Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll

The four section from the Torah are: "Sanctify to me..."; "When you bring...", which are in the book of Shemot; and "Listen..." and "When you listen..." They are written separately, and we cover them with leather, and they are called tefillin. We place them on the head and tie it on the arm, even if one crown of one letter of the four section are not properly written, the Torah says that they are prevented from being fit, until they are written completely as they have been established...

And so too the sections that are in the mezuzah are: "shma" and "v'hayah im shamoah". Even if one letter is missing from the two sections, if there is even one calligraphical ornament removed from the Torah until they are written completely, and so too with a Torah scroll that is missing one letter is invalid.Tefillin have ten details that are all halachah according to Moses from Sinai, and all of them prevents tefillin from being it, therefore if one changes one of them those are unfit tefillin. Two of these are with regards to their writing, and eight of them are regarding the covering and the tying of the straps. These are the two regarding their writing: They must be written in ink, and they must be written on parchment

There are ten requirements for tefillin. All of them are halachot transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai. It is necessary to fulfill them all. Therefore, if one made any changes with regard to them, the tefillin are not fit for use: Two of them involve their composition, and eight involve the coverings [placed around the passages] and the tying of their straps. These are the two that involve their composition: a) They must be written in ink; b) They must be written on parchment.

How is ink prepared? One collects the vapor of oils, of tar, of wax, or the like, [causes it to condense,] and kneads it together with sap from a tree and a drop of honey. It is moistened extensively, crushed until it is formed into flat cakes, dried, and then stored. When one desires to write with it, one soaks [the cakes of ink] in gallnut juice or the like and writes with it. Thus, if one attempts to rub it out, he would be able to. This is the ink with which it is most preferable to write scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzot. If, however, one wrote any of the three with gallnut juice or vitriol, which remains without being rubbed out, it is acceptable.

If so, what was excluded by the halachah conveyed to Moses on Mount Sinai, which stated that it be written in ink? It excludes tints of other colors, such as red, green, and the like. If even one letter of a Torah scroll, tefillin, or mezuzot is in another tint or in gold, they are invalid.

There are three types of parchment: g'vil, k'laf, and duchsustos. What is implied? The hide of a domesticated or wild animal is taken. First, the hair is removed from it. Afterwards, it is salted and then prepared with flour. Then resin and other substances which cause the skin to contract and become harder are applied to it. In this state, it is called g'vil.

After the hair is removed, the hide may be taken and divided in half in the manner known to the parchment processors. Thus, there are two pieces of parchment: a thin one, which is on the side where the hair grew, and a thicker one, on the side of the flesh. After it has been processed using salt, then flour, and then resin and the like, the portion on the side where the hair grew is called k'laf and the portion on the side of the flesh is called duchsustos.

It is a halachah transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai that a Torah scroll should be written on g'vil on the side on which the hair had grown. When tefillin are written on k'laf, they should be written on the side of the flesh. When a mezuzah is written onduchsustos, it should be written on the side of the hair. Whenever one writes on k'laf on the side of the hair or on g'vil or duchsustos on the side of the flesh, it is unacceptable.

Although it is a halachah which was transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai, that if one wrote a Torah scroll on k'laf, it is acceptable. G'vil was mentioned only to exclude duchsustos. If a Torah scroll was written on the latter, it is not acceptable. Similarly, if a mezuzah was written on k'laf or on g'vil, it is acceptable. Duchsustos was mentioned only as a mitzvah.

[Torah] scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzot may not be written on hide from a non-kosher animal, fowl, or wild animal. One may write on the hides of [all] kosher animals, wild beasts, and fowl. This applies even when these animals died without being ritually slaughtered or when they were killed by wild beasts. We may not write on the skin of a kosher fish because of the foul secretions, since the processing of the skin will not cause the foul secretions to cease.

The g'vil for a Torah scroll and the k'laf for tefillin and for a Torah scroll must be processed with this purpose in mind. If they were not processed with this intent, they are not acceptable. Accordingly, if they were processed by a gentile, they are not acceptable. Even when [a Jew] instructed a gentile to process the parchment with the intent that it be used for a Torah scroll or for tefillin, it is not acceptable. The gentile follows his own intentions and not those of the person who hires him. Therefore, whenever an article must be made with a specific intent in mind, it is unacceptable if made by a gentile. [The parchment used for] a mezuzah need not be processed with this purpose in mind.

It is a halachah transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai that a Torah scroll or mezuzah should be written only [on parchment] which has been ruled. [The parchment used for] tefillin, however, need not be ruled, because they are covered. It is permissible to write tefillin and mezuzot without [looking at] an existent text, because everyone is familiar with these passages. It is, however, forbidden to write even one letter of a Torah scroll without [looking at] an existent text.

A Torah scroll, tefillin, or mezuzah written by an apikoros should be burned. If they were written by a gentile, an apostate Jew, a person who betrays [the Jews] to a powerful person, a slave, a woman, or a minor, they are not acceptable and must be entombed, as [implied by Deuteronomy 6:8-9]: "And you shall tie... and you shall write." [Our Sages explain that this includes only] those who are commanded to tie [tefillin on their arms] and those who believe in what they write. [Sacred articles] which are found in the possession of an apikoros, and it is not known who wrote them, should be entombed. Those which are found in the possession of a gentile are kosher. We should not, however, purchase Torah scrolls, tefillin, or mezuzot from gentiles for more than they are worth, so that they do not become accustomed to stealing them.

A Torah scroll, tefillin, or mezuzah that was written on parchment from a non-kosher animal, beast, or fowl, or on parchment that was not processed [properly, is not acceptable]. [Similarly,] a Torah scroll or tefillin that was written on parchment that was not processed with the intent to use it for these sacred purposes is not acceptable.

When a person writes a Torah scroll, tefillin, or mezuzah without having [the proper] intention, should he write one of G-d's names without the desired intent, they are not acceptable. Therefore, when a person is writing G-d's name, he should not reply even if the king of Israel greets him. If he is writing two or three names, he may interrupt between them and reply.

[When a scribe] dips his pen [in ink] to write G-d's name, he should not begin [writing] one of the letters of G-d's name. Rather, he should begin with the letter preceding [G-d's name]. If [a scribe] forgot to write G-d's name in its entirety, he may insert it in between the lines. It is, however, unacceptable to have a portion of G-d's name on the line and a portion inserted [between the lines]. With regard to other words, if one forgets, one may write half the word on the line and half above the line. When does the above apply? With regard to a Torah scroll. In contrast, with regard to tefillin and mezuzot, one should not insert even one letter [between the lines]. Rather, if one forgets even one letter, one should entomb what one has written and write another one. It is permitted to write G-d's name on [parchment where letters] have been scraped off or rubbed out on all [of these sacred articles].

Scribes who write Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzot may not turn the parchment face down. Rather, they should spread a cloth over them or fold them.

[The following rule applies when] a scribe who wrote a Torah scroll, tefillin, or mezuzah states: "I did not write the names of G-d with the proper intent." Once they have left his hand, his statements are not believed with regard to the disqualification of the scroll. They are, however, accepted to the extent that he must forfeit his entire wage. Why isn't he believed with regard to the disqualification of the scroll? Because it is possible that he wanted to cause a loss to the purchaser or to the person who hired him, thinking that with this statement all that he would be required to forfeit would be the payment for the names of G-d. Accordingly, were he to say that the parchment of this Torah scroll or tefillin was not processed with the proper intent in mind, his statements are accepted with regard to the disqualification of the sacred articles because, [by virtue of these statements,] he forfeits his entire wage. Everyone knows that if the parchments were not processed with the proper intent, he does not deserve any payment.

Tefillin and Mezuzot cannot be written except for in Assyrian script. And for Torah scrolls, they allowed it to be written also in Greek, but this Greek language has already disappeared from the world and been lost, so today all three may only be written in Assyrian script. And he must be careful in their writing that two letters not stick together, for any letter that is not surrounded by parchment on all four sides is disqualified. And any letter that a child who is not wise, nor a fool, cannot read is disqualified. Therefore, he must be careful with forming the letters that a yud not look like a vav, nor a vav a yud, nor a kaf a bet, nor a bet a kaf, nor a dalet a reish, nor a reish a dalet, and the like, until the reader will not have trouble.

