The Letter Aleph has 3 distinct parts and 10 laws concerning its form.
There is an upper Yud, a lower Yud, and a body that is similar to a Vov. There
should be a clear connection from the body of the Aleph to the Yuds but none
of the faces of the Yuds are allowed to touch its body. The face of the upper
Yud should be slightly angled upward. The very bottom end of the Vov part
should be slightly turned upwards. The size of the Aleph should be 3x3 kulmusim.
Note: The word Kulmus(im) means the
width of the tip of the quill.
Letter Beis 
The Letter Beis is made of 3 parts. The size of the letter is 3x3 kulmusim. The space in the middle of
the Beis should be exactly equal the width of the top and bottom lines, which
is 1 kulmus. The Beis should
have a small heel coming out of its back on the bottom, so that it is clearly
distinguished that it is a Beis and not a Chof Kefufa. It should also have a
single Tag (pronounced tahg) on top of its head on the left side. Note: A Tag is
a single, short line, which usually will have a "crown" at the top.
Letter Gimel 
The Letter Gimel has a head of a Zayin, and has a leg sticking out of it
on bottom whose face points slightly upward. There should be three Tagin on
its head. All of the corners of the head should be squared. The right leg
should be slightly longer than the left one. The height of the Gimel should be
three kulmusim. Originally,
Sofrim made the Gimel with a long neck, so as to be able to put the top of the
next letter near the head of the Gimel. Now, the back of the
right leg is arched, slanting downwards towards the right, to avoid any problems and to
create ample space.
Letter Daled 
The Letter Daled has 2 main parts. There is a roof and a leg. If the heel
which sticks out on the top right corner is missing, the letter is still
kosher. A heel should stick out so that the Daled is distinct
from the Letter Reish. The roof should be 3 kulmusim long. There should be one Tag
at the left end of the roof. (This Tag should not be on the very end of the
left side, nor be made too large, because it can be a problem.) The leg should
be slightly shorter than 3 kulmusim.
Letter Heh 
The Letter Heh is basically a Daled which has an upside down Yud at the
lower left hand corner, at an equal distance away from the roof as from the
leg. The heel that was found on the roof of the Daled isn't necessary on a
Heh, as even if the body looked like a Reish it would be kosher, but most
Sofrim put a heel on top anyway. There should be one Tag at the left end of
the roof. (This Tag should not be on the very end of the left side, nor be
made too large, because it can be a problem.) Great care must be taken so that
the left leg does not touch the roof of the Heh. If it does
touch, even with an amount as thin as a hair, it would be invalid.
Letter Vov 
The Letter Vov should be 1x3 kulmusim. The top right part of the Vov
should be completely rounded, because if it's squared it would look like a
Zayin. The face of the Vov should be straight up and down, not angled. Neither
the head nor leg of the Vov should be made too long, because then it will look
like another letter. (ie- a Reish or a Nun Peshuta)
Letter Zayin 
The Letter Zayin should be 1x3 kulmusim. It should have a completely
squared head with 3 Tagin on it. The leg should be no longer than 3 kulmusim, as otherwise the Zayin can be
mistaken for a Nun Peshuta.
Letter Ches 
The Letter Ches is made up of 2 Zayins which are written next to one
another and connected together on top. The right Zayin should have no Tagin.
All of it's corners should be squared, except for the top right corner, which
should be rounded. The left Zayin should have all of its corners squared, and
instead of having 3 Tagin like a regular Zayin, it should have 1 Tag coming
out of the upper left corner. The connection between the two Zayins is
imperative, as if it's broken the letter will look like two Zayins instead of
a Ches.
Letter Tes 
The Letter Tes has a size of 3x3 kulmusim. The left head of the Tes
should look like the head of a Zayin, having completely squared corners and 3
Tagin on top of it. The lower left corner of the Tes should be squared as
well. However, the lower right corner should be rounded. The right head of the
Tes should curve inside the Tes, not far enough to touch the base of the Tes,
but rather enough so that it's clear that it is curved inwards. The two heads
of the Tes should not touch each other, as this would make it invalid.
