Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

For everyone to write a Torah scroll for himself: That we were commanded that each man in Israel must have a Torah scroll (Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments 18). If he wrote it with his [own] hand, this is praiseworthy and very dear; and as they, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 30a), “If he wrote it” — meaning to say, with his hand — “Scripture attributes [it] to him as if he received it from Mount Sinai.” But one who is unable to write with his hand must pay someone to write it for him. And about this it is stated (Deuteronomy 31:19), “And now, write for yourselves this poem and teach it to the Children of Israel” — meaning to say, write for yourselves Torah, which contains this poem.

It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is that] since it is well-known about people that they do all of their things according to what is prepared for them, therefore He, blessed be He, commanded that there be a Torah scroll prepared with him, that he can always read from it and that he not need to walk for it to the house of his fellow; “so that he will learn to fear the Lord,” and know and understand His commandments that are more precious and desirable than much gold and fine gold. And we were commanded — each and every one of Israel — to make efforts about this, even if his fathers left him one. [This is] so that scrolls proliferate among us and we can lend them out to the one whose hand is not able to purchase it; and also in order that each and every one of Israel read from new scrolls, lest their souls be sick of reading in the old scrolls that their fathers left them.

And know, my son, that even though the main obligation from Torah writ is only about a Torah scroll, there is no doubt that each one should also make [copies] of the other books that were composed about the understanding of the Torah — according to [his] ability — from the reasons that we said; and even if his fathers left him many of them. And this is the way of all God-fearing men of stature who were before us, to establish a study hall in their house, for scribes to write many books, according to the blessing of God that He gave to them.

From the laws of the commandment is that which they [explained] (Menachot 30a and see Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:4-9) how do we write a Torah scroll: Its writing [should be] refined, good and pleasant; and he should leave the space of a letter between each and every word, and the space of a line between each and every line. And the length of each line should be thirty letters, enough so as to write, “to their families (lemishpechoteihem)” three times. And that is the width of each and every column, and not that the line be shorter than this, so that the page not be like a letter; and not longer than this, so that his eyes not stray in the writing. If a word of five letters chanced upon him, he should not write two [letters] within the column and three [past] the column, but rather he should write three within the column and two [past] it. If there is not enough [room] in the column in order to write three letters, he leaves the place empty and begins from the beginning of the [next] line. If a word of two letters chanced upon him, he should not throw it between the columns, but rather return to the beginning of the [next] line. If at the end of a line, a word of ten letters — or less or more — chanced upon him, and there is not enough [space] in the line to write all of it within the column: if he can write half of it within the column and half of it [past] the column, he writes [it that way]; but if not, he leaves the place empty and begins [it] from the beginning of the [next] line.

And he leaves four rows empty without writing between each and every book (Chumash) — not less and not more — and begins the [next] book from the beginning of the fifth line. And when he finishes the Torah, he needs to finish it in the middle of the row at the end of the column. If there are many rows left in the column, he should continue to shorten [the content of the script in each line] and begin from the beginning of the line — but not to end the line — and plan [it] until “before the eyes of all Israel” (the Torah’s last words) is in the middle of the line at the end of the column.

And he should be careful (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll 7:8-9) about the big letters and the small letters, the dotted letters and the letters the form of which is unusual, such as the bent [letter] peh, and the twisted letters — like the scribes copied, one man from another. And he should be careful with the crowns and in their numbers — there is a letter that has one crown upon it and there is [another] letter that has seven upon it. And all of the crowns are like the form of a [letter] zayin, [that] are as thin as a strand of hair. And all of these things are only said for an ideal [fulfillment of the] commandment. And [so] if he diverged [erred] in this refinement or was not exacting with the crowns, but he wrote all the letters as fits them; or if he made the lines closer or further or lengthened them or shortened them — since he did not have one letter cling to [another] letter and he did not miss or add or destroy the form of [a single] letter, and he did not make a change in the open paragraphs (petuchot) or in the closed paragraphs (setumot), behold this is a fit Torah scroll. [These] and the rest of the details of the commandment are elucidated in Tractate Menachot [in] the third chapter, and in the first chapter of Bava Batra and in Tractate Shabbat.

And it is practiced at all times and in every place by males, as they are obligated in Torah study — and so too, to write it — but not females. And one who transgresses this and does not write a Torah scroll, if it is possible for him in any way, has violated this positive commandment. And his punishment is very great, as it is the cause of the study of the commandments of the Torah, as we have said. And anyone who fulfills it will be blessed and wise — he and his sons — as it is written, “And now, write for yourselves this poem and teach it to the Children of Israel.”