Textual Transmission
转诇诪讜讚 讘讘诇讬 诪住讻转 住谞讛讚专讬谉 讚祝 讻讘
转谞讬讗, 专讘讬 讗讜诪专: 讘转讞诇讛 讘讻转讘 讝讛 谞讬转谞讛 转讜专讛 诇讬砖专讗诇, 讻讬讜谉 砖讞讟讗讜 – 谞讛驻讱 诇讛谉 诇专讜注抓, 讻讬讜谉 砖讞讝专讜 讘讛谉 – 讛讞讝讬专讜 诇讛诐… 诇诪讛 谞拽专讗 砖诪讛 讗砖讜专讬转 – 砖诪讗讜砖专转 讘讻转讘. 专讘讬 砖诪注讜谉 讘谉 讗诇注讝专 讗讜诪专 诪砖讜诐 专讘讬 讗诇讬注讝专 讘谉 驻专讟讗 砖讗诪专 诪砖讜诐 专讘讬 讗诇注讝专 讛诪讜讚注讬: 讻转讘 讝讛 诇讗 谞砖转谞讛 讻诇 注讬拽专, 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转 讻”讝) 讜讜讬 讛注诪讜讚讬诐; 诪讛 注诪讜讚讬诐 诇讗 谞砖转谞讜 – 讗祝 讜讜讬诐 诇讗 谞砖转谞讜. 讜讗讜诪专 (讗住转专 讞’) 讜讗诇 讛讬讛讜讚讬诐 讻讻转讘诐 讜讻诇砖讜谞诐, 诪讛 诇砖讜谞诐 诇讗 谞砖转谞讛 – 讗祝 讻转讘诐 诇讗 谞砖转谞讛.
Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 21a-b
We have been taught that Rabbi said: Originally the Torah was given to Israel in the [Assyrian] script. But when they sinned, it was turned for them into roetz [broken, rugged script]. After they repented [in the days of Ezra], the Ashurit characters were restored to them . . . Why is it called Ashurit? Because its script is meusheret, “square, upright.” But Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar said in the name of Rabbi Eleazar ben Perata, who said it in the name of Rabbi Eleazar of Modim: The script of the Torah was never essentially changed, for Scripture records, “The vavs [hooks] of the posts” (Exod. 27:10), which implies that their [letter] vav was even then upright like a pillar. And Scripture says, “Unto the Jews, according to their writing and language” (Esther 8:9); even as their language had not changed, so their writing had not changed.
In what font does the Torah need to be written?
A glance inside a Torah scroll reveals that the font is indeed different than what is printed in standard siddurim and other Hebrew texts. It is clearly a beautiful and highly stylized calligraphy, but as this midrash makes clear it is also part of the tradition handed down from generation to generation.
Which is not to say that the font was given to Moses at Sinai, which is what the opening line of the midrash implies. The midrash reveals that the early rabbis knew what archeologists have come to understand, that the Hebrew writing used in ancient Israel was different than the one born from Aramaic which we have inherited. If we don’t force a literal reading here, we see the rabbis’ basic question: why was there one font long ago鈥攂efore Ezra (a not unimportant turning point in biblical transmission)鈥攁nd another one now?
The answer Rabbi invents has a moral: our sins affect the very letters of the Torah tradition. When we are meushar (square, upright), so are the letters of our holiest text, and when we are not, neither are they. Rabbi Eleazar of Modim, on the other hand, insists on an unchanging tradition (and uses a verse from this week’s parashah to bolster his case). As Conservative Jews, we relish鈥攁long with Rabbi鈥攖he fact that our tradition has changed over time. But like Rabbi Eleazar of Modim, we also want to feel that our Judaism has an unbreakable link with the past. In continuing to read the words of Torah鈥攊n Ashurit from the Torah scroll as it is chanted in synagogue, and in a variety of fonts as we read from humashim and parashah commentaries鈥攚e ultimately manage to navigate the combined message of both. The final rabbinic lesson is that in learning from one generation to the next the teachings of those who have come before us, we retain a script and a community which is 尘别耻蝉丑补谤鈥�solid, balanced, and upright.