Letter Yud 
The Letter Yud is the smallest letter of the alphabet, yet it can be the
trickiest to write properly. The Yud should have a size of 1x2 kulmusim. The Yud should have a small
Tag on the top left corner. This Tag should not be made too tall, because it
can cause the letter to be invalid. The top right corner should be clearly
rounded. The leg should not be too long, because otherwise the Yud can turn
into a Vov. There should be a small kotz sticking out of the bottom left
corner of the head of the Yud. According to many Poskim, a Yud without this
kotz is invalid. Note: A kotz is a small stick or thorn, and in this case
it's used to represent a small point sticking out of the letter.
Letter Chof Kefufa 
The Letter Chof Kefufa is one of the 5 letters which have a special letter
which replaces it,when it is used at the end of a word. The Chof Kefufa has a
size of 3x3 kulmusim. The upper
and lower corners of it's back should be clearly rounded, so that there is no
confusion on whether it's a Beis or Chof Kefufa. The space in the middle of
the Chof Kefufa should be exactly equal the width of the top and bottom lines,
which is 1 kulmus.
Letter Chof Peshuta 
The Letter Chof Peshuta should have a roof which is no longer than 3
kulmusim. We should not lengthen
its roof any further, nor make it shorter, as it could very possibly look like
the Letter Reish or the Letter Vov. The leg of the Chof Peshuta should be a
total of 5 1/2 kulmusim,when
measuring from the top of the Chof to its tip. If it is any shorter, it could
look like the Letter Reish. The top right corner of the Chof Peshuta should be
rounded, as it is similar to it's cousin, the Chof Kefufa, which has a rounded
top corner.
Letter Lamed 
The Letter Lamed is made up of two separate letters. There is a Chof
Kefufa which is written within the lines, and then a Vov whose bottom point
touches the very top left corner of the Chof Kefufa. The Letter Lamed,
therefore, is one of the largest letters, and one must make sure that there is
enough space above it, because if the body of the Vov must be shortened, it
can become invalid. The Lamed's dimensions are 6 kulmusim in height, (that is, 3 kulmusim for the Chof Kefufa, and 3
kulmusim for the Vov) and 4
kulmusim in width.(That is- 3
kulmusim for the Chof Kefufa, and 1 kulmus for the Vov.) The top and bottom
corners of the body of the Chof Kefufa should be rounded, and the space in the
middle of the Chof Kefufa should be 1 kulmus.(Exactly like the rules given
above for a Chof Kefufa.) Our minhag is not to complete the bottom section of
the Chof Kefufa part of the Lamed, rather we stop somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4
of the way from the end. As long as there is a clear bottom section to the
Lamed, it will be valid. There should also be a small kotz sticking out of the middle of the
head of the Vov section of the Lamed.
Letter Mem Pesucha 
The Letter Mem Pesucha is another letter which has a special letter which
replaces it when it is used at the end of a word. The Mem Pesucha is made up
of two different letters- a Chof Peshuta, and a Vov. The dimensions of the Mem
Pesucha are 3x3 kulmusim. That
is, that the top and bottom of the Chof Peshuta part of the Mem Pesucha, are
only 2 kulmusim in length. The
top right corner should be rounded, (like a Letter Chof Peshuta should be,)and
the right leg would then go down until it reaches a total length of 3 kulmusim. By the same token, the space
in middle of the Mem Pesucha should equal 1 kulmus. The bottom right corner of the
Mem Pesucha should be squared. The Vov part of the Mem Pesucha, (which is
sometimes referred to as the "nose") should be angled so that the face of the
Vov is angled upward. At the point where the head of the Vov connects to its
leg, is where the Vov should touch the Chof Peshuta part of the Mem Pesucha.
