Shatnez gatz

One of the few places in Torah where all the letters with crowns - שעטנז גץ - are within a few millimetres of each other. Pretty, isn't it?

This one's in Devarim, 22:11-12:לא תלבש שעטנז צמר ופשתים יחדו: גדלים תעשה לך על ארבע כנפות כסותך אשר תכסה בה.

yom hazikaron

I wrote this bit today. Very appropriate. I don't plan it this way, you know.

When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

Overdue update!

All pretty quiet on the home front here, as we slip into the last few weeks of Torah writing. I've spent today at one end of a huge table, correcting Torah sheets I wrote a while ago.

At the other end of the table was Sofer Boyfriend, correcting a Scroll of Kohelet he wrote a while ago.

Sunshine, lovely spring breezes, birdsong, and the scratchings of scalpels and occasional "What do you think about this?"-type conversation snatches all add up to a very congenial atmosphere from which to produce Torah.

Logistically speaking, writing has been suspended while the present sheets are being proofread. This is called planning ahead - the computer-checking people are Very Very Busy right before Shavuot, so the sensible thing to do is get practically all of your sefer to the checkers well in advance. By Monday, the checkers will have 88% of the sefer, and we'll be able to do the last bits in a decently leisurely sort of fashion.