There are many rules concerning the proper formation of letters if the written text is to be valid for religious purposes.
The Ashkenaz, Sefard, Chabad (Lubavitch), and Am Mizrachi (Iraqi Jews) each have their own calligraphic tradition in the method by which each letter is formed, however the final shape of each letter conforms to the legal standard regardless of the calligrapher. While the shapes of the letters are the same, styles can be quite different. Generally, while each tradition favors their own calligraphic style as preferable, none consider the tradition of the other posul (invalid) for Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) or any other ritually used scroll or parchment.
Note
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday July 17, 2008 at 15:49:39 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.