Today I got well into the 4th page -

There were some odd problems with the first column and the writing came out below my normal standard of acceptability.  I debated rewriting it for a long time before deciding, in the interests of time, on correcting and rewriting only the parts that bothered me the most…

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Put the finishing touches on the third parchment sheet today and started on the fourth.   This yeria takes us through the flood & drunkenness of Noach (Noah) and up to the birth of Avram.

All-in-all, the writing is going well, but the klaf here exhibited a few oddities.  In particular it was prone to smudges – which indicates that it is a little too moist.  I was able to clean off most of it off.  These sorts of problems are always par for the course when working with non-synthetic materials.

[See here for more pictures...]
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Noah's exit from the Ark, building of an alter, and offering of sacrifices

Hi Everyone!

With the bulk of the holiday season now sadly past, I’m  back on the job again.  Today I pushed well into the 10th column.  After this coming shabbos I hope to complete this yeria (sheet), put in all of the taggim, clean up stray marks, and move onto the next sheet.

...and Noah drank from the wine and became drunk...

Please enjoy these photographs – this section of the Torah is concerned primarily with the events following Noah and his families exit from the ark at the end of the flood…
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Start of the Sixth Amud

Sixth amud is well under way!  The frustrating kulmus mechanics that plagued the first several columns have finally abated and the ksav is getting better and better.

The Yeria and the Sixth Column Blocked Out for Writing

I have two more videos to post on the forms of the letters, but am having some bizarre web-cam problems.   After some quality phone time with Logitech, I have the problem fixed, so look for the new videos to go up in the morning.

Incidentally…
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Was out of town over the weekend – but am back at at the writing table again.   Today I wrapped up Parshas Bereishis – the first section of the traditional division of the Torah.

The Torah is read publicly every Shabbos of the Jewish year.  The Rambam (known to the rest of the world as  Maimonidies), in his Mishna Torah,  Laws of Tefillin, Mezuza, and Sifrei Torah, Chapter 8, provides a division of the Torah into 54 parshiyos (divisions) based upon Masoretic traditions evidenced by the Aleppo Codex.  Following this division, the public reading of the entire Torah is completed each year of the Hebrew Calendar with adjustments made to accommodate leap years and the schedule of holidays.

The first of these 54 divisions is Bereishis (Genesis 1:1 – 6:8), which spans the creationg of the world to the generation of Noach.

I will be posting photos of the completed parsha tomorrow afternoon along with some new videos.

Check back then!