The Ktav
Czech Torah Project at Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda f The Ktav f « מחדש הבריאה (the re-creation) »* A sefer Torah contains precisely 304, 805 Hebrew letters in a special script (ktav), all following a myriad of halachic rules where the major halacha are found in the Talmud and the Masechet Soferim (The Tractate of the Scribes). The letters are in Ktav Ashurit , and we note differences in calligraphy; for example, the calligraphy differs between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Torah scrolls. There are also differences in the writing implements used. An Ashkenazi scribe (sofer) will use quills whereas a Sephardi sofer will use reeds. Tagin —decorative « crowns » are placed on letters and are composed of strokes resembling the small letter zayin . These tagin also have significance in Talmud and Kabbalah and over time, there have been various studies ( limudim) for them. When we look at the Czech Torah, we imme