The Script of the Alter Rebbe: Difference between revisions

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~~{{about|the letterform system established by the Alter Rebbe|the instructional book on the subject|[[Kesav Chabad (book)]]}}~~

[[File:ראובן הסופר.PNG|left|thumb|350px|Tefillin parchments attributed to R' [[Reuven HaSofer]] of Yanovitch — the personal scribe of [[the Alter Rebbe]]]]

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Despite the Rebbe's extensive efforts<ref name="igros-sources">See ''Igros Kodesh'' of the Rebbe, vol. 6, p. 69; vol. 8, p. 141; vol. 9, p. 199; ''Yagdil Torah'', no. 26, §6; and other sources.</ref> to locate sofrim who had received the letterform tradition in an unbroken chain of personal transmission, these efforts did not succeed, and the transmission was interrupted at some point over the years.

Nevertheless, original tefillin attributed to R' Reuven HaSofer have survived.<ref name="grienglaz">When Rabbi [[Menachem Zev Grienglaz]] showed photographs of these letters to the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Rebbe remarked that he was uncertain whether these letters were written by R' Reuven HaSofer himself or by his disciple, since their handwriting was so remarkably similar that the two could not be distinguished.</ref> These tefillin were preserved by the Gurary family and were presented before the [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] by Rabbi [[Shneiur Zalman Gurary]].<ref name="gurary-tefillin">This appears to be an additional pair of tefillin beyond those of R' Reuven HaSofer that were in the possession of his relative R' [[Yehoshua Falik Gurary]], whose authenticity was attested by the Rebbe Rashab.</ref>content/uploads//2016/01/29-01-2016-01-06-05-magazine_01_80.pdf See the account detailed on p. 34.] This appears to be an additional pair of tefillin beyond those of R' Reuven HaSofer that were in the possession of his relative R' [[Yehoshua Falik Gurary]], whose authenticity was attested by the Rebbe Rashab.</ref>

Nevertheless, original tefillin attributed to R' Reuven HaSofer have survived.<ref name="grienglaz">When Rabbi [[Menachem Zev Grienglaz]] showed photographs of these letters to the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Rebbe remarked that he was uncertain whether these letters were written by R' Reuven HaSofer himself or by his disciple, since their handwriting was so remarkably similar that the two could not be distinguished.</ref> These tefillin were preserved by the Gurary family and were presented before the [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] by Rabbi [[Shneiur Zalman Gurary]].<ref name="gurary-tefillin">This appears to be an additional pair of tefillin beyond those of R' Reuven HaSofer that were in the possession of his relative R' [[Yehoshua Falik Gurary]], whose authenticity was attested by the Rebbe Rashab.</ref>

The Rebbe's library also contains a [[~~Megillas Esther written by the Rebbe Maharash|~~Megillas Esther written by the Rebbe Maharash]]; however, it is difficult to learn from it regarding the precise letterforms, because when the scroll required extensive restoration, the sofer who received it for repair did not preserve the original letterforms carefully. A second Megillah of the Rebbe Maharash is in the possession of descendants of the Ginzburg family — the Maharash's daughter's family.

The Rebbe's library also contains a [[Megillas Esther written by the Rebbe Maharash]]; however, it is difficult to learn from it regarding the precise letterforms, because when the scroll required extensive restoration, the sofer who received it for repair did not preserve the original letterforms carefully. A second Megillah of the Rebbe Maharash is in the possession of descendants of the Ginzburg family — the Maharash's daughter's family.

The central difficulty in transmitting the tradition through surviving manuscripts is the lack of clarity about which features of the letterforms are essential and which reflect the particular sofer's personal style or aesthetic preference.<ref name="transmission-note">Some argue that the Rebbe's extensive investment in this matter was not to determine '''whether''' these letterforms are definitively accurate and reliable, but rather to '''assist''' sofrim in writing in the Alter Rebbe's script. This reading helps explain why the ''Igros Kodesh'' contains both letters in which the Rebbe investigates specific details of the script and letters in which he directs sofrim to write in the Alter Rebbe's script and instructs Anash (Chabad Chassidim) to endeavor to purchase tefillin and mezuzos in the Alter Rebbe's script specifically.</ref>

