Siman 272

The Rambam wrote in the ninth chapter: One does not make a sefer torah such that its length is greater than its circumference, nor its circumference greater than its length. And how much is its length? In gevil, six tefachim, which are twenty-four etzbaot according to the width of a thumb of the hand. And in klaf, either less or more, provided that its length is equal to its circumference. And similarly, if one made it in gevil less than six tefachim and reduced the script, or more than six tefachim and expanded the script until its length is equal to its circumference – this is according to the mitzvah. Thus far his words. And he wrote further that the measurement of the margin at the bottom is four etzbaot, and at the top three, and between column and column two etzbaot, etc., and all these measurements are for the mitzvah. And if one decreased or increased – he did not disqualify it. Thus far his words. For this matter of its length being equal to its circumference is a very difficult thing, as in the Gemara (Bava Batra 14a) it is stated that Rav Huna wrote seventy sifrei torah, and it only happened for him once, see there. And if this were an absolute requirement, it would be difficult to find a kosher sefer torah. Rather, it is not an absolute requirement. And in any case, it appears that six tefachim is not even initially for the mitzvah, and only in gevil is the measurement of the writing such a dimension, and so it is implied in the Gemara ibid. And even though the dimensions of the Tablets, and the sefer torah that was in the Ark next to the Tablets, were six tefachim as is explained there, nevertheless this is not a strict requirement for all sifrei torah (so it appears in my humble opinion).

And behold, the Rambam, of blessed memory, gave wondrous counsel on how to ensure that its length should be as its circumference, and he elaborated there on this. The essence of his words is as follows: that one should make many sheets that are completely equal, and wrap all the sheets one upon another, and roll them as they are rolled after the writing and the sewing. And he should wrap as many sheets until their circumference is six tefachim, and afterward he should measure how many fingers are in the width of each sheet, and calculate how many fingers are in all the sheets, and the length of the sheets shall also be six tefachim. And afterward he should precisely ensure that the writing shall be according to the width of all the sheets, and neither less nor more. That is, he should take another sheet, and write the entire page from it from another Sefer Torah, and estimate according to the book from which he wrote if the entire Torah will amount to all the wrapped sheets. And if it amounts—good. And if he sees that the Torah will require more sheets—he should diminish the writing. And so too the opposite: if it requires less—he should enlarge the writing, see there. However, even after all these, it is written in the Hagahot Maimoniyot, letter dalet, that he did all these, and it did not happen for him that its length was as its circumference, see there.

However, in any event, it is clear from the words of the Rambam that "its length is like its circumference" refers to the parchments alone, and the poles are not included. However, the Rosh and the Tur wrote that the last pole is included within the six handbreadths of the circumference but not the first pole, because the Sefer Torah that was in the Temple Courtyard was rolled from its end to its beginning, and it was necessary to have a pole at its end upon which it would be rolled, but at its beginning there is no need to roll the pole. And if it is difficult: if so, there is no exertion here at all, for the measure of its length is made first, and the measure of its circumference is made according to our will, whether the pole is thick or thin, according to what will equalize the measure of the circumference with the length. But in truth it is not difficult at all: for the pole also has a known measure in its circumference, as it must be such and such in circumference, no less and no more. So wrote the Rosh and the Tur (see Beit Yosef and Bach). And we do not know its measure.

The Rambam wrote there: The width of a thumb mentioned in all these measurements and in the rest of the measurements of the entire Torah is the middle finger. We have already been precise in its measurement and found it to be the width of seven average-sized barleys placed side by side tightly, and they are like the length of two barleys loosely. Every tefach mentioned everywhere is four fingers of this [measurement], and every amah is six tefachim. And the Sefer Torah that I myself wrote: the width of each and every column of its columns is four fingers. And the Song of the Sea and the Song of "Ha'azinu," the width of each column of both of them is six fingers. And the number of lines in each and every column is fifty-one, and the number of columns of the entire book is two hundred twenty-six columns. And the length of the entire book is approximately one thousand three hundred and sixty-six fingers. Thus far his words.

The length of each line is thirty letters, in order to write "lemishpechoteichem" three times. It should not be shorter than this, so that the page does not appear like a letter. And it should not be longer than this, so that his eyes do not wander in the script when the lines are long, and he errs at the beginnings of the lines. And they wrote that this is the measure of a tefach in fine writing. In coarse writing, everything is according to the beauty, and even more than a tefach his eyes do not wander since the writing is coarse (Shach subsection 3). According to this, when the writing is coarse, he may make the lines as long as he wishes (Tosafot Menachot 30a, s.v. "kegon," see there).

And know that in Menachot ibid. they said "lemishpachoteichem" three times, and they did not say "thirty letters." And in truth, in the entire Torah there is no vav in the word "mishpachot." And so in Parashat Masei it is written: "the land by lot lemishpachoteichem" lacking a vav, and there are only nine letters in it, and in three there are twenty-seven letters. And in truth, in the Tur he did not write "thirty letters." Only the Rambam in chapter seven and the Shulchan Aruch section 2 wrote "thirty letters." And also regarding the Shas one must wonder: why did they not state the number of letters, how many to write? And in truth, from this the Rambam judged that they only cited it as a general sign. For the letters are not similar to one another: there are wide ones and most are so, and there are short ones in width like vav, zayin, yod, nun, gimel, and it is impossible to fix a count of letters. Therefore, they acted wisely with this word according to the pronunciation of the reading where the cholam extends the vav. And the intent of the Shas is not to the verse in the Torah, but rather this word which has ten letters and two of them are short: the vav and the yod, and it is in the proportion of the short ones relative to the long ones in the entire aleph-bet. And from this it is clear that there are thirty letters. (The calculation of wide letters I saw in a margin in the name of a certain great one.)

