Writing a Sefer Torah
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There is a positive mitzvah to write a Sefer Torah. [1]
Who is obligated to write a Sefer Torah?
- Women aren’t obligated to write a sefer torah.[2]
Materials
- A sefer torah may only be written on the hide of a kosher animal or bird. It may not be written on the hide of a non-kosher animal, bird, or the skin of any fish.[3]
- A sefer torah may be written on the hide of animals that are from kosher species even if that animal itself is a Terefah or Nevelah. [4]
Sources
- ↑ Rambam (Sefer HaMitzvot Asin #18)
- ↑ The Rambam writes that the mitzvah of writing a sefer torah does not apply to women. The Shagat Aryeh (Siman 35) questions this. He explains that the understanding behind the mitzvah of writing a sefer torah is that a person should prepare a sefer torah for himself so that he’s able to learn from it. If so, since women need to learn the laws that are relevant to them, they should be obligated to write a sefer torah. The Bet HaLevi 1:6 answers that fundamentally women aren’t obligated to learn torah. While it is true that they are obligated to learn about the mitzvot that they are obligated in, that’s only as a prepartion of fulfilling the mitzvah, but not as a part of the mitzvah of learning torah in general. The obligation of men to learn torah is all encompassing; they are obligated to learn all of torah, even about the mitzvot that aren’t relevant to him.
- ↑ S"A YD 271:1. Gemara Shabbat 108a has an unresolved question as to whether one may use the skin of kosher fish for the writing of a sefer torah. The Shulchan Aruch YD 271:1 rules that one may not use fish skins even of kosher fish.
- ↑ Briatta quoted on Gemara Shabbat 108a, S"A YD 271:1
