Sofer


A sofer, sopher, sofer SeTaM, or sofer ST"M is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe sifrei Torah, tefillin, and mezuzot, of the Five Megillot and other religious writings.
By simple definition, a sofer is a copyist, but the religious role in Judaism is much more. Besides sifrei Torah, tefillin, and mezuzot, scribes are necessary to write the Five Megillot, Nevi'im, and for gittin, divorce documents. Also, many scribes function as calligraphers—writing functional documents such as ketubot "marriage contracts", or ornamental and artistic renditions of religious texts, which do not require any scribal qualifications, and to which the rules on lettering and parchment specifications do not apply.
The major halakha pertaining to sofrut, the practice of scribal arts, is in the Talmud in the tractate "Maseket Sofrim". In the Torah's 613 commandments, the second to last is that every Jew should write a sefer Torah in his lifetime.

Qualifications and education

A sofer must be religiously observant, of good character, and knowledgeable about the laws concerning sofrut. It is a common misconception that one has to be a rabbi in order to become a sofer, which is not required by Jewish law.
People who want to become ritual scribes usually learn from another expert scribe by undergoing Shimush, since it would be impossible for someone to be a scribe without any actual practice. The hardest part about learning to be a sofer is not the calligraphy, but, rather, remembering the thousands of laws that apply to sifrei Torah, tefillin, mezuzot, and all the other texts that are written on parchment.
Some people who want to become ritual scribes learn at the Vaad Mishmereth STaM, with the option of receiving a certificate. Certification of this sort is not a halachic requirement, nor does it necessarily guarantee the quality of a particular sofer's work. This process does however ensure that a certified sofer has received the proper education and is a recognized expert in the field of sofrut.

Texts teaching sofrut

The main texts from which soferim learn the scribal art include the Keset Ha-Sofer, Chasdey David, Mishnah Berurah Volume I —The laws of tefillin, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Tefillin u'Mezuzah v'Sefer Torah. Hilchot Tzitzit, Mishnat Hasofer, Mishnat Sofrim, Likkut Sifrey, Shulchan Aruch HaRav. Stam.
A PDF copy of the book Yalkut Sta"m is available .

Women and sofrut

Forming the basis for the discussion of women becoming soferim, Talmud Gittin 45b states, "Sifrei Torah, tefillin and mezuzot written by a heretic, a star-worshipper, a slave, a woman, a minor, a Cuthean, or an apostate Jew, are unfit for ritual use." The rulings on mezuzot and tefillin are virtually undisputed among those who hold to the Talmud. While Arba'ah Turim does not include women in its list of those ineligible to write Sifrei Torah, some see this as proof that women are permitted to write a sefer Torah. However, today, virtually all Orthodox authorities contest the idea that a woman is permitted to write a sefer Torah. Yet, women are permitted to inscribe Ketubot, STaM not intended for ritual use, and other writings of sofrut beyond simple STaM. In 2003, Canadian Aviel Barclay became the world's first known traditionally trained woman sofer.
Among non-Orthodox Jews, women have written Torah scrolls since the early 2000s. In 2007 Jen Taylor Friedman, a British woman, became the first woman sofer to scribe a sefer Torah. In 2010, the first sefer Torah scribed by a group of six women was completed; this was known as the Women's Torah Project. Since then, other women have written Torah scrolls. As of 2014, there are an estimated 50 women sofers in the world.

Documents written by scribes

Besides Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzot, scribes are also necessary for the writing of the Five Megillot and Nevi'im, and for gittin. In some communities, especially Chaim Kanievsky's community in Bnei Brak, soferim also write the other books of the Bible, such as Psalms or the Book of Ezra. This was promoted in 19th-century Jerusalem by Rabbi Shemuel Shelomo Boyarski.

Calligraphy and lettering

There are many rules concerning the proper formation of letters that must be adhered to if a written text is to be deemed religiously valid. The Ashkenazi, Sefardi, Chabad, and Mizrahi Jews each have their own script for forming the letters, though the same rules apply throughout the text. Generally, regarding sifrei Torah, none of these groups would consider that these differences would render a Torah posul.
The documents must be written on properly prepared parchment or vellum known as klaf.
Many scribes also function as calligraphers—writing functional documents like ketubot, or ornamental and artistic renditions of religious texts—which do not require any scribal qualifications, and to which the rules on lettering and parchment specifications do not apply.