Halachah 1 — The Four Parashiyot of Tefillin
Tefillin contain four specific Torah passages:
- Kadesh Li and V’hayah ki y’viacha from Exodus,
- Shema and V’hayah im shamo’a from Deuteronomy.
Each passage must be written separately, placed in leather compartments, and worn on the head and arm.
Any defect in even a single point of a letter invalidates all the tefillin.
Halachah 2 — Perfection Required for Mezuzah and Sefer Torah
A mezuzah contains two passages, and a Torah scroll contains the entire Torah.
If even one letter is incomplete or malformed:
- the mezuzah is invalid,
- the Torah scroll is invalid.
The Torah requires absolute textual perfection.
Halachah 3 — Ten Halachot Given at Sinai
There are ten halachot governing tefillin, all given to Moshe at Sinai:
- Two relate to the writing itself,
- Eight relate to the coverings and straps.
Failure to follow any of them invalidates the tefillin.
Halachah 4 — The Ink Requirement
Sacred texts must be written with ink.
Ideal ink is produced from soot combined with sap and honey, dried, stored, then rehydrated for use, so it can be scraped off if needed.
Ink made with gallnut juice and vitriol (which cannot be erased) is valid after the fact.
Only black ink is valid.
If even one letter is written:
- in another color,
- or in gold,
the tefillin, mezuzah, or Torah scroll is invalid.
Halachah 6 — Types of Parchment
There are three parchment types:
- G’vil (full hide),
- Klaf (inner split),
- Duchsustos (outer split).
They are derived from processed animal hide.
Halachah 7 — Klaf and Duchsustos
When a hide is split:
- the hair side becomes duchsustos,
- the flesh side becomes klaf.
Each must undergo proper tanning to be valid.
Halachah 8 — Proper Parchment for Each Article
By halachah given at Sinai:
- Torah scroll → written on g’vil, hair side,
- Tefillin → written on klaf, flesh side,
- Mezuzah → written on duchsustos, hair side.
Writing on the wrong side invalidates the article.
Halachah 9 — Permitted Deviations
Although g’vil is ideal for a Torah scroll:
- a Torah written on klaf is still kosher,
- but one written on duchsustos is invalid.
A mezuzah written on klaf or g’vil is valid after the fact.
Halachah 10 — Source of the Hide
Sacred texts may be written only on hides from kosher animals or birds.
They may be used even if:
- the animal was not slaughtered properly,
- or died naturally.
Fish skin is invalid due to foul secretions.
Halachah 11 — Intent in Processing the Parchment
Parchment for:
- Torah scrolls,
- and tefillin
must be processed with explicit intention for that purpose.
If processed without intent—or by a gentile—it is invalid.
Mezuzah parchment does not require this intent.
Halachah 12 — Ruling and Copying
Torah scrolls and mezuzot must be written on ruled parchment.
Tefillin need not be ruled.
A Torah scroll may not be written from memory—not even one letter.
Tefillin and mezuzot may be written without copying from a text, since their passages are well‑known.
Halachah 13 — Who May Write Sacred Texts
Texts written by:
- a heretic → must be burned,
- a gentile, apostate, informer, slave, woman, or minor → must be buried.
Only those who are obligated in tefillin and who believe in the Torah may write.
Sacred items found in a gentile’s possession are assumed kosher.
Halachah 14 — Invalid Materials
Any sacred text written:
- on non‑kosher hide,
- on improperly processed parchment,
- or without required intention,
is invalid.
Halachah 15 — Intent When Writing God’s Name
When writing God’s Name, the scribe must have explicit intent.
If even one Divine Name is written without intent, the entire article is invalid.
The scribe may not respond even to a king while writing the Name.
Halachah 16 — Corrections and Insertions
God’s Name:
- may not be split between line and margin,
- may be inserted only fully between lines in a Torah scroll.
In tefillin and mezuzot, no insertions are permitted—any omission requires rewriting.
Halachah 17 — Respectful Handling
A scribe may not turn sacred parchment face‑down.
He must cover or fold it to preserve respect.
Halachah 18 — A Scribe’s Testimony
A scribe who claims he lacked intent while writing:
- is not believed to invalidate the text,
- but forfeits his wages.
He is believed if he admits lack of intent in parchment preparation, since that nullifies his payment entirely.
Halachah 19 — Script and Letter Integrity
All sacred texts must be written in Assyrian script.
Letters must be:
- fully surrounded by parchment,
- clearly distinguishable,
- readable by an average child.
Any letter resembling another invalidates the text.
Halachah 20 — Holes in Parchment
One may not write over a hole unless the ink spans it cleanly.
If a hole develops later:
- it is acceptable if it does not alter the letter’s form,
- or reduce a letter’s leg below the minimum size.
Chicken skin parchment is valid.