[The following rules apply to] parchment which has holes: One should not write over a hole. If, however, ink passes over the hole [without seeping through], the presence of the hole is of no consequence, and one may write upon it. Accordingly, if the skin of a fowl has been processed, it is permissible to write upon it. [The following rules apply] when a parchment becomes perforated after it has been written on: If the perforation is within the inside of a letter - e.g., in the space inside a heh, inside amem, or inside any of the other letters - it is acceptable. Despite the fact that a leg of a letter becomes perforated to the extent that it becomes separated [into two portions], it is acceptable if: a) [the length of the leg] is equivalent to that of a small letter; and b) the letter's [present form] does not resemble another letter. If [the length of the leg] is not equivalent to that of a small letter, it is not acceptable.

In what manner are the tefillin [placed on] the head written? [The] four passages are written on four parchments and rolled closed, each as a separate entity. They are placed in four compartments, which are covered by a single piece of leather. The four passages of [the tefillin placed on] the arm are written on four columns on a single parchment. They should be rolled closed like a Torah scroll from the end to the beginning and placed in a single compartment.

Care must be taken in writing these passages. If one wrote a passage which should be s'tumah as p'tuchah or a passage which should be p'tuchah as s'tumah, it is invalid. The first three passages are all p'tuchot, while the final passage, V'hayah im shamo'a, is s'tumah.

One must be careful regarding [the spelling of the words in these passages] with regard to the short or full form. [The manner in which] these four passages are written [in tefillin] should resemble the manner they are written in a Torah scroll that has been checked [for accuracy in this regard]. When one writes a word which requires a short form using a full form, it is invalid until one erases the extra letter. If one writes a word which requires a full form using a short form, it is invalid and may not be corrected. These are [the correct spellings of the words that could present difficulties] with regard to the short and full forms in these four passages.

[In] the first passage, Kadesh li kol b'chor, [the word] b'chor [is written using] the full form; the word zachor [using] the full form; the word b'chozek [using] the short form; the word hotzi [using] the full form; the word yotzi'em without a vav; the word y'viacha [using] the full form; the word v'ha'emori [using] the short form; the word v'hay'vusi [using] the full form; the word la'avotecha without a vav; the word ha'avodah [using] the short form; the word matzot [using] the short form; the word hash'vi'i [using] the full form; the word matzot [using] the full form; the word s'or [using] the short form; the word g'vulecha [using] the short form; the word ba'avur [using] the full form; the word l'ot [using] the full form; the word ul'zikaron [using] the full form; the word einecha [using] the full form; the word torat [using] the full form; the word hotziacha without a yud; the word hachukkah [using] the short form; and the word l'moadah [using] the full form.

[In] the second passage, V'hayah ki y'viacha, [the word] y'viacha [is written] without a yud; the word chamor [using] the short form; the word b'chor [using] the full form; the word b'chozek [using] the short form; the word hotzianu [using] the full form; the word vayaharog [using] the short form; the word b'chor [using] the full form; the word mib'chor [using] the short form; the words v'ad b'chor [using] the full form; the word zove'ach without a vav; the word b'chor in v'chol b'chor [using] the full form; the word l'ot [using] the full form; the word yadecha is written with a hey; the word ul'totafot without the final vav; the word einecha [using] the full form; the word b'chozek [using] the short form; and the word hotzianu [using] the full form.

[In] the third passage, Shema, the ayin of [the word] Shema and the dalet of [the word] echad are enlarged. The word m'odecha [is written using] the short form; the word l'vanecha [using] the full form; the wordb'vetecha without a second yud; the word uv'kumecha [using] the full form; the word l'ot [using] the full form; the word yadecha [using] the short form; the word l'totafot without both vavim; the word einecha [using] the full form; the word mezuzot without the first vav; the word beitecha without a second yud; the word uvish'arecha [using] the full form.

[In] the fourth passage, V'hayah im shamo'a, [the word] shamo'a [is written using] the short form; the word mitzvotai with only one vav; the word yoreh [using] the full form; the word umalkosh [using] the full form; the word v'tiroshcha without a vav; the word v'hishtachavitem [using] the full form; the word y'vulah [using] the full form; the word hatovah [using] the short form; the word notein [using] the short form; the word otam [using] the short form; the word l'ot [using] the full form; the word l'totafot lacking the second vav; the word einechem [using] the full form; the word otam [using] the short form; the wordb'vetecha without a second yud; the word uv'kumecha [using] the full form; the word mezuzot [using] the full form; the word beitecha without a second yud; the word uvish'arecha [using] the full form; the word la'avoteichem without a vav.

Care must be taken regarding the placement of crowns on the letters. They are formed like [small] zeiynin on the [tops of the] letters which possess crowns as in a Torah scroll. These are the letters which possess crowns in these four passages.

There is only one letter [with a crown] in the first passage: the final mem of miyamim. There are three zeiynin upon it. In the second passage, there are five letters [with crowns]. Each of these is a heh, and four zeiynin are placed on each of them. They are: the heh of un'tanah, the first and final heh in the word hikshah, the heh of vayaharog, and the heh of yadecha. In the third passage, there are five letters [with crowns.] They are: the kof of uv'kumecha; it has three zeiynin; the kof of uk'shartam; it has three zeiynin; the two tetim and the pei of l'totafot; each of these letters has four zeiynin. In the fourth passage, there are five letters [with crowns.] They are: the peh of v'asafta; it has three zeiynin; the tov of v'asafta has one zayin; the two tetim and the peh of l'totafot; each of these letters has four zeiynin. There are a total of sixteen letters which require crowns. If one did not place crowns above them, added other crowns, or reduced the number of zeiynin, the passages are not invalid.

A person who purchases tefillin from a person who is not an expert is required to inspect them. If he purchased 100 tefillin, he should inspect three, either two head tefillin and one arm tefillin, or two arm tefillin and one head tefillin. If he finds them acceptable, [from this time onward,] he can assume the scribe [to be proficient]. Thus, they are all considered to be acceptable and need not be checked. If, however, one purchases them in different packages, they must all be checked, because it can be presumed that each package was purchased from a different scribe.

After a person writes tefillin himself, purchases them from an expert, or purchases them from another person and has them inspected, and places them in their leather [compartments], they need not ever be checked again. As long as their compartments are intact, they are assumed to be acceptable even though several years have passed. We do not suspect that a letter has faded out or been perforated. Hillel the elder stated: "These [tefillin] are from my maternal grandfather."

There are eight requirements in the making of tefillin. All of them are halachot transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai and, therefore, it is necessary to fulfill them all. If one deviates with regard to any of them, the [tefillin] are unacceptable. They are: a) The tefillin must be square and must be sewn closed in a square. [Both] diagonals must be equal, and thus all four angles will be equal. b) The leather of the head [tefillin] should have a shin embossed on both its right and left sides. c) The passages should be wrapped in fabric. d) A hair should be wound around that fabric. Afterwards, they should be placed in their compartment. e) They should be sewn [closed] with the sinews [of an animal]. f) The leather compartment in which they are placed should have a place for the straps to pass through so that they can be moved through the [tefillin's] handle. g) The straps should be black. h) The knot with which they are tied should be the renowned knot that is formed like a dalet.

How are the head tefillin made? We take a cubic wooden block. [It need not, however, be a perfect cube]. If its height is [slightly] more or less than its width, it is of no consequence. We are required to take care only that its width and length are alike. Three grooves are carved into it so that four projections will be made as depicted. Leather is taken and soaked in water, and then, the mold is placed within it. The leather is inserted in between the grooves. While [the leather] is still wet, it is plucked and squeezed until the shape of a shin with three heads is formed on the right side of the tefillin as they will be worn, and the shape of a shin with four heads is formed on the left side of the tefillin as they will be worn.

