Tractate Sefer Torah 3

עושה אדם תורה ונביאים כאחת דברי ר׳ יהודה וחכמים אומרים תורה בפני עצמה ונביאים בפני עצמן:

It is permissible to join the Torah and the Prophets in one scroll, according to R. Judah; but the Sages say: The Torah and the Prophets must be written in separate scrolls.1According to GRA (in Sof. III, 1) who adopted the reading of B.B. 13b (Sonc. ed., p. 66): ‘it is permissible to fasten the Torah, the Prophets and the Hagiographa together (in one scroll)’.

לא יניח בין נביא לנביא כשם שהוא מניח בין ספר לספר בתורה אבל מניח לזה ריוח בפני עצמו ולזה ריוח בפני עצמו ומתחיל מלמעלן:

Between a book of the Prophets and another one should not leave the same [empty space] as between two books of the Torah; but in each case the space must be that which has been prescribed for it.2i.e. four lines between books of the Torah and three between the books of the Prophets. Furthermore [a book of the Prophets]3If the preceding book ended at the foot of a column. must begin at the top.4Of the next column, the reason being that, if the books of the Prophets were separated one from the other, the beginning of each book would commence at the top of a column. This does not apply to Torah scrolls, which may never be cut up into separate books.

אין עושין ספר תורה חומשין שאין מורידן מקדושה חמורה לקדושה קלה אבל עושין חומשין תורה אימתי בזמן שמדתן ושטתן שוין. אין עושין שני חומשין כאחד ולא חומש ומחצה כאחד אבל אם עתיד להוסיף עליהם מותר:

A Torah scroll5Which contains all the five books of Moses. may not be made into [separate] books of the Pentateuch, because it is forbidden to reduce a major sanctity6The Torah scroll in its entirety. to a minor sanctity.7A section of the Pentateuch. From scrolls containing sections of the Pentateuch, however, it is permitted to make up a Torah scroll. When may this be done? When the measurements8Of all the scrolls that are to be joined together. and the number of the lines9In each column. are alike.It is not permissible to join together two sections of the Pentateuch or one and a half of them to form a single scroll.10Since it might be mistaken for a proper Torah scroll. But if it was intended11When these were written. that additional scrolls be attached to them,12To complete a full Torah scroll. it is permissible.

ספר שנפסק או שנקד ראשי פסוקים אל יקרא בו. גלפו או שעירב אותיותיו אל יקרא בו:

If a Torah scroll has spaces or stops [to mark] the beginning of verses, it may not be used for the lections.13Because all proper Torah scrolls must conform to the original without any deviations. [Similarly] if a letter has been engraved or joined to another, the scroll may not be used for the lections.

ספר שנמחק אל יכתב בו רבי שמעון ב״א אומר אם היתה בבואה שלו ניכרת מותר:

A scroll [some of whose letters] are faded may not be used for the public lections.14So H and GRA in Sof. III, 8. V reads ‘one shall not rewrite [the letters] in it’. R. Simeon b. Eleazar says: If the outline [of the effaced letters] is distinguishable, it is permitted [to rewrite them].

ספר שנמחק בו אות אחת על פני כולו אסור נמחק רובו ומיעוטו קיים מותר.

A scroll of the Torah in which a whole line15This is the reading in Sof. III, 9. V reads here ‘one letter’. is faded may not be used. If the greater part of a line is faded and the smaller part intact, the use of the scroll is permitted.

אין פותחין בתורה יותר מארבעה דפין אבל קורין אפילו עשרה כאחת ואין נמנעין.

Not more than four16And not less than three (cf. Sof. III, 10). columns of the Torah scroll may be unrolled [at one time during the reading of the lection] but there is no objection to the reading of ten [columns] in one [lection].

לא יניח כותב בין דין על וקולמוס על גבי הכתב ולא יאחז בקלפים ויתירן אלא יאחז בקלפים ויוציא כתב מבחוץ לא יוציאנו מתוכו ויחלצו וכולם במגיהים ספרים מותר.

