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link to the mezuzah challenge

Publications available for purchase through lulu.com
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Tikkun for Megillat Hashoah
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Care of Your Torah
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Thoroughly Modern
Moses
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Tanach quotations nature scenes calendar

mordechai pinchas
sofer stam www.sofer.co.uk
Mordechai Pinchas Sofer

This site has been designed to give an overview of the important mitsvah of sofrut (scribal arts) and of the personal (and occasionally humorous) journey of a sofer (scribe) and this age-old craft. I've kept the files as small as I can but some pages have a fair amount of pictures on and may take a little time to download on dial up, but I think you'll find them worthwhile.
mordechai pinchas at work

New companion blog at http://mordechaihasofer.blogspot.com/

the activities of a sofer
journey into sefer torah animated gif

diary of a
sofer

Sections on the mezuzah, tefillin k’tubot (marriage documents) and gittin (bills of divorce) and megillot.
unrolling the megilah

Visit all 36 episodes of
the sofer’s diary.

The sefer torah section shows lots of info on how a torah is put together and how they are maintained, PLUS a special section about torah mantles I have designed. Diaries 21-25 talk about the new Megillat haShoah.

forming the letters
according to the halachah.
Learn about the different styles then click on aleph bet or the animated picture on the right.
animated letter aleph

visual midrash

Strange scribal idiosyncracies!
vayikra with small aleph

Ever wondered why parts of the torah look at bit strange?  Here’s your chance to find out.

It’s best to read them in order but you don’t have to. Honest.
ball of giddin

tools of the trade

The kulmus (quill), k’laf (parchment) and giddin (sinew).

A section on d’yo (ink) is nearly complete.

sources and
references
Books about Sofrut in English and Hebrew for you to find out more.Click on sources or the picture on the right.
book cover - Chasdey David

Whilst I am a progressive Jew, my scribal activity and the halachic material included in this site is largely based on orthodox practice. This material is not exhaustive nor should it be considered authoratitive, nor should it in any way negate the need to address questions requiring halachic interpretation to a competent rabbinical authority.  Also this site does occassionally contain the holy names of God.  Therefore if you should print out a page containing these, please treat it with care and respect.

Please ignore the paragraph below. Because of the many possible spellings of the Hebrew words used by this site in transliterated form I have listed out keywords for the search engines:

mezuzahs, mezuzas, mezuzot, mezuzah, mezuza, mezzuzzahs, mezzuzzas, mezuzzahs, mezuzzas, mezzuzahs, mezzuzas, tefillin, tefilin, teffillin, teffilin, tfillin,tephilin, tephillin, phylacteries, batim, Torahs, Torah, Torah scrolls, sefer Torahs, sifrei Torah, torahs, sifrey Torah, torah, torah scrolls, Tanach, tanach, sofer, sofrut, sofrim, sofrus, sopher, soferim, sofrim, scribes, klaf, klafim, parchment, parchments, gvil, stam, STAM, soferstam, sofer stam, megillahs, ask the sofer, ask the scribe, scribal arts, ask the rabbi, ask a sofer, ask a rabbi, Jewish prayers, Jewish holidays, Jewish education, megillah, megilla, megillas, megillas esther, megillat esther, megillat esther, megilah, megila, ketubah, ktubah, ketubot, ktubot, kesubah, ksubah, kesubot, ksubot, marriage certificate marriage contract, gittin, get, giddin, kulmus

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