Symmetrically Designed Sifrei Torah: A Quantitative Analysis - Hakirah

178 : Hạkirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought
singular middle belonging to neither half. But the simple implication
of the Gemara is that there are an odd number of letters, i.e. the
Gemara mentions 2 middle words but only a single middle letter and
middle verse. 9 If so, what is Rav Yosef asking? Any attempt to say
that he was questioning into which half the single middle letter
conceptually fits best is insufficient, since there then would be no
benefit of checking out a S”T even if we were experts in additions
and deletions.
As we said previously our Sifrei Torah have approximately
304,805 letters. This makes letter 152,403 the middle letter and places
it at the start of ח׃כט ‏.ויקרא Hence, the Gemara’s middle letter, the וו of
which is approximately letter 157,225 in our S”T, differs from ‏,גחון
our middle letter by over 4,800 letters. If the difference in the count
were due solely to אנן לא בקיאינן vis-a-vis vav’s and yud’s, then our
“error rate” in vav’s and yud’s would be approximately 10 7.7% (i.e.
4,800/(30,509+31,522)). Moreover, 7.7% is only the minimum
number of changes that have to be made. Since there is an equal
chance that the vav, yud switches are on either side of the median
letter, the number of random changes that would result in the middle
moving more than 4,800 letters is considerably higher than 7.7%. It is
difficult to assume that such an error rate is a realistic possibility.
A search of the literature shows little in the way of resolving
the problem. The only solution approach that tries to deflect the
problem is offered in outline form by R’ Eliyahu Posek 11 whereby the
Gemara is referring not to the regular letters in the Torah but rather to
the exceptional letters, e.g. large and small וכתיב letters, 12 ‏,קרי crooked
letters etc. Whereas R’ Posek did not specifically work out the details
9 Although the Gemara gives a single center verse, it says that a S”T has
an even 5,888 verses. This translates into 2 middle points. We will
discuss this later.
10 This number assumes any vav and yud is a potential chaser/yeser. This is
not true because, for example, it does not apply to words starting with
vav or yud. As we shall show later there are 4,194 verses starting with
vav. Thus the true error rate is higher.
11 In פסקי אליהו ג׃א (1928). See also R’ Reuven Margalioth המקרא והמסורה p.
45.
12 For a list of these letters see for example השולחן יו״ד רע ‏.ערוך The וו of
letters. is on the list of large והתגלח of ג as well as the גחון
ג׃כה