The leather is then left on the mold until it dries, and then it is removed. Thus, the leather will be [formed into a block] with four empty compartments. One of the passages from the Torah is placed in each compartment, and then a portion of the leather is folded over beneath them, and then they are sewn closed on all four corners. Within this lower piece of leather, a place should be left for the straps to be inserted, like a handle. It is called a ma'aboret.

How are the tefillin of the arm made? We take a wooden block whose length is equal to its width and is a fingerbreadth - or slightly more or slightly less - high, and place wet leather around it. The leather is left on this mold until it has dried, and then it is removed. The four passages are deposited in the place left by the mold. A portion of the leather is folded over beneath them, and then they are sewn closed on all four corners. A piece of leather, like a handle, should be left for the straps [to be inserted].

What is the order of the passages? For the head tefillah, the final passage, V'hayah im shamo'a, is placed in the first compartment on the right side of the person putting on the tefillin. Shema is placed next to it. V'hayah ki y'viacha is placed in the third compartment next to Shema, and Kadesh Li is placed in the fourth compartment, on the left side of the person putting on the tefillin. Thus, a person who is facing the person wearing the tefillin will read them in the following order. If their order is altered, they are not acceptable.

[The passages for] the arm tefillin are written on four columns on a single piece of parchment like a Torah scroll, according to the order in which these passages are found in the Torah, in the following manner: If they were written on four separate pieces of parchment and placed in the same compartment, one fulfills one's obligation. There is no need to glue them together.

When the passages - both of the head and the arm tefillin - are rolled closed, they should be rolled from the end to the beginning, so that were the passage to be rolled open, it would be possible to read each portion from the beginning to the end.

Before the passages are placed in their compartments, they should be wrapped in a fabric, and hair should be wound around them. Afterwards, they may be placed in their compartments. This hair should be from a kosher species of animal or beast. Even when these animals died without being ritually slaughtered or were treifah, [their hair is nevertheless acceptable]. It has already become a universally accepted custom to wind hair from the tail of a calf [around these parchments].

When the tefillin are sewn closed, they may be sewn only with sinews from a kosher species of animal or beast. [Sinews taken from] animals which died without being ritually slaughtered or which were treifah [are nevertheless acceptable]. It is customary to take sinews from the heels of kosher animals and beasts. They are white in color. If they are too firm, they are softened by [pounding them with] stones and the like until they become like flax. Afterwards, they are spun and twisted into threads and used to sew together tefillin and the sheets of Torah scrolls.

When the tefillin are sewn closed, they should be sewn as a square. It is a widely accepted practice for there to be three stitches on each side, so that there will be twelve stitches in all. This applies for both the arm tefillin and the head tefillin. If, however, one made ten or fourteen stitches, there is no difficulty. For each of the stitches, the thread must pass through from both sides.

The groove between [each of the compartments] of the head tefillin should reach the stitches [which sew the tefillin closed]. [Nevertheless,] if the groove is discernible, so that the [division into] four compartments is openly visible, [the tefillin] are acceptable even if the groove does not extend until the stitches. If, however, the groove is not discernible, [the tefillin] are not acceptable. It is necessary to pass a thread or cord through each of the grooves on [the outer side of] the leather [compartments] to separate between the compartments. It is common custom to pass one of the sinews used to sew [the tefillin closed] between each of these three grooves.

How are the straps made? We take leather straps [at least] the length of a barley-corn in width. If they are wider than that, they are acceptable. The length of the straps of the head tefillin should be sufficient to surround the head, tie the knot, and extend on either side of the head until they reach the navel or slightly above it. The length of the strap of the arm should be sufficient to surround the forearm, tie its knot, and extend until it can be wound three times around the middle finger and tied. If the straps are longer than this, they are acceptable.

One places the straps through their handle, leaving space for the [circumference of] one's head, and ties a square knot, which resembles a dalet. Every Torah scholar should learn how to tie this knot. It is impossible to describe this knot in writing. Rather, it must be seen. The straps of the hand tefillin should be tied with a knot that resembles a yud. This knot should allow the strap to pass through it so that it can be widened or narrowed while one is tying the tefillin on one's arm.

The outer surface of the straps of both the head and the arm tefillin must be black. This is a halachah transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai. In contrast, with regard to the inner surface, since it faces the inside, it is acceptable if it is green or white. One should not make this [side of the straps] red, since it will be embarrassing for him if they become overturned. The back of the straps should be the same color as the compartment; if it is green, they should be green; if it is white, they should be white. It is attractive for tefillin to be entirely black, the compartments and the entire strap.

The leather used to cover the tefillin and from which the straps are made should come from a kosher species of animal, beast, or fowl. Even when these animals died without being ritually slaughtered or were treifah, [their hides are nevertheless acceptable]. If, however, leather from a non-kosher species was used or if they were covered with gold, they are not acceptable. The leather used for the straps must be processed with the intent that it be used for the mitzvah. In contrast, the leather used to cover the tefillin need not be processed at all. It is even acceptable if it is made from matzah. [Indeed,] this is the practice in many communities.

tefillin may be made only by a Jew, since making them is equivalent to writing [the passages], because of the shin [embossed] in the leather [compartment] mentioned above. Therefore, if they were made by a gentile or sewn closed by him, they are unacceptable. Similarly, they may not be made by any others whose writing [of the passages] is not acceptable.

A head tefillah may not be made into an arm tefillah, but an arm tefillah may be made into a head tefillah, because an article should not be lowered from a higher level of holiness to a lesser one. Similarly, the strap of a head tefillah should not be used for an arm tefillah. When does the above apply? After one has worn them. However, if head tefillin have never been worn, one may make them into arm tefillin. How is this done? One drapes leather around them until they become a single [compartment] and [then, one can] tie them on his hand.

[The following laws apply when] the stitches of the tefillin become torn: If two stitches which are located next to each other become torn, or three stitches become torn even though they are not located next to each other, [the tefillin] are unacceptable. When does the above apply? With regard to old [tefillin]. With regard to new [tefillin], however, if their base remains intact, they are acceptable. [tefillin are considered] to be "new" as long as the leather remains strong and does not tear when one takes hold of a portion of the leather where the stitch was torn and hangs the tefillin. If the leather is not fit to hang the tefillin because it will tear, the [tefillin are considered] "old."

Should a strap be torn, [the pieces] should not be tied or sewn together. Rather, it should be removed and entombed, and another one [substituted for it]. The remnants of [torn] straps are not acceptable unless their length and width meets - or exceeds - the minimum requirements. At all times, a person should be careful that the external surface of the straps faces upward when he ties them on his arm and head.

Where are the head tefillin placed? They should be placed at the point of the skull, the end of the hairline towards the face, the place where a child's brain [can be felt] to pulsate. Care must be taken to position them in the center, so that they will be "between the eyes." The knot should be at the top portion of the neck, the bottom of the skull.

The arm [tefillin] should be tied to one's left arm at the muscle - i.e., the bulging flesh of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Thus, if one presses his arm to his ribs, the tefillah will be opposite his heart, thus fulfilling the directive [Deuteronomy 6:6], "And these words... shall be upon your heart."

A person who places the arm tefillah on his palm, or the head tefillah on his forehead, follows the way of the Sadducees. A person who makes his tefillin rounded like a nut does not fulfill the mitzvah at all. A left-handed person puts tefillin on his right hand, since [figuratively,] it is his left hand. If he is ambidextrous, he should place them on his left hand - i.e., his left hand in a literal sense. The places where to tie and place the tefillin were received as part of the oral tradition.

The [absence of the] head tefillah does not preclude [wearing tefillin] on the arm, and similarly, the [absence of the] arm tefillah does not preclude [wearing tefillin] on the head. They are two mitzvot, each one to be considered independently. What blessings are recited? On the head tefillin, one recites: "[Blessed are You...] who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the mitzvah of tefillin." On the arm tefillin, one recites: "[Blessed are You...] who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to put on tefillin."

When does the above apply? When one puts on only one of them. If, however, one puts them both on, one recites only a single blessing, "...to put on tefillin." One should tie the tefillin on one's arm, and afterwards put on the head tefillin. When one removes them, the head tefillin should be removed, and then the arm tefillin.

