Auction 11
Lot 74:
With blocked lettering and letters in a different alphabet, including rare appearances of these letters. Given inside etz hayim made from bone and ivorry, original from the period [years approximate]. The letters are according to the minhag of ancient sofrim—including rare, cursive characters. The letters pay and aleph appear hunched over (internally hunched over the middle of the letter), khet, yud, and taf are italicized (with the Ashkenaz tradition, decorations on the two edged feet), special decorations for lamed, mem, and dalet, the nun and nun sofit of “zachor” are reversed, and additional letters are different. The book’s writing is according to the ancient Ashkenazi tradition, including missing and extra letters, open and closed parshiyot, big and small letters, vowelled letters (special vowelling above the list of chosen letters). This sefer was written according to the ancient custom of the sofrim, as described in the ancient text known as “Sefer Ta’agi,” discussed by the Rambam in Halachot Sefer Torah, Chapter 7, Halacha 8 written: “be careful with the large and small letters and the vowelled letters and the bent letters, such as the pay, alef, yud, and nun sofit that bend backwards and the crooked letters, as the sofrim copied one from his predecessor. Take care with the tagging of letters, there is a letter above which is one tag and another with seven…” As it appears in this book, the word “v’he’ezina” and in other places. This manner of writing disappeared gradually over the generations, because of the inconsistency in various iterations and the need to rely on Rambam’s answer according to which the Sefer Torah wouldn’t be disqualified on the basis of the square tagging and the changing letters. The tradition of blocked lettering and the hunched letters still is preserved in some Ashkenazi sifrei torah from a later period. In the last few generations, no sifrei torah have been written in this style. All of the preceding information is gathered from a detailed critical article (p. 19) by a researcher who studies this field, with detailed explanation of all the changes. According to the research findings and the examination—some of the tagging and hunched letters are unknown from other sources. There is evidence that the sefer could have been written in Germany and other that it was in Poland, but it is unclear. 52 lines per column. Size of the parchment: 64cm. Condition: relative to the age of the sefer it is in good condition, the writing is clear throughout the sefer but some of the places are blurred, browned letters. It is all in one consistent handwriting, complete. Not sold as kosher.
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