There should be a clear notch in between the two heads of the letters. Also,
the connection between them should be thick, so that it's clear they are
connected. At the bottom, the Vov and Chof Peshuta must not touch at all, as
that would invalidate the letter since it would become a Mem Stumah.
Letter Mem Stumah 
The Letter Mem Stumah comes at the end of a word that ends with a Mem. The
Mem Stumah has a size of 3x3 kulmusim. The top right corner should
be rounded, while the remaining corners must be squared. The box of space
inside the Mem Stumah should also be completely squared, as we want to make
the Mem Stumah clearly different from a Samech. There should be a slight
protrusion from the top left corner which should extend a little bit past the
body of the Mem Stumah. There should not be any splits along any portion of
the Mem Stumah, as this would render it invalid.
Letter Nun Kefufa 
The Letter Nun Kefufa is another letter which has a special letter which
replaces it when it is used at the end of a word. The Nun Kefufa should have a
head like a Zayin, that is- a square head with 3 Tagin on it. Originally,
Sofrim made the Nun Kefufa with a long neck, so as to be able to put the top
of the next letter near the head of the Nun Kefufa. Nowadays, we arch the back
of the right leg slanting downwards towards the right, to avoid any problems
and to create ample space. The base of the Nun Kefufa should extend beyond the
end of the head. The total size of the Nun Kefufa should therefore be 1 1/2 x3
kulmusim.
Letter Nun Peshuta 
The Letter Nun Peshuta comes at the end of a word that ends with a Nun.
The size of the Nun Peshuta should be 1x5 kulmusim. It should have a completely
squared head with 3 Tagin on it. The leg should be no shorter than 4 kulmusim, as otherwise the Nun Peshuta
can be mistaken for a Zayin.
Letter Samech 
The Letter Samech has a size of 3x3 kulmusim. The space in the middle of
the Samech should be exactly equal the width of the top and bottom lines,
which is 1 kulmus. The left
corner should be squared, while the other corners must be rounded, inside and
outside. Great care should be taken to ensure that the corners are clearly
rounded, so that the Samech doesn't look like the Mem Stumah. There should be
a slight protrusion from the top left corner which should extend a little bit
past the body of the Samech. There should not be any splits along any portion
of the Samech, as this would render it invalid.
Letter Ayin
The Letter Ayin has a size of slightly larger than 3x3 kulmusim. The Ayin is made of 5 parts,
and each part should be distinct. The right leg has the head of a Vov, with a
rounded top right corner. The left leg should have the head of a Zayin.
(According to the Arizal,the left leg has the head of a Vov.) The head should
have 3 Tagin on it, like a regular Zayin. The heads should not touch one
another at all. The Ayin has a slight slant toward the right, so that letters
can fit comfortably next to it. The bottom portion which the two legs fit into
should be thick and have a protrusion, to show that the Ayin is not a Tes, and
also to create more room for nearby letters.
Letter Pay Kefufa 
The Letter Pay Kefufa has a number of different parts. The overall size
should be 4x3 kulmusim. The Pay
should have an upside down Vov at the top left end, and the head of the Vov
should enter the face of the Pay. If you look closely, you should see the
outline of a Letter Bais (complete with its bottom heel) inside the empty part
inside the Pay. It is because sofrim want so much to get this outline of the
Bais in, that the letter is written slightly larger than the other letters.
The space between the bottom of the upside down Vov and the top of the base of
the bottom of the pay should be 1/2 a kulmus, in order to assure that the Vov
doesn't touch the bottom.
Letter Pay Peshuta 
The Letter Pay Peshuta comes at the end of a word which ends with a Pay.
It has a size of 3x5 kulmusim.
The Pay Peshuta is similar to the Pay Kefufa, as they both have an upside down
Vov at the top left end, whose head (of the Vov) enters the face of the Pay.