...One who said the blessing "to lay on Tefillin" and tied on the Tefillin of the hand, it is forbidden for him to talk, and even to return greetings to his teacher, until he places on that of the head. And if he spoke, this is a sin, and he must say a second blessing, "concerning the precept of Tefillin," and the he places on that of the head.

Whenever a person puts on tefillin - even if he removes them and puts them on several times throughout the day - he should recite a blessing for them. With regard to all mitzvot: one recites a blessing for them before performing them. Therefore, one should recite the blessing for the arm tefillah after placing it on one's muscle, before tying it, since tying it comprises the fulfillment of the mitzvah.

A container that was made for tefillin to be placed in and which was used for that purpose becomes holy. It is forbidden to use it for mundane purposes. If a container was prepared for that purpose, but never used for it, or if a container was temporarily used for tefillin, but was not prepared for that purpose, it does not become holy. Rather, it is considered an ordinary article as before. It is forbidden to suspend tefillin. [This applies regardless of whether one suspends them] by their straps or from the tefillah itself. One may, however, suspend the bag in which they are placed.

The time for wearing tefillin is the day and not the night, as [Exodus 13:10] states: "And you shall observe this statute in its appointed time, from day to day." "This statute" refers to the mitzvah of tefillin. Similarly, Sabbaths and holidays are not days on which tefillin [are worn], as [Exodus 13:9] states: "And they shall be a sign for you." Since the Sabbaths and the holidays are themselves signs, [the sign of tefillin is unnecessary]. When does the time to put them on begin? When one can see a colleague standing four cubits away and recognize him. [It continues] until sunset.

It is permitted for a person who put on tefillin before sunset to continue wearing them after nightfall. They may even remain upon him the entire night. This law, however, is not to be taught in public. Instead, everyone should be taught not to wear tefillin at night and to remove them before sunset. A person who puts on tefillin after sunset transgresses a Scriptural prohibition, as [implied by Exodus 13:10]: "And you shall observe this statute... from day to day."

When a person is wearing tefillin in the midst of a journey and the sun sets, marking the commencement of the Sabbath, he should cover them with his hand until he reaches his home and then, remove them. If he is sitting in the house of study and the sun sets, marking the commencement of the Sabbath, he should cover them with his hand until he reaches his home, and then remove them. If there is a house located near the wall [of a city] where they would be safe, he should place them there. If, however, he did not remove his tefillin after sunset because he did not have a place where they would be safe, it is permissible for him to continue wearing them in order to protect them.

All those who are exempt from the obligation to recite the Shema are exempt from the obligation to wear tefillin. If a minor knows [the importance of] guarding his tefillin, his father should obtain tefillin for him, to educate him regarding the performance of mitzvot. A person with stomach problems and anyone who can contain his excretory functions only with difficulty are exempt from the obligation to wear tefillin. [In contrast,] all those ritually impure are obligated to wear tefillin like one who is pure. A person who suffers discomfort, or someone who is disturbed and cannot concentrate his thoughts, is exempt from the obligation to wear tefillin, since a person who wears tefillin is forbidden to divert his attention from them. Priests who are in the midst of [the Temple] service, Levites who chant on the platform, and Israelites while they are attending the Temple [ceremonies] are exempt from the obligation to pray and to wear tefillin.

A person should touch his tefillin [from time to time] during the entire time he is wearing them, so that he will not divert his attention from them even for a single moment, for their holiness surpasses that of the tzitz. The tzitz has G-d's name [written] upon it only once, while the head tefillin - and similarly, the arm tefillin - contain the name י-ה-ו-ה 21 times.

tefillin require a clean body; i.e., that one should be careful not to release gas while wearing them. Accordingly, it is forbidden to sleep while wearing them - neither a long sleep nor a nap. If, however, one places a cloth over them and a woman is not with him, one may nap while wearing them. What should he do? Place his head between his knees and sleep while sitting.

A person who has tefillin wound around his hand is permitted to sleep with them. [This applies] even to a long sleep. He may eat only a snack while wearing them. If, however, he enters to partake of a regular meal, he should remove them and place them on the table until after he washes his hands [at the conclusion of the meal]. Afterwards, he should put them on and recite grace over his meal while wearing them.

[The following rules apply with regard to a person] wearing tefillin who must use the lavatory: [He should remove his tefillin but,] while he enters, he should not place them in the holes [of the outer wall of the lavatory] which are near the public domain, lest they be taken by passersby. What should he do? Even if he [merely] has to urinate, he should remove his tefillin four cubits away [from the lavatory] and roll them in his clothes like a Torah scroll, holding them near his heart with his right hand. He must take care that the strap does not protrude more than a handbreadth from his hand. Afterwards, he should enter and relieve himself. After leaving the lavatory and walking more than four cubits away, he should put them on.

When does the above apply? In a permanent lavatory where drops [of urine] will not sprinkle upon him. In contrast, in a place that is temporarily being used as a lavatory, one should not enter, [holding tefillin] wound up in one's hand. Instead, one should remove them [outside the lavatory] and give them to a colleague to guard. Urine cannot be expelled [without drops sprinkling] even in a permanent lavatory unless one squats. If [the floor is covered] with soft dust, [drops will not sprinkle] even when one stands. If the floor is hard, one should stand on an incline [and urinate], so that drops will not sprinkle on him.

When a person is wearing tefillin and must relieve himself in the evening, when there would be no time left in the day to put them on again after he finishes, he should not enter a lavatory, [holding them] rolled up in his clothes. What should he do [instead]? He should remove them and place them in their container if it is a handbreadth in size, or in another container which is not specific for them even though it is not a handbreadth in size. He should hold the container in his hand when he enters the lavatory. Similarly, if he needs to relieve himself at night, he should place them in a container and enter the lavatory, holding the tefillin in his hand.

If a person forgot and entered a lavatory while wearing tefillin, he should cover them with his hand until he completes expelling the first issue of feces or urine, and then leave the lavatory, remove the tefillin, return, and complete relieving himself. Were one to interrupt in the midst of expelling the first outburst of feces or urine, he might become very dangerously ill.

If a person forgot and had intercourse while wearing tefillin, he should not hold either the straps or the compartments themselves until he washes his hands. [Then, he should] remove them. [This restriction was instituted] because hands are active.

[The following rules apply to] a person who enters a bathhouse: In the rooms where people stand clothed, it is permitted to put on tefillin. In the rooms where some of the people stand naked and some clothed, one need not remove one's tefillin, nor, at the outset, should one put tefillin on there. In the rooms where [everyone] stands naked, one should remove one's tefillin and, needless to say, one should not put them on.

A person should not walk in a cemetery wearing his head tefillin. Even [outside a cemetery], a person should remove his tefillin if he comes within four cubits of a corpse or a grave, until he distances himself four cubits from them. A person should not put on tefillin [when he is naked]. He must first cover his genitalia and put on his clothes. A person who is carrying a load on his head should remove his head tefillin [and not put it on again] until he puts down his load. It is even forbidden to wear a handkerchief around one's head when wearing tefillin. One may, however, wear a hat over the tefillin.

When tefillin or a Torah scroll are in a room, it is forbidden to engage in sexual relations, unless they are removed or placed into a container, and that container placed into a second container which is not specific to them. If, however, the second container designated for them, even ten containers are considered as a single container. Should a person place [the sacred articles] in two containers, he may place them at the head of his bed, between a cushion and a pillow, as long as they are not under his head, so that he can protect them. [This applies] even if his wife is together with him in bed.

The holiness associated with tefillin is very great. As long as a person is wearing tefillin on his head and arm, he will be humble and G-d-fearing and will not be drawn to frivolous behavior or empty speech. He will not turn his thoughts to evil matters, but rather will direct his heart to words of truth and justice. Accordingly, a person should try to wear [tefillin] throughout the entire day, for this is the mitzvah associated with them. Among the praises conveyed upon Rav, the student of Rabbenu Hakadosh, was that he was never seen walking four cubits without [reciting words of] Torah, without tzitzit, and without tefillin.

