Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email

Must the leg of a hei be detached from its roof?

The leg of the letter hei must “hang” – i.e. it must be detached from the roof of the letter. A similar halacha applies to the letter kuf. If the legs are connected to the roof, these letters are invalid. One reason for this is that the letters must be written in the same way that Moshe received them at Har Sinai—and those letters had detached legs. In addition, if the leg of a hei is attached, it looks like a ches. Some opinions are lenient in cases where there is a tiny attachment between the leg and the roof and a child can still identify the letter correctly.

[סעיף יט, ס"ק פג, וביה"ל ד"ה רגלי]

How is an aleph written?

The letter aleph is made up of three parts: a yud in the upper right corner, a diagonal line, and a yud in the lower left corner. The upper right yud is connected to the middle line with its foot, and the lower yud is connected by a crown at its top. A standard yud comes with a little point which sticks out of the lower left side of its roof. The poskim disagree about whether the lower left yud that is part of the aleph must have this point.

[סעיף יט, ס"ק פו, וביה"ל ד"ה או; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 126 ,127 ו־133]

Which other letters include a yud?

Aside from an aleph, there are various letters which include a yud or at least a partial yud in their formation. They are ayin, pei, “ende” phei, tzadik, “ende” tzadik and shin. If a sofer writes a straight line on any of these letters instead of a yud, the letter is pasul.

[סעיף יט, ס"ק פו, פז ו־צ, וביה"ל ד"ה או; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 128 ,132 ו־134]

Letters that become connected to one another while they are being written are pasul. If they become attached afterwards, they are also invalid according to some views. It is acceptable to merely scratch off the ink which joins the letters. This is not considered chok tochos. Although the letters are connected, they are viewed as having been written properly if they are clearly discernible individually.

If letters became attached to the extent that a child cannot identify them, they are invalid. In such a case, it is not sufficient to just remove the attachment.

It is forbidden to erase even one letter from Hashem’s name. Even if it is an auxiliary letter, such as an “ende” chof at the end of the word Elokecha, it may not be erased.

What should a sofer say before he begins to write?

How does a sofer impart kedusha when writing the names of Hashem?

Do the tagim of the letters have to be written lishmah?

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.