Writing a Torah Scroll

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Therefore, write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:19

The Gemara elaborates on the particulars of this baraita: The Master said above that Joshua wrote his own book and eight verses of the Torah. The Gemara comments: This baraita is taught in accordance with the one who says that it was Joshua who wrote the last eight verses in the Torah. This point is subject to a tannaitic dispute, as it is taught in another baraita: “And Moses the servant of the Lord died there” (Deuteronomy 34:5)…

Bava Batra 15a:4-5

§ Before continuing its discussion of the halakhot of writing a Torah scroll, the Gemara presents a mnemonic for the upcoming halakhot: Samekh, gimmel, lamed, mem. The Sages taught: A person may prepare for a Torah scroll a sheet of parchment of any size from three columns and until eight columns, but one may not prepare a sheet of parchment that has less than three or more than eight columns. And he may not increase the number of columns, e.g…

Menachot 30a:11-12

The Gemara cites an additional dispute with regard to the portion of the cities of refuge in the book of Joshua. It is written: “And Joshua wrote these matters in the scroll of the Torah of God” (Joshua 24:26). Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya disagree with regard to this matter. One says: The reference is to the final eight verses in the Torah that record the death of Moses and were recorded by Joshua in the scroll of the Torah, in addition to the rest of the Torah that was written by Moses (see Bava Batra 15a)…

Makkot 11a:5-8

The Gemara raised an objection from a baraita that interprets the verse: “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:9). “And you shall write them [ukhtavtam]” means that it should be perfect writing [ketiva tamma] with no mistakes, and clear writing. This means that one should not write an alef as an ayin, an ayin as an alef, a beit as a kaf, a kaf as a beit…

Shabbat 103b:13-14

For everyone to write a Torah scroll for himself: That we were commanded that each man in Israel must have a Torah scroll (Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments 18). If he wrote it with his [own] hand, this is praiseworthy and very dear; and as they, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 30a), “If he wrote it” — meaning to say, with his hand — “Scripture attributes [it] to him as if he received it from Mount Sinai.” But one who is unable to write with his hand must pay someone to write it for him…

Sefer HaChinukh 613:1

It is a positive commandment for each and every Jewish man to write a Torah scroll for himself, as [implied by the commandment (Deuteronomy 31:19)]: "And now, write down this song for yourselves," i.e., write down the [entire] Torah which contains this song. [The basis for this interpretation is] that the Torah should not be written passage by passage.
Even if a person's ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzvah to write one himself. If a person writes the scroll by hand, it is considered as if he received it on Mount Sinai…

Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:1

NOW…WRITE THIS. A commandment that Moses, and all who know how to write, should write it.

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 31:19:1

A Torah scroll which was written on unruled [parchment] or which was written with portions on g'vil and portions on k'laf is invalid. It must be written either entirely on g'vil or entirely on k'laf.
How should a Torah scroll be written? One should write with very careful and attractive calligraphy, leaving the space the size of a small letter between each word and a hairbreadth's space between each letter. The space of a line should be left between each line.
The length of each line should be thirty letters so that one can write the word למשפחותיכם three…

Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:4

Between lines there must be left the space of a line, between words the space of a letter, between letters that of a hairbreadth, and between columns the space of the width of a thumb. If [a word at] the end of a column was copied at the beginning [of the next column, the scroll] is disqualified. If the letters were mixed or if a break was made in the middle of a word, the lection may not be read from it. It is permitted to insert between columns [part of] a word of five letters. One may not write two letters within the column and three without; but it is not so with a short word…

Tractate Soferim 2:2-3

All the above matters [were mentioned] only because this is the most perfect way of performing the mitzvah. If one deviated from them, [the scroll] is not disqualified.
In contrast, if one wrote the short form of a word that should be spelled using a long form, or the long form of one that should be spelled using a short form, [the scroll] is disqualified.
[The same ruling applies if, in circumstances where one word is written in the Torah scroll and a different word is read] - e.g.,yishkavenah is read instead of yishgalenah (Deuteronomy 28:30)…

Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:11

§ The mishna teaches that the king writes a Torah scroll for his sake. The Sages taught in a baraita (Tosefta 4:4): The king fulfills the mitzva provided that he does not beautify himself with the Torah scroll of his ancestors for this purpose, i.e., he must write his own scroll. Rava says: With regard to the mitzva for every Jew to write himself a Torah scroll, even if a person’s ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzva to write a scroll of one’s own, as it is stated: “Now, therefore…

Sanhedrin 21b:18-22

When one sews the parchments together, one should use only sinews from a kosher species of animal or beast. [Sinews taken from] animals which died without being ritually slaughtered or which were killed by wild beasts [are, nevertheless, acceptable].
This is a halachah transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai. Therefore, if one did not sew them with sinews, or used sinews from a non-kosher animal, the scroll is unacceptable until one removes the threads and sews them again. When sewing all the pieces of parchment together, one should not sew the entire length of the parchment…

Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 9:13-14

And it is practiced at all times and in every place by males, as they are obligated in Torah study — and so too, to write it — but not females. And one who transgresses this and does not write a Torah scroll, if it is possible for him in any way, has violated this positive commandment. And his punishment is very great, as it is the cause of the study of the commandments of the Torah, as we have said. And anyone who fulfills it will be blessed and wise — he and his sons — as it is written, “And now, write for yourselves this poem and teach it to the Children of Israel.”

Sefer HaChinukh 613:7

AND MOSES WROTE THIS LAW — from the beginning of Bereshith to in the sight of all Israel. Even though it is written here, thou shalt read this law before all Israel, and according to the opinion of our Rabbis, it refers to this Book of Deuteronomy, at this point, he reverted and explained, And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a book, until they were finished. This includes the entire Torah. [Hence the expression this Law in the verse before us means the entire Torah, while in the following Verse 11…

Ramban on Deuteronomy 31:9:1

Abaye raised a dilemma before Rabba: What is the halakha with regard to whether it is permitted to write a scroll containing only one portion of the Torah for the purpose of enabling a child to study it? The Gemara notes: Let the dilemma be raised according to the one who says that the Torah was given from the outset scroll by scroll, meaning that Moses would teach the Jewish people one portion of the Torah, and then write it down, and then teach them the next portion of the Torah, and then write that down…

Gittin 60a:7-9

If a Torah scroll has spaces or stops [to mark] the beginning of verses, it may not be used for the lections. So also if a letter has been engraved or joined to another, the scroll may not be used for the lections. A scroll [some of whose letters] are faded may not be used for the lections. R. Simeon b. Eleazar says: If the outline [of the effaced letters] is distinguishable, it is permitted [to rewrite them]. A scroll of the Torah in which a whole line is faded may not be used for the lections. If the greater part of a line is faded and the smaller part intact…

Tractate Soferim 3:7-9

A scroll that has errors regarding the long and short form of letters can be corrected and checked as explained above. In contrast, if:
one erred with regard to the space between passages and wrote a passage that should be written as p'tuchah as s'tumah, or one that should be written as s'tumah as p'tuchah;
one left an empty space where a [new] passage does not [begin];
one continued writing in the normal manner without leaving a space between passages; or
one changed the form of the songs, the scroll is disqualified and may never be corrected…

Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 8:3

Assyrian has a script but no language; Hebrew has a language but no script. They choose for themselves Assyrian script and Hebrew language. Why is it called Assyrian? Because it is beautiful script; Rebbi Levi said, because they brought it with them from Assyria. It was stated: Rebbi Yose said, Ezra was worthy that the Torah could have been given through him, only Moses’s generation preceded him. Even though the Torah was not given through him, but he gave writing and language; and the script of the letter written in Aramaic and explained in Aramaic…

Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 1:9:4

A Torah scroll may not consist of half gewil and half ḳelaf, but it may consist of half gewil and half ḳelaf of deers, although this is not the best procedure. [A tear in a parchment sheet of a Torah scroll] may not be joined with glue, nor is it permitted to write on a patch, nor may [the sheets] be sewn together on the written side. R. Simeon b. Eleazar said in the name of R. Meir: [A torn sheet] may be joined with glue and it is permitted to write on a patch. It is forbidden, however, to do the sewing on the written side within but [it must be done] on the outside…

Tractate Soferim 2:10-11

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