Netivat Sofrut: diary of a Soferet

Adventures of a female sofer learning to heal the world by doing Holy Work...writing a Sefer Torah

נחזיר את השכינה למקומה בצייון ובתבל כלה

"Let us restore the Divine In-Dwelling to Her Place in Zion & infuse Her spirit throughout the whole inhabited world."

So wherever we are, let us bring the Peace of G@d's Presence.

: Name: Soferet; Location: Vancouver/London, British Columbia/UK, Canada

SCRIBAL EVANGELIST As the only living certified Soferet (סופרת - female Jewish ritual scribe) & the first woman to practice sofrut (creation of sacred Hebrew texts) in over 200 years, I feel an obligation to blog about my experiences of The Work. I am also currently researching the foundation of a lost tradtion of women practicing this holy craft. For more on the services I provide, please see Soferet.com; Sofrut Nation. I am now available to engage with students, male or female, wishing to enter into the preliminary stage of learning sofrut. You are welcome to join me on this path. "Tzedeq, tzedeq tir'dof - Justice, justice you shall pursue." Devarim/Deuteronomy 16:20.

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Friday, September 16, 2005

DEEPER INTO THE LION'S ROAR

בס"ד

12 Elul

I was reviewing the notes by Eliyah Tonger on the Moznaim edition of Rambam's Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Sefer Torah 7:1, & they state:

"for each & every Jewish man - With this expression, Rambam excludes women & minors [from writing a Sefer Torah - a.b.]. The Sefer HaChinuch explains that although this mitzvah is not associated with a specific time, since women are not obligated to study Torah, they are also not required to fulfill this mitzvah. Note the Sha'agat Arieh (Responsum 35), who objects & obligates women in this mitzvah."

...ie, he says that Sha'agat Aryeh obligates women in this mitzvah, but that's not exactly true - a single rabbi cannot obligate an entire group of people. Sha'agat Aryeh simply interprets the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah as being d'oraita (from the Torah) on both sexes. More research is always needed...