Although it is a mitzvah to wear [tefillin] throughout the entire day, it is most important during prayer. Our Sages declared: "Whoever recites the Shema without tefillin is considered as if he is giving false testimony." Whoever does not wear tefillin transgresses eight positive commandments, for in each of the four passages contained in the tefillin we are commanded to wear both head and arm tefillin. [The rewards for wearing tefillin are also great.] Whoever wears tefillin regularly will live long, as [implied by Isaiah 38:16]: "G-d is upon them, they shall live."

How is the Mezuzah written? One writes two paragraphs, Shema and Vehaya Im Shamoah on one page, on one sheet, and with space below it and above, equal to the width of half a fingernail. And if he wrote it on two or three pages it is Kosher, so long as he did not shape the text like a tail [wide at the top and narrow at the bottom -- triangular] or circular, or like a tent [triangle wide at the bottom and narrow at the top], and if he did it one of those ways it is invalid. If he wrote it in the wrong order, such as a section before a section [that should precede it] it is invalid. If he wrote it on two skins even if he stitched them together it is invalid. A Mezuzah may not be written on a worn out Torah Scroll or on worn out tefillin because one does not go down from a grave holiness to a mild holiness.

It is a mitzvah to leave a space between the passage Shema and the passage V'hayah im shamo'a, as if it were s'tumah. If space were left as if it were p'tuchah, it is acceptable, since these passages do not follow each other in the Torah. One must take care regarding the crowns [on the letters] in a mezuzah. The following letters should have crowns.

In the first passage, there are seven letters which should each have three zeiynin upon it. They are: The shin and the ayin of [the word] Shema, the nun of [the word] nafsh'cha, the two zeiynin of [the word] mezuzot, and the two tettin of the word totafot. In the second passage, there are six letters each of which should have three zeiynin upon it. They are: The gimmel of [the word] d'ganecha, the two zeiynin of [the word] mezuzot, the two tettin of the word totafot, and the tzadi of [the word] ha'aretz. If no crowns were made, or one increased or decreased their number, [the mezuzah] is not invalidated. If the mezuzah was not written on ruled [parchment], if [the scribe] was not exact with regard to the use of the full or short form [of the words, or if [the scribe] added even a single letter inside [the mezuzah], it is invalidated.

The simple practice is that we write on the *mezuza* on the outside, opposite the space between one paragraph and another, "*Shaddai*." And there is no loss from this, since it is on the outside. However, those who write on the inside the names of the angels, holy names, a verse, or signatures, these are among those who have no portion in the world to come. For these simpletons, it is not enough for them that they invalidated the commandment, but they treated a great commadment - the unifications of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, with His love, and His service - as if it is an amulet for their own benefit, as it arose on their hearts the foolish idea that this is something that will provide benefit with respect to the vanities of the world.

It is a mitzvah to write al ha'aretz on the final line [of a mezuzah], either at the beginning or in the middle of the line. It has become universally accepted custom for scribes to write [mezuzot] with 22 lines, with al ha'aretz at the beginning of the final line. These are the letters that appear at the beginning of each line in order: shema, י-ה-ו-ה, hadevarim, l'vanecha, uv'shochbicha, beyn, v'hayah, m'tzaveh, b'chol, yoreh, esev, pen, v'hishtachavitem, hashamayim, va'avad'tem, v'samtem, otam, otam, baderech, uvish'arecha, asher, al ha'aretz.

When we fold it, we roll it from the end of the line to its beginning such that when the reader opens to read, he will read from the beginning of the line to its end. And after one rolls it, one places it in a tube of reed or of wood or anything and attaches it to the doorpost of the entrance with a nail or digs into the doorpost of the entrance and inserts the mezuzah [scroll] into it.

And before one affixes it onto the doorpost of the entrance, one first blesses, "Praised are You Lord our G-d King of the Universe who makes us holy with His commandments and command us to affix a mezuzah". And one does not bless at the time of writing it since its affixing, that is the commandment.

If one suspends [a mezuzah] within a pole, it is unacceptable, because it has not been affixed. If one positions it behind the door, it is as if one has done nothing. Should one hollow out the doorpost and place a mezuzah within it horizontally, as the rods were put through the rings [in the Sanctuary], it is unacceptable. Should one place it deeper than a handbreadth [within the doorpost], it is unacceptable. Should one cut a reed in half and insert a mezuzah within, and afterwards connect this reed with other reeds, making a doorpost for the house from them, it is unacceptable, because the affixing of the mezuzah preceded the making of the doorpost of the entrance.

A mezuzah [placed] on private [property] should be checked twice in seven years, and a mezuzah [placed] on public [property] should be checked twice in fifty years, lest a letter have become torn or faded. Since it is affixed within a wall, there is the possibility that it will decay.

Everybody is obligated in the Mitzvah of Mezuzah, even women and slaves. We educate minors to perform the Mitzvah of Mezuzah for their houses. One who rents a house outside the Land, and one who dwells in an inn in the Land of Israel, is exempt from putting up a Mezuzah for 30 days. But one who rents a house in the Land of Israel is obligated to put up a Mezuzah immediately.

When a person rents a dwelling to a colleague, the tenant is obligated to obtain a mezuzah and affix it. [This applies] even if he would pay to have it affixed. [The rationale is] that a mezuzah is an obligation incumbent on the person dwelling [in the house], and is not incumbent on the house. When [the tenant] leaves [the dwelling, however], he should not take it with him unless the dwelling belongs to a gentile. In that instance, he should remove it when he leaves.

There are ten conditions on a house, and after [meeting] such, the occupant of it is obligated to do a mezuzah for himself. And if it lacks one condition out of them, one is exempt from the commandment. And these are them: that it will be an area of four cubits by four cubits or more; that it will have two doorposts; and it will have a lintel; and it will have a roof; and it will have doors; and the entrance will have a height of ten handbreadths or more; and that house will be for ordinary [i.e. non-sacred] use; and it will be made for the occupancy of a human; and made for the occupancy of [something] respectful; and made for fixed occupancy.

A dwelling which is less than four cubits by four cubits does not require a mezuzah. If its area is equal to sixteen square cubits, although it is circular, pentagonal, and needless to say, if it is rectangular, since its area is equal to the above-mentioned figure, it requires a mezuzah.

An excedra, a structure with three walls and a roof, does not require a mezuzah even though it has two pillars on the fourth side. The pillars are intended as supports for the roof, and not as doorposts. Similarly, a roof without walls which stands on pillars, even though shaped like a house, does not require a mezuzah, because it has no doorposts. The pillars are intended to support the roof.

[The following rules apply to] a house which has a doorpost on either side and an arch above the two doorposts instead of a lintel. If the doorposts are ten handbreadths high or more, it requires a mezuzah. If they are not ten handbreadths high, [the entrance] does not require [a mezuzah], because it does not have a lintel.

A house that does not have a roof does not require a mezuzah. If a portion of [a building] was covered by a roof and a portion was not, the [following ruling] appears to me [as appropriate]: If the covered portion is near the entrance, it requires a mezuzah. The doors should be attached, and afterwards, a mezuzah affixed.

[The gates to] the Temple Mount, its chambers, courtyards, and, similarly, entrances to synagogues and houses of study which do not have apartments in which people live do not require mezuzot, because they are consecrated. A synagogue in a village in which guests reside requires a mezuzah. Similarly, a synagogue in a metropolis, if it has an apartment, requires a mezuzah. All the gates in the Temple complex did not have mezuzot, with the exception of the Gate of Nicanor and those further within, and the entrance to the Chamber of Parhedrin, because this chamber served as a dwelling for the High Priest during the seven days when he was separated [from his home in preparation for the Yom Kippur service].

A storage house for straw, a barn for cattle, a woodshed, or [other] storage rooms do not require a mezuzah [as can be inferred from Deuteronomy 6:9, which requires that a mezuzah be placed on] "your homes" - i.e., a house which is set aside for your use - thus excluding the above and their like. Therefore, [if] a barn [is also used] by women as a dressing room, it requires a mezuzah, since it is used as a dwelling by a human being. A guardhouse, an excedra, a porch, a garden, and a corral do not require a mezuzah since they are not dwellings. If dwellings which require a mezuzah open up to these structures, they require a mezuzah.