A scribe may not put upon the written part [of a Torah scroll] a reed-pen with ink on it;17So according to Sof. III, 11. The text in V is meaningless. nor may he take hold of the sheets of parchment and thereby unroll [the scroll]; nor may he18This is the reading in Sof. III, 11. V reads ‘but he should’. grasp the parchments to extract the written sheets;19Which are rolled up; lit. ‘and bring forth the writing without’. nor may he remove a scroll from its [case] by shaking it out. All these [restrictions], however, are relaxed in the case of official revisers of Scriptural scrolls.

לא יתננו על גבי הכסא ויתן אציליו עליו ויהא קורא בו כדברי רבי נחמיה לא יתננו על גבי הכסא ויהא (נוטלו) [תלוי] וקורא בו כשם שקוראין בשטרות שאין נוהגין בזיון בספרים:

It is not permissible to place a Torah scroll on a chair and to lean on it with one’s elbows while reading; so according to R. Nehemiah. It is not permissible to place it over a chair [with its sheets] hanging down while it is read in the manner of ordinary documents, because [sacred] books must not be treated with disrespect.

לא יתננו על גבי מטה ולא במרגלות המטה ולא תחת המטה שישב אדם על גבי המטה והספר עליה. מעשה ברבי אליעזר שישב לו על גבי המטה והספר עליה ועמד כאדם שנשכו נחש שנאמר את שבתותי תשמורו ומקדשי תיראו לא משבתות אתה ירא אלא ממי שצוה עליו שנא׳ זה אלי ואנוהו אתנאה לו כדברי רבי ישמעאל רבי עקיבא אומר אדבר בנאות שלו אבא שאול אומר אדמה לו מה הוא חנון ורחום אף אתה היה חנון ורחום:

A Torah scroll may not be placed on a bed and [certainly]20Cf. N.Y. on Sof. III, 13. The insertion of ‘certainly’ avoids an anticlimax. not at its foot or under it; nor may one sit21lit. ‘that one may sit’. on a bed while a [Torah] scroll rests on it. It is related that R. Eliezer22In Sof. III, 13, ‘R. Eleazar’. once sat [unknowingly] on a bed on which a [Torah] scroll lay, and [when he realized it] he jumped up as if a snake had bitten him. [Such respect is shown for the Torah] because Scripture declares, Ye shall keep My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary23Lev. 19, 30.—it is not the Sabbaths that one reverences but Him Who commanded [to observe them], for Scripture declares, This is my God, and I will glorify Him24Ex. 15, 2. [which means,]25Connecting we’anwehu (I will glorify Him) homiletically with na’eh (beautiful) and understanding it as ‘I will serve Him in a beautiful manner’. I will perform the commandment in a beautiful way to His glory.26lit. ‘before Him’. Such is the interpretation of R. Ishmael. R. ‘Aḳiba expounds it: I will expatiate on His excellencies.27Heb. na’oth, lit. ‘beauties’, excellent attributes. Abba Saul explains it: I will be like Him,28He explains we’anwehu as the equivalent of ’ani wahu (I and He). i.e. as He is gracious and merciful so be thou gracious and merciful.

אין נוהגין בזיון באוכלין לא ישב אדם על גבי קופה מלאה תמרים וגרוגרות אבל יושב הוא על גבי קופה מלאה קטניות ואף על גבי עיגול דבילה מפני שנהגו בו כן:

Foodstuffs may not be treated with disrespect. One may not sit on a basket containing dates or dried figs;29Because they might be crushed and spoilt. but he may sit on a basket that contains pulse and also on a cake of pressed figs, because it is customary to do so in such cases.30Pulse and dried figs are not spoilt by sitting on them.

אין מכסין באוכלים ר׳ מאיר אומר כל שיש לו קליפה מותר ר׳ יהודה אומר כל שיש לו עוקץ או יד מותר אין אוכלין אוכלים באוכלים אלא אם כן אוכלן בבת אחת.

Foodstuffs may not be used as a covering. R. Meir says: Any fruit which has a husk may be [used as a covering]. R. Judah says: Any fruit which has a stem or a stalk31Whereby it can be lifted if it should happen to fall into the contents of the vessel it covered. may be [used as a covering].32Since it would not be necessary to throw it away after use. Foodstuffs may not be eaten with the aid of foodstuffs33Using them, e.g., in place of a spoon. unless they are consumed simultaneously.34And would not be thrown away.