Where they differ is in the right leg, whereas the Pay Kefufa has a curled
body, the right leg of the Pay Peshuta goes straight down. Of course, the head
of the Vov should not touch the right leg, and the right leg should be clearly
longer than the upside down Vov, since it otherwise can be invalid.
Letter Tzadi Kefufa 
The Letter Tzadi Kefufa consists of pieces from 2 different letters. There
is a Nun Kefufa, which is more curved than it normally is, and has a bigger
bottom base than normal. There is also a Yud, which is resting on the back of
the Nun part. The left head should have 3 Tagin on it, like a regular Zayin.
The overall size should be 3x3 kulmusim. The heads should not touch
one another at all.
Letter Tzadi Peshuta 
The Letter Tzadi Peshuta comes at the end of a word that ends with a
Tzadi. It has a size of 3x5 kulmusim. The Tzadi Peshuta is similar
to the Tzadi Kefufa, as they both have a Yud resting on the Nun part at the
right side. Where they differ is in the left leg, whereas the Tzadi Kefufa has
a curled body, from the Nun Kefufa part, the left leg of the Tzadi Peshuta
goes straight down, like a Nun Peshuta. Of course, the head of the Yud should
not touch the left head, and the right leg should be clearly longer than where
the Yud meets the body, since it otherwise can be invalid.
Letter Kuf 
The Letter Kuf is made up of two separate letters. There is a Chof Kefufa
which is written within the lines, and then a part that is longer than a
Zayin, but not as long as a Nun Peshuta,which is angled next to the Chof
Kefufa. The Letter Kuf, therefore, is a large letter, and one must make sure
that there is enough space below it, in order to have ample room for Zayin
part of the Kuf. The Kuf's dimensions are 5 kulmusim in height, (that is, 3 kulmusim for the Chof Kefufa, and 4
kulmusim for the Zayin) and 3
kulmusim in width. (That is- 3
kulmusim for the Chof Kefufa,
and the Zayin section is neatly placed and angled slightly under the roof of
the Chof Kefufa section.) The top and bottom corners of the body of the Chof
Kefufa should be rounded, and the space in the middle of the Chof Kefufa
should be 1 kulmus.(Exactly like
the rules given above for a Chof Kefufa.) We do not to complete the bottom
section of the Chof Kefufa part of the Kuf, rather we stop about 1/4 to 1/2 of
the way from the beginning. As long as there is a clear bottom section to the
Kuf, it will be valid. There should be one Tag at the left end of the roof.
(This Tag should not be on the very end of the left side, nor be made too
large, because it can be a problem of possibly looking like a Lamed.) The two
parts of the Kuf should not touch each other at all. If they do touch, even
with an amount as thin as a hair, it would be invalid.
Letter Reish 
The Letter Reish should have a size of 3x3 kulmusim. However, Sofrim are usually
careful to make the roof slightly longer than the leg, so that the Reish
cannot have a problem of appearing like a Chof Peshuta. The top right corner
should be clearly rounded, so as to avoid any problems of looking like a
Daled.
Letter Shin 
The Letter Shin is easily distinguished by its three heads. The spacing of
the Shin is something that takes practice for a Sofer to write correctly. The
leftmost leg should have the head of a Zayin. (According to the Arizal,the
left leg has the head of a Vov.) The head should have 3 Tagin on it, like a
regular Zayin. The heads should not touch one another at all. Also, there
should be no more than 3 heads in total, or the letter would be rendered
invalid. The bottom should come to a point, and not be rounded or flat.
Letter Tof 
The Letter Tof consists of 3 parts. The total size of the Tof should be
3x3 kulmusim. The right leg is
very similar to that of the Letter Daled and Heh, which also have a protrusion
of the roof on the top right corner. The left leg is an upside down Vov, whose
face points outward. Sofrim try to be careful not to let the head of the left
leg protrude past the end of the roof, as it could cause spacing problems with
nearby letters.
