Mezuzah Study Guide


Mezuzah Study Guide
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This study guide aims to steer you through the calligraphy and halakha you need to know to write kosher mezuzot. The skills transfer directly to tefillin and Torahs, which are just longer projects.

I am writing this guide primarily for the people who would like to have weekly in-person lessons with me, but because of geography, finances, disability, or other commitments, can’t. Thus, the guide is structured in sections, introducing new halakhot roughly the way I would if I was teaching you directly. As with any mimetic tradition, you should ideally check in with someone who knows the skills and materials periodically. At the end of each chapter would probably be good.

This book is based on how I usually teach people to write mezuzot. So it introduces relevant halakhot at about the time people usually need to learn them, vis-à-vis their progress in calligraphy. If you’re already a superstar calligrapher, skip the sections you don’t need on calligraphy. If you learn halakha better by sitting down and learning a sefer from start to finish, you can do that.

At the end of this book you should have the skills to write kosher mezuzot with mentoring. You will not have the skills to be a wholly independent mezuzah-writer but you will be well on the way.

Questions, lesson requests, and constructive feedback may all be sent to jen@hasoferet.com.

Table of Contents

Page 7 of the mezuzah study guide. Section heads visible include "A brief history of kosher script" and "Paleo-Hebrew."
Study guide sample page

Introduction
Chapter 0: Supplies and sources
Chapter 1: Alef-bets
Chapter 2: Spatial awareness
Chapter 3: Nice writing
Chapter 4: When letters are too friendly
Chapter 5: Knife work
Chapter 6: Practice mezuzah
Chapter 7: Another practice mezuzah
Chapter 8: Dealing with mistakes
Chapter 9: Enough practice mezuzot already
Chapter 10: A real mezuzah
Chapter 11: Everything is holy
Chapter 12: Advancing
Appendix 1: Grids for writing
Appendix 2: Mishnat Soferim – letter forms
Appendix 3: Quills

Jen Taylor Friedman's Torah site