Ritual Hebrew calligraphy
When you imagine a sofer, a scribe—what do you think of? Is it someone from your community? Often, it is not. This class will have three components: a practical introduction to sofrut (ritual Hebrew calligraphy), and text learning surrounding the traditional laws of sofrut, and discussion about how as individuals and communities, we can make choices that align with our values. This information is often inaccessible, and this class aims to shift the realities of who writes and repairs Torahs by training students to pursue the skills, and understand the issues needed to do our holiest work.
Here is what you will learn in this course:
1. Practical skills. We will go over the letterforms, and how to write each Hebrew letter. We will also discuss the materials used in writing Torahs and how they are prepared.
2. Rabbinic texts. The main difference between art calligraphy and sofrut is that sofrut is governed by a seat of rabbinic laws. We will discuss the basic concepts, and genres that are pertinent to sofrut.
3. Social/ethical issues. Sofrut today is an interesting industry. We will discuss who is currently doing the work, the social and financial forces at play, as well as some of the ethical issues scribes currently face.
