This diary and diary 41 have been replaced by a FREE paper I wrote covering the subject. This includes new practical examples.

The paper is no.3 in a series of Adventures in Practical Halachah and is available for download here  and also via lulu.com and at academia.edu.

It always surprises people when I explain what one does if there is real doubt concerning the validity of the form of a letter written in the kitvey hakodesh (holy writings) such as Torah, megillat Esther, t’fillin and m’zuzah. It doesn’t really matter what a great sage or an experienced sofer (scribe) has to say on the matter.  Instead, what matters are the words of a child. When I’m teaching about sofrut (scribal arts) in cheder (religion school), the children love the fact that they are the decision makers. This concept is referred to as havchanot tinok (the discernment of a child) and is well established in the rules for a scribes.

Mordechai Pinchas