Accordingly, gates to courtyards, gates to alleys, and gates to cities and towns, all require a mezuzah, since houses which require a mezuzah open up to them. Even when there are ten structures leading one to each other, should the innermost one require a mezuzah, they all require [mezuzot]. Therefore, [our Sages] stated: A gate which opens up from a garden to a courtyard requires a mezuzah.

A toilet, a bath house, a mikveh, and a tannery and those like them, are exempt from a mezuzah because they are not used as a dignified dwelling. A sukkah on Sukkot and a house on a boat are exempt from having a mezuzah because they are not used as fixed dwellings. Two booths of potters, one inside the other, the outer one is exempt from the mezuzah because it is not fixed. Stores in the market are exempt because they are not fixed as dwellings.

A house which has many entrances, despite that it is unusual to go out and come in other than through one of them, one is obligated to make a mezuzah on every single entrance. A small entrance between a house and an upper room - one is obligated in [affixing] a mezuzah. A room which is in the house, even a room within a room, one is obligated to make a mezuzah on the entrance of the inner room and the entrance of the outer and on the entrance of the house since all of them are made for occupancy and permanent.

When a person frequently enters and leaves through an entrance between a synagogue and a house of study and his own house, that entrance requires a mezuzah. When there is an entrance between two houses, [the position of the mezuzah] is determined by the door-hinge. The mezuzah is placed on the side on which the hinge can be seen.

Where is the mezuzah affixed? At the inside of the entrance, within a handbreadth of the outer edge of the doorpost, at the beginning of the top third of the entrance. If it was affixed higher up, it is acceptable as long as it is at least a handbreadth below the lintel. It must be placed at the right-hand side as one enters the house. If it is placed on the left-hand side, it is invalid. A house belonging to partners requires a mezuzah.

People must be very careful about the mitzvah of mezuzah because it is an obligation on everyone at all times, so that any time they go out or come in, they will brush against the unity of the name of the Holy Blessed One and remember G-d's love and wake up from their sleep and errors in the futilities of daily life and know that there is nothing that lasts forever except the knowledge of the Rock of Ages. And they will then immediately return to their true knowledge and and walk on the right path. The sages said: anyone who has tefillin on their head and arm, and tzitzit on their clothing, and a mezuzah on their doorpost is safe from sin, for they have so many reminders, and they are the angels that save people from sin, as it is written, "The angel of the LORD camps around those who fear G-d and rescues them." (Ps 34:7)

It is a positive commandment on every Jewish man to write a Torah scroll for himself as it says "Write for yourself this song", that is to say 'Write for yourself a Torah which has in it this song', because one does not write the Torah only in segments. Even if one's ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzvah to write one for himself. If he wrote it by his own hand, it is as if he received it from Mount Sinai, and if he doesn't know how to write, others can write it for him. One who corrects a Torah scroll, even a single letter, it is as if he wrote all of it.

It is a positive commandment for the king to write an additional Torah scroll for himself as king, besides the one he had as a normal person, as it says, "When he is sitting upon his throne, he shall write..." He corrects it based on the scroll from the Temple Courtyard, according to the Sanhedrin. The one he wrote as a normal person he should place in storage, and the one he wrote or which was written for him as king should be with him always. If he goes off to war, the scroll should go with him. When he comes in, when he sits in judgement, the scroll is with him, as it says "and it will be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life".

If he had no Torah scroll before he became king, he needs to write two after he begins to rule. One he places in his storehouse, and the second he keeps with him always, and it should never be away from him except at night, when he goes to the bath house, the bathroom, or to sleep in his bed.

A Torah scroll written without engraved lines, or written partially on whole skins and partially on parchment is unfit. Either it should be entirely whole skins or entirely parchment. How does one write a Torah scroll? He writes an exceedingly correct and pleasant writing. Between each word he leaves a space like a small letter, and between each letter a space like a hair, and between each line a space like a line. Each line should be [at least] 30 letters long so one could write "l'mishpchoteichem" [which has 10 letters in Hebrew]3 times, and this is the width of each column. No line should be narrower than than this, lest it appear like a letter, and no line should be longer lest the reader lose his place. ...

One should not reduce the size of a letter in order to leave the proper amount of space between one passage and another. Should [a scribe] have to write a word with five letters [at the end of a line, and there not be sufficient space for them all], he should not write two within the column and three beyond its margins. Rather, he should write three within the column, and two beyond its margins. If there is no room on the line to write [at least] three letters, he should leave an empty space and continue at the beginning of the [next] line.

Should [a scribe] have to write a two-letter word [after completing a line], he should not write it between the columns. Instead, he should write it at the beginning of the [following] line. [The following rules apply] if one had to write a word of ten - or more or fewer - letters in the middle of a line, and less space than necessary remained within the column: If it is possible to write half of the word within the column, with [only] half extending beyond the margin, he should. If that is not possible, he should leave an empty space and continue at the beginning of the next line.

One should leave four empty lines between each of the books of the Torah, neither more, nor less, starting the next book at the beginning of the following line. One should complete the entire Torah in the middle of the line at the bottom of the column. If many lines remain in the column, he should write shorter lines, beginning at the beginning of the line, but not completing it, so that the words לעיני כל ישראל are in the middle of the line at the bottom of the column.

One should be careful regarding the oversized letters, the miniature letters, the letters that are dotted, the letters that have abnormal shapes - e.g., the pe'in that are bent over - and the crooked letters that the scribes have copied from each other in a chain of tradition. [Similarly,] care should be taken regarding the crowns and the number [of crowns placed on a letter]. There are some letters that have [only] one crown, and others that have seven crowns. All these crowns are shaped like zeiynin. They should be as thin as a hair.

All the above matters were mentioned only because this is the most perfect way of performing the mitzvah. Should one, however, alter the structure [of a scroll from that] mentioned above or not be precise regarding the placement of the crowns, [the scroll is acceptable] if all the letters were written as they should be. [Similarly,] if one wrote the lines closer together, separated them further, lengthened them, or shortened them, the scroll is acceptable, provided one letter does not touch another, no letters are omitted, extra letters are not added, the shape of even a single letter is not altered, and the [form of the passages, whether] p'tuchah or s'tumah, is not changed.

There are other practices which, although they are not mentioned in the Talmud, have been followed by scribes as tradition, transferred from generation to generation. They include that: a) the number of lines in each column not be less than 48 nor greater than 60; b) there is a space of approximately nine letters left empty between each passage, so that one could write the word אשר three times; c) that the five lines above the song recited at the Red Sea begin with the words: haba'im, bayabashah, י-ה-ו-ה and b'Mitzrayim, and that the five lines below that song begin with the words: vatikach, achareha, sus, vayetz'u, and vayavo'u. d) that the six lines above the song, Ha'azinu begin with the words: v'a'idah, acharei, haderech, b'acharit, l'hach'iso, and k'hal, and that the five lines below that song begin with the words: vayavo, l'daber, asher, hazot, asher.

All the above matters [were mentioned] only because this is the most perfect way of performing the mitzvah. If one deviated from them, [the scroll] is not disqualified. In contrast, if one wrote the short form of a word that should be spelled using a long form, or the long form of one that should be spelled using a short form, [the scroll] is disqualified. [The same ruling applies if, in circumstances where one word is written in the Torah scroll and a different word is read] - e.g.,yishkavenah is read instead of yishgalenah (Deuteronomy 28:30), and uvat'chorim is read instead of uva'folim (Deuteronomy 28:27 - one writes the word that is read [instead of the word that is written]. Similarly, if one wrote a passage that should be p'tuchah as s'tumah, or one that should be s'tumah as p'tuchah, or if one wrote another passage from the Torah in the form of one of the songs, or wrote one of the songs in the form of another passage, [the scroll is disqualified]. It does not have the holiness of a Torah scroll and, instead, is considered as one of the chumashim from which children are taught.

