayin. While some have the custom, when writing tefillin, of constructing a het from a vav and a zayin, this does not appear to be the common custom.

Summary: When looking at a het on the klaf of a Sefer Torah, tefillin or mezuzah, one should note the structure of the het, i.e., that it is made from two zayins, connected by a hatoteret, with a tag on the upper left corner.


 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Hatmana: Insulating from Erev Shabbat to Shabbat Morning
Preparing an Urn for Shabbat
Hatmana: The General Principles
Reheating Frozen Soup on Shabbat
Using a Non-Jew to Reheat Foods on Shabbat
If One Accidentally Did Not Use a Blech
The Definition of a Liquid Food As It Pertains To Heating on Shabbat
Re-Heating Food on Shabbat
Use of Blech or Hotplate on Shabbat
Is It Permissible to Cut Fruit or Crush Ice on Shabbat?
Squeezing Fruits Over Foods on Shabbat
May One Wash Dishes on Shabbat?
The Status of Coffee Brewed on Shabbat by and for Non-Jews
Desecrating Shabbat for a Dangerously-Ill Patient Without Delay
Asking a Non-Jew on Shabbat to Do Something That Could be Done in a Permissible Way
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found