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-{{about|the letterform system established by the Alter Rebbe|the instructional book on the subject|[[Kesav Chabad (book)]]}}
 [[File:ראובן הסופר.PNG|left|thumb|350px|Tefillin parchments attributed to R' [[Reuven HaSofer]] of Yanovitch — the personal scribe of [[the Alter Rebbe]]]]
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 Despite the Rebbe's extensive efforts<ref name="igros-sources">See ''Igros Kodesh'' of the Rebbe, vol. 6, p. 69; vol. 8, p. 141; vol. 9, p. 199; ''Yagdil Torah'', no. 26, §6; and other sources.</ref> to locate sofrim who had received the letterform tradition in an unbroken chain of personal transmission, these efforts did not succeed, and the transmission was interrupted at some point over the years.
-Nevertheless, original tefillin attributed to R' Reuven HaSofer have survived.<ref name="grienglaz">When Rabbi [[Menachem Zev Grienglaz]] showed photographs of these letters to the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Rebbe remarked that he was uncertain whether these letters were written by R' Reuven HaSofer himself or by his disciple, since their handwriting was so remarkably similar that the two could not be distinguished.</ref> These tefillin were preserved by the Gurary family and were presented before the [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] by Rabbi [[Shneiur Zalman Gurary]].<ref name="gurary-tefillin">This appears to be an additional pair of tefillin beyond those of R' Reuven HaSofer that were in the possession of his relative R' [[Yehoshua Falik Gurary]], whose authenticity was attested by the Rebbe Rashab.</ref>content/uploads//2016/01/29-01-2016-01-06-05-magazine_01_80.pdf See the account detailed on p. 34.] This appears to be an additional pair of tefillin beyond those of R' Reuven HaSofer that were in the possession of his relative R' [[Yehoshua Falik Gurary]], whose authenticity was attested by the Rebbe Rashab.</ref>
+Nevertheless, original tefillin attributed to R' Reuven HaSofer have survived.<ref name="grienglaz">When Rabbi [[Menachem Zev Grienglaz]] showed photographs of these letters to the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Rebbe remarked that he was uncertain whether these letters were written by R' Reuven HaSofer himself or by his disciple, since their handwriting was so remarkably similar that the two could not be distinguished.</ref> These tefillin were preserved by the Gurary family and were presented before the [[Frierdiker Rebbe]] by Rabbi [[Shneiur Zalman Gurary]].<ref name="gurary-tefillin">This appears to be an additional pair of tefillin beyond those of R' Reuven HaSofer that were in the possession of his relative R' [[Yehoshua Falik Gurary]], whose authenticity was attested by the Rebbe Rashab.</ref>
-The Rebbe's library also contains a [[Megillas Esther written by the Rebbe Maharash|Megillas Esther written by the Rebbe Maharash]]; however, it is difficult to learn from it regarding the precise letterforms, because when the scroll required extensive restoration, the sofer who received it for repair did not preserve the original letterforms carefully. A second Megillah of the Rebbe Maharash is in the possession of descendants of the Ginzburg family — the Maharash's daughter's family.
+The Rebbe's library also contains a [[Megillas Esther written by the Rebbe Maharash]]; however, it is difficult to learn from it regarding the precise letterforms, because when the scroll required extensive restoration, the sofer who received it for repair did not preserve the original letterforms carefully. A second Megillah of the Rebbe Maharash is in the possession of descendants of the Ginzburg family — the Maharash's daughter's family.
 The central difficulty in transmitting the tradition through surviving manuscripts is the lack of clarity about which features of the letterforms are essential and which reflect the particular sofer's personal style or aesthetic preference.<ref name="transmission-note">Some argue that the Rebbe's extensive investment in this matter was not to determine '''whether''' these letterforms are definitively accurate and reliable, but rather to '''assist''' sofrim in writing in the Alter Rebbe's script. This reading helps explain why the ''Igros Kodesh'' contains both letters in which the Rebbe investigates specific details of the script and letters in which he directs sofrim to write in the Alter Rebbe's script and instructs Anash (Chabad Chassidim) to endeavor to purchase tefillin and mezuzos in the Alter Rebbe's script specifically.</ref>