A Torah scroll that is uncorrected should not be left [unattended to] for more than thirty days. Rather, it should either be corrected or entombed. A Torah scroll that has three errors in each column should be corrected. If it has four, it should be entombed. Should the majority of a scroll have been checked to be accurate and there are four errors in each column of the remainder of the scroll, the scroll should be corrected, provided there is at least one column of the defective portion that has fewer than four errors.

When does the above apply? When one wrote the short form of a word instead of the long form, and one will thus be forced to insert the [extra] letters between the lines. If, however, one wrote the long form of a word instead of the short form, one may correct the scroll even if there are many errors on each page. In such an instance, one removes a letter instead of inserting it.

It is permitted to write a scroll containing each of the five books of the Torah individually. These scrolls do not have the sanctity of a Torah scroll. One should not write a scroll that contains several passages, nor should one write a scroll for a child to learn from. This is, nevertheless, permitted if one [ultimately] intends to complete an entire book of the Torah. It is permitted to write a scroll with [verses from the Torah] when one writes three words in a line spaced out disjointedly.

It is permitted to include [all the books of] the Torah, the Prophets, and the Holy Scriptures in a single scroll. Four empty lines should be left between each book of the Torah, and three empty lines between each book of the Prophets. One should also leave three lines between each book of the twelve [minor] prophets, so that should one desire to cut, he may do so. This is the order of the Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, the Twelve [Minor Prophets]. This is the order of the Holy Scriptures: Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Chronicles.

All sacred texts may be written only on a ruled [surface]. [This applies] even if they are written on paper. One may write three words without ruling [the surface on which they are written]. Writing any more than that is forbidden. A scroll that includes the Torah, the Prophets, and the Holy Scriptures does not possess the same degree of holiness as a Torah scroll. Rather, it is like a scroll containing one of the books of the Torah, because the addition [of a book in the scroll] is equivalent to having omitted one.

There are two forms for a passage which is written as p'tuchah: [One form is used] when one completes [the previous passage] in the midst of the line. Then, one should leave the remainder of the line empty and begin the passage that is p'tuchah at the beginning of the following line. When is [this form] used? When the empty space is large enough to contain nine letters. If, however, the empty space is very small or one concludes [the previous passage] at the end of the line, one should leave one line totally empty and begin the passage that is p'tuchah at the beginning of the third line.

There are three forms for a passage that is written as s'tumah: [One form is used] when one completes [the previous passage] in the midst of the line. Then, one should leave the above-mentioned amount of empty space and begin writing at least one word of the passage written as s'tumah at the end of the line. Thus, there will be a space in the middle [of the line]. When there is not enough room left on the line to leave this amount of space open and write at least one word at the end of the line, one should leave the entire space empty, then leave an empty space at the beginning of the second line, and begin writing the passage to be written as s'tumah in the middle of the second line. When one completes the previous passage at the end of the line, one should leave a space of the above-mentioned size at the beginning of the second line and begin writing the passage to be written as s'tumah in the middle of the line. Thus, a passage written as p'tuchah always begins at the beginning of the line, and a passage written as s'tumah always begins in the middle of the line.

A scroll that has errors regarding the long and short form of letters can be corrected and checked as explained above. In contrast, if: one erred with regard to the space between passages and wrote a passage that should be written as p'tuchah as s'tumah, or one that should be written as s'tumah as p'tuchah; one left an empty space where a [new] passage does not [begin]; one continued writing in the normal manner without leaving a space between passages; or one changed the form of the songs, the scroll is disqualified and may never be corrected. Instead, one must remove the entire column on which it is written.

A Torah scroll should not be written in a way which causes its length to exceed its circumference, or its circumference to exceed its length. What is the appropriate length? When the scroll is written on g'vil, six handbreadths - i.e., 24 thumbbreadths. When the scroll is written on k'laf, it may be more or less, provided that the length is equal to the circumference. If one wrote a scroll on g'vil less than six handbreadths long and concentrated one's writing, or [wrote a scroll] more than six handbreadths long and spread out one's writing, if the length is equal to the circumference, it has been written in the proper manner.

The following margins should be left [on each column]: Below the column: four thumbbreadths; above the column: three thumbbreadths; and between each column: two thumbbreadths. [To allow for these margins,] one should leave an additional thumbbreadth at the beginning and the end of each portion of parchment and room to sew the parchments together. Thus, when one sews all the portions of parchment together, there will be two thumbbreadths between each column throughout the entire scroll. One should also leave an extra portion of parchment at the beginning and the end of the scroll, to wind around its staves. All these measures are part of [performing] the mitzvah [in the optimum manner]. If one decreased or increased any of them, [the scroll] is not disqualified.

How should a person structure the scroll [he is writing] so that its length will be equal to its circumference? He should begin by making equal portions of parchment, each having a standard width of six handbreadths. Afterwards, he should wind the parchments, each in the same manner, making one tight coil. He should continue adding to the coil, winding the parchments tightly until the circumference of the coil is six handbreadths, the width of the parchment. He should measure with a red cord that [is long enough] to surround the entire coil.

Afterwards, one should make a measuring rod, forty or fifty thumbbreadths long. Each thumbbreadth on the rod should be divided into halves, thirds, and quarters, so that it will be possible to have exact measurements, including even half and quarter thumbbreadths. One should measure each piece of parchment with this rod to determine its length in thumbbreadths. In this manner, one can calculate the length in thumbbreadths of the entire coil.

Afterwards, one should take two or three other parchments [as an experiment] to check the size of one's writing. One should write a [sample] column. It is obvious that the length of the column [used for the writing] will be seventeen thumbbreadths, since three thumbbreadths are left for a margin above the column and four thumbbreadths are left for a margin below. The width of the column, however, varies according to the thickness of one's writing. Similarly, the number of lines within each column varies according to the writing. The space of a line should be left between each two lines.

After one writes the experimental column as one desires, one should measure the column with the rod. Then one should add the two thumbbreadths to be left between columns and calculate the number of columns one will have in the entire coil [should one continue] using the same [size] writing. Once one knows the number of columns [for which there is space in the coil], one should calculate according to the scroll from which one is writing whether the entire Torah will be able to be contained in the number of columns there are in the coil based on this [size] writing. If the entire Torah can be contained within this number of columns, [the scroll] will be [written in the] desired [fashion]. If, according to one's calculations, there are more columns than necessary to contain the Torah, one should write with a broader script, so that fewer columns will be included. One should write another [experimental] column [and recalculate until the calculations are resolved]. If, according to one's calculations, there are fewer columns than necessary to contain the Torah, one should write with a thinner script, so that more columns will be included. One should write another [experimental] column and recalculate until the calculations are resolved.

After one knows the width of the column and the measure of one's writing, one takes the coil [of parchment] and divides each parchment into columns according to the [size of the] column with which one experimented and made the [above] calculation, ruling each column. When more than three or four fingerbreadths remain after the final column [which fits onto] the portion of parchment, one should leave only a thumbbreadth and the space necessary to sew it and cut off the rest. One need not worry that, ultimately, additional parchments will have to be added to the coil to compensate for the portions which were cut off. This is not a factor of circumstance, because the writing will cause [the size of the scroll] to be extended [only] according to the number of columns [originally calculated].

Similarly, if one desires to make the width of the scroll more than six [thumbbreadths] or less than six [thumbbreadths], one should follow similar calculations. Thus, the length of the scroll will be equal to the circumference, neither less nor more, provided one does not err in his calculations.

The thumbbreadth mentioned in all these calculations - and in all other Torah measurements - refers to the width of a normal person's thumb. We have calculated this measure precisely and found it to be equal to the width of seven average barley-corns when placed next to each other in a cramped manner. This is equivalent to the length of two barley-corns amply spaced apart. Whenever the term "handbreadth" is mentioned, it refers to four of these thumbbreadths. Whenever the term cubit is mentioned, it refers to six handbreadths.

In the Torah scroll which I wrote, the width of each column was four thumbbreadths [with the exception of the] columns on which the Song of the Red Sea and the song Ha'azinu were written; they were six thumbbreadths wide. There were 51 lines in each column and 226 columns in the entire scroll. [In its entirety,] the scroll was approximately 1366 thumbbreadths long.

