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Laws of the Mezuzah: Parchment
1. Material
Stam. There are three Mitzvot which involve writing Torah text on
parchment: 1. Sefer Torah; 2. Tefillin; and 3. Mezuzah. Together, they
are known by the acronym
“Stam”. The laws of preparing parchment apply to all three.
The Mezuzah must be written on parchment coming from the skin of a
kosher animal, although
the animal does not need to be ritually slaughtered.
Typically, the skin of a calf or lamb is used. Often, the hide of the unborn calf
found in the mother after slaughtering is used. (Although the skin of a kosher bird
may also be used, this is rarely done in practice.)
No other substance, such as paper, may be used.
2. The Stages of the Process
Each stage in the preparation must be done with
the intent of producing a Mezuzah parchment. It is encouraged to utter a statement
expressing this at the outset.
Sometimes, the hide is first salted, in order to preserve it.
| 1. |
The hide is soaked in water, in order to clean it. |
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| 2. |
The hide is put in a barrel of lime for several days,
in order that the hair
come off easily. Afterwards, the remaining hairs are removed, and the lime
is removed. |
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| 3. |
The skin is now stretched taut and set out to dry.
It is at this stage that the
parchment takes on its distinctive texture. |
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| 4. |
Next, certain layers of the skin are scraped
away, so that the surface most
suitable for writing remains. |
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| 5. |
A powder called pumice, and chalk, are carefully applied to
the parchment, in order to leave a non-oily, smooth surface. |
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© Baal Shem Tov Foundation 2003-2005 |
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