Apparently, one should not make columns shorter than a tefach, even with very fine script. And so we have learned in Masekhet Soferim chapter two, halakha 8: The measure of the column is so that one may see, and in a small one it shall not be less than a tefach. Rabbi Yose says: It shall not be less than three fingers. Thus far his words. And this is the explanation: "So that one may see"—if the script is coarse, it is permitted to be more than a tefach, according to the sight of the eye so that they do not wander, as I wrote in section 5. And in a small one, it shall not be less than a tefach even with fine script. And according to this, it is to be wondered that there are very small sifrei Torah, and the column is less than a tefach. And it is possible to say that this is not among the disqualifications post facto, and the Rambam in chapter ten did not count this among the disqualifications post facto, see there. Therefore, it is possible to say that with script that is the finest of the fine, they relied upon Rabbi Yose that three fingers is sufficient. And it seems that this measure exists even in a very small one.

I have seen those who were exacting regarding this, that it has been explained that with coarse script one may make more than a tefach, but nevertheless, one is not permitted more than three times "lemishpachoteichem." And there are those who were exacting that with coarse script one may write more. But I say that from the words of the Rishonim one cannot be exacting neither this way nor that way, for one who examines their words. Rather, according to logic it appears that since our sages, of blessed memory, said so, why should we change? And certainly there are in their holy words hidden intentions as well. However, it has already been explained that all this is not a requirement bediavad. And it is a mitzvah to heed the words of the sages.

Our sages, of blessed memory, said in Menachot (Menachot 30a): A person may make a sheet of between three columns and eight columns. Less than this or more than this he should not make, because the stitches of the connections of the sheets are beautiful when there are not too many of them. Therefore, he should not make short sheets so that the stitches are not too close together, nor long ones so as not to distance them too much (Rashi). If a sheet of nine columns happened to come to him – he should not divide it into three here and three here, but rather four here and five here, see there. And it is not understood: why should he not divide it into three and three? And indeed, in the Tur and Shulchan Aruch section 3 (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 272:3) the version is: "he should not divide it into three here and six here." But certainly if he wants to divide it into three sheets of three each – it is well and good.

And know that the Tur wrote that the primary beauty is a sheet of four or five columns, see there. And it seems to me that he learned this from what the sages said regarding a sheet of nine columns, to divide four here and five here, and they did not say to divide into three of three each—deduce from this that the primary beauty is four or five columns. Nevertheless, the sages did not mandate this, because most often from small skins there will not be more than three pages. However, this entire matter is not a hindrance post facto. And even if one made a sheet of only two pages or even one page—it is kosher post facto. Thus wrote the Smag and the Mordechai, and the great later authorities cited this (Taz, subsection 4). And proof for this: for behold the Rambam in the tenth chapter did not count this among the disqualifications, see there.

Therefore, our sages, of blessed memory, said there that this applies only to the sheets throughout the entire sefer Torah, except for the final sheet at the end of the book. At the end of the book, even a sheet of one column is kosher. And even only one verse on one column is kosher. And they make that column by itself and sew it with the rest of the sheets. So wrote the Rambam in chapter nine, law 13. And in chapter seven, law 7, he wrote: And when he finishes the Torah, he must finish in the middle of the line at the end of the column. And if many lines remain of the column, he shortens and ascends. And he begins from the start of the line at the end of the column and shall not finish the line, and he intends so that "le-einei khol Yisrael" will be in the middle of the line at the end of the column. Thus far his words. That is to say: that if he sees that when he writes the script as in the rest of the sefer Torah there will remain vacant lines, and he will not be able to finish at the end of the column, he shortens and ascends. That is to say: that he makes large letters, such that each letter extends over several lines. And he intends that "le-einei khol Yisrael" remains on the final line at the end of the column. And he writes the letters in his usual manner as in the rest of the sefer Torah, and it follows that he will conclude in the middle of the line and the end of the column. And so wrote the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch, see there.

And regarding that which he did not clarify in the seventh chapter how to act when one verse remains on one page, it can be said that he relied upon what he wrote in the ninth chapter. And I do not know if this is a requirement even post facto when one did not finish the Torah in the middle of the line at the end of the page or not. And it appears from the fact that the Rambam did not count it as a disqualification post facto in the tenth chapter among the disqualifications—one may infer from this that it does not disqualify post facto. And so it stands to reason: for this is not a Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai, but rather as the Mordechai wrote: so that it will be visible to all that it is the conclusion of the Torah, that there is nothing more to write, see there. Therefore, it is not a requirement post facto. And they wrote that they did not permit writing many large letters, except at the end of the Torah when it is necessary for this, as has been explained. But throughout the entire Torah one should not do so. However, if one did so, it does not disqualify. And know that in Masekhet Soferim chapter two, halacha 6, it is stated regarding sheets that they should not be less than three nor more than eight. For with klaf the sages did not give an upper limit, as only less than three one may not do with klaf. But more than eight—one may do. And the prohibition is only with gevil. And in the Gemara this was not brought, and therefore the poskim also did not bring this. (And the reason of Masekhet Soferim appears to be because klaf is more beautiful than gevil, and they possess beauty even with more than eight.) (And I saw in the Pitchei Teshuva subsection 6 in the name of the Panim Meirot, that if one did not finish the Torah in the middle of the line it is disqualified. And it is not at all clear, and the proof is from the Rambam that we brought. And this is a great principle: that which he did not count—is not a disqualification post facto.)