The six thumbbreadths beyond the number that one would arrive at by calculation were used for the margin of the scroll left at the beginning and the end. I wrote the scroll from parchment made from ram skin. Should one desire to write a scroll using these measurements or deviating from them only slightly - i.e., adding or subtracting two or three columns, there is no necessity to trouble oneself with calculations; without any difficulty one will have a scroll whose length is equal to its circumference.

One should not write fewer than three columns on a piece of parchment, nor [should one write] more than eight columns. If one has a piece of parchment large enough to contain nine columns, one should divide it in two, one portion containing five columns, and one portion four columns. When does the above apply? At the beginning of the scroll or in the middle. At the end of the scroll, however, even if there is one verse in one column, that column may be written on a separate piece of parchment and sewn together with the other parchments.

When one sews the parchments together, one should use only sinews from a kosher species of animal or beast. [Sinews taken from] animals which died without being ritually slaughtered or which were killed by wild beasts [are, nevertheless, acceptable]. This is a halachah transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai. Therefore, if one did not sew them with sinews, or used sinews from a non-kosher animal, the scroll is unacceptable until one removes the threads and sews them again.

When sewing all the pieces of parchment together, one should not sew the entire length of the parchment. Rather, one should leave a certain portion unsewn on both the top and bottom of the parchment, so that the parchment will not tear in the middle when the Torah is rolled. Two staves of wood should be made for a [Torah scroll], one at the beginning and one at the end. One should sew the parchment left over at the beginning and the end [of the scrolls] to these staves with sinews, so that it can be rolled around [these staves]. Space should be left between the staves and the columns of writing.

When a tear in a Torah scroll is contained within two lines, [it is sufficient to] sew [the tear]. If it [extends to] three [or more], [it] should not be sewn. When does the above apply? With regard to an old Torah scroll which one cannot recognize as having been processed with gallnut juice. If, however, one can recognize that the parchment was processed with gallnut juice, one may sew it, even if the tear extends to three [lines]. Similarly, [if there is a tear] between columns or between words, one may sew it. All these tears may be sewn only with the sinews which are used to sew the parchments together. When sewing, one must be careful that a single letter is not omitted or has its form distorted.

Thus, it can be concluded that there are twenty factors that - each in its own right - can disqualify a Torah scroll. If a scroll contains one of these factors, it does not have the sanctity of a Torah scroll, but rather is considered like a chumash used to teach children. It may not be used for a public Torah reading. They are: a) that the scroll was written on parchment from a non-kosher animal; b) that the scroll was written on parchment from a kosher animal that was not processed; c) [that the scroll was written on parchment] that was not processed with the intention that it be used for a Torah scroll; d) that it was written on [the side of the parchment] that is not appropriate for writing; i.e., on g'vil on the side of the flesh, and on k'laf on the side of the hair; e) that a portion was written on g'vil and a portion on k'laf; f) that it was written on duchsustos; g) that it was written on unruled [parchment]; h) that it was written with [an ink] other than a black ink that remains [without fading]; i) that it was written in a language other [than L'shon HaKodesh]; j) that it was written by a nonbeliever or others whose writing is not acceptable; k) that the names of G-d were not written with the proper intention; l) that even a single letter was omitted; m) that even a single letter was added; n) that one letter touches another; o) that the form of a letter is distorted so that it cannot be read, or so that it would be read as another letter. This applies regardless of whether the distortion was caused by the original writing, a perforation, a tear, or an erasure; p) that additional space was left between letters, so that a word would appear as two words, or that too little space was left between words, so that two words appear as one; q) that the form of the passages was altered; r) that the form of the songs was altered; s) that other passages were written in the form of the songs; t) that the parchments were sewn together using [thread made from anything other] than animal sinews. Any other factors were mentioned only as the most proper way of fulfilling the mitzvah and are not absolute requirements.

A proper Torah scroll is treated with great sanctity and honor. It is forbidden for a person to sell a Torah scroll even if he has nothing to eat. [This prohibition applies] even if he possesses many scrolls or if he [desires to] sell an old scroll in order to purchase a new one. A Torah scroll may never be sold except for two purposes: a) to use the proceeds to study Torah; b) to use the proceeds to marry. [Even in these instances, permission to sell is granted only] when the person has nothing else to sell.

A Torah scroll that has become worn or disqualified should be placed in an earthenware container and buried next to a Torah sage. This is the manner in which it should be entombed. The mantle of a scroll that has become worn should be used to make shrouds for a corpse that has no one to bury it. This is the manner in which it should be entombed.

The [following] are all considered to be sacred articles: a container that was prepared to be used for a Torah scroll and within which a scroll had actually been placed, and similarly, a mantle, a movable ark or cabinet in which a Torah scroll is placed - [this applies] even though the scroll is within its container - and similarly, a chair that was prepared for a Torah scroll to be placed upon it and upon which a scroll had actually been placed. They are forbidden to be discarded. Instead, when they become worn out or broken, they should be entombed. In contrast, the platform on which the chazan stands while holding the Torah scroll and tablets used for the instruction of children are not sacred in nature. Similarly, the decorative silver and gold pomegranates that are made for a Torah scroll are considered sacred articles and may not be used for mundane purposes, unless they were sold with the intention of purchasing a Torah scroll or chumash with the proceeds.

It is permissible to place a Torah scroll on another Torah scroll and, needless to say, upon chumashim. Chumashim may be placed upon books of the Prophets or of the Sacred Writings. In contrast, books of the Prophets or the Sacred Writings may not be placed on chumashim, nor may chumashim be placed on Torah scrolls. All sacred writings, even texts of Torah law and allegories, may not be thrown. It is forbidden to enter a lavatory wearing a amulet containing verses from the sacred writings unless it is covered with leather.

A person should not enter a bathhouse, lavatory, or cemetery while holding a Torah scroll, even if it is covered by a mantle and placed in its container. He should not read from the scroll until he moves four cubits away from the corpse or from the lavatory. A person should not hold a Torah scroll while naked. It is forbidden to sit on a couch on which a Torah scroll is placed.

It is forbidden to engage in intimate relations in a room where a Torah scroll is located, until one either: a) removes the scroll; b) places it in a container, and then places that container in a container that is not intended for it. If, however, the container is intended for it, even ten containers, one over the other, are considered as a single entity; or c) constructs a divider at least ten handbreadths high. [The above applies] only when there is no other room available. If there is another room available, one may not engage in intimate relations unless one removes the Torah scroll.

All those who are ritually impure—including menstruating women and even a non-Jew—may hold a Torah scroll and read from it, because words of Torah do not contract ritual impurity. This applies provided their hands are not soiled or covered with mud; rather, they should wash their hands and then touch it.

Whenever a person sees a Torah scroll being carried, he must stand before it. Everyone should remain standing until the person holding the scroll reaches his destination and stands still, or until they can no longer see the scroll. Afterward, they are permitted to sit.

It is a mitzvah to designate a special place for a Torah scroll and to honor it and glorify it in an extravagant manner. The words of the Ten Commandments are contained in each Torah scroll. A person should not spit before a Torah scroll, reveal his nakedness before it, take off his footwear before it, or carry it on his head like a burden. He should not turn his back to a Torah scroll unless it is ten handbreadths higher than he is.

A person who was journeying from one place to another with a Torah scroll should not place the Torah scroll in a sack, load it on a donkey, and then ride on [the beast]. If, however, he is afraid of thieves, it is permissible. If there is no danger, he should carry it in his bosom while riding the animal, and journey [onward]. Anyone who sits before a Torah scroll should sit with respect, awe, and fear, because [the Torah] is a faithful testimony [of the covenant between G-d and the Jews] for all the inhabitants of the earth, as [Deuteronomy 31:26] states: "And it will be as a testimony for you." A person must honor a Torah scroll [to the full extent] of his potential. The Sages of the early generations said: "Whoever desecrates the Torah will have his person desecrated by people. Whoever honors the Torah will have his person honored by people." Blessed be G-d who offers assistance.