Symmetrically Designed Sifrei Torah: A Quantitative Analysis - Hakirah
Symmetrically Designed Sifrei Torah: A Quantitative Analysis - Hakirah
Symmetrically Designed Sifrei Torah: A Quantitative Analysis - Hakirah
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<strong>Symmetrically</strong> <strong>Designed</strong> <strong>Sifrei</strong> <strong>Torah</strong>: A <strong>Quantitative</strong> <strong>Analysis</strong> : 199<br />
Rambam in the 9 th chapter tries to remedy the situation by<br />
offering details on how to construct such a Sefer <strong>Torah</strong>. He ultimately<br />
reports:<br />
ט׃י ספר תורה שכתבתי אני--רוחב כל דף ודף מדפיו, ארבע אצבעות;<br />
ושירת הים ושירת האזינו, רוחב כל דף משתיהן שש אצבעות; ומניין<br />
השיטין שבכל דף ודף, אחת וחמישים; ומניין הדפין של כל הספר,<br />
מאתיים שישה ועשרים דף; ואורך כל הספר, אלף ושלוש מאות ושישים<br />
ושש אצבעות, בקירוב.<br />
However, Hagaos Maimones after following Rambam’s<br />
instructions reports:<br />
הנה אני עשיתי בספר תורה שכתבתי בכל המידות האלה ולא איתרמי לי.<br />
Considering all of the above, the introduction of a new script<br />
in the time of Ezra with different-size letters made all existing S”T<br />
templates obsolete. In Section 1 we identified the rishonim of Kiddushin<br />
30a as very early Chachamim most likely dating to the time of Ezra.<br />
But why would these Chachamim specifically be designated rishonim,<br />
firsts? There were certainly Chachamim before them as well. We<br />
suggest that “rishonim” refers to the first Chachamim who had to deal<br />
with the new S”T and developed a methodology to guide the scribes<br />
in their work. We will now begin to demonstrate how the assertions<br />
about middle letters, words and verses achieved this goal<br />
Table 3 lists the three verses mentioned in Kiddushin 30a and<br />
how many verses precede them in our current Sefer <strong>Torah</strong>.<br />
Table 3<br />
Number of פסוקים Preceding Given Midpoints<br />
Preceded in the <strong>Torah</strong> by the<br />
Property<br />
Number of פסוקים listed below<br />
ויקרא י׃טז - Word Middle<br />
2990 ויקרא יא׃מב - Letter Middle<br />
3036 ויקרא יג׃לג - פסוק Middle<br />
3082 A critical point not recognized by anyone to date is that each<br />
of the numbers in Table 3 is פסוקים exactly 46 after the one that<br />
precedes it, and that all three numbers are divisible by 46. As a point
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