How did you become a soferet?

I started learning calligraphy at age ten, became a professional calligrapher at 17, and then started studying both the Jewish law pertaining to scribing and the practical skills of writing with quills on parchment in 2015. For more information on my scribal journey, see the About Ariela page.

Can Women Be Scribes?

The answer to this question varies depending on whom you ask. Generally someone Orthodox will say no, while Conservative and Reform Jews will say yes.

In the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Gittin, page 45B, Rav Hamnuna taught:

“Sifrei Torah, t’fillin, and mezuzot written by [a heretic,] an informer, a non-Jew or a slave, a woman or a child, a Cuthean, or an apostate Jew, are invalid, as it is said [in Deuteronomy 6:8-9], ‘Bind them…write them.’ Anyone who is commanded to bind [t’fillin] is commanded to write [sifrei Torah, t’fillin, and mezuzot], and anyone who is not commanded to bind is not commanded to write.

I read the list as being examples of the principle stated later rather than prescriptive in and of itself. Since I consider myself obligated to by the commandment to “bind them” and I lay t’fillin every morning, I consider myself eligible to write sifrei kodesh (sacred texts).

For more on this topic, see Jen Taylor Friedman’s excellent sources on the subject.

What’s this ST”AM Term that I Keep Seeing?

ST"aM is an acronym for Sifrei (Torah), T’fillin, and Mezuzot. These are the three principle types of texts that scribes write.

What Does It Take To Become a Scribe?

There are two sets of skills required to become a scribe: knowledge of the laws regarding the writing of sacred texts, and the practical skills to write Hebrew clearly with a quill or reed on parchment. The former requires extensive study of the body of Jewish law pertaining to the letterforms and the process of writing. The latter requires many hours of practice. Usually one apprentices with an experienced scribe to learn.

What Happens if You Make a Mistake While Writing?

From a practical standpoint, mistakes are easy to fix: you scrape the ink off the parchment with a scalpel and then re-write. From the standpoint of Jewish law, whether or not you can correct a mistake depends on what you are writing and when you catch the mistake. If the mistake cannot be corrected, the parchment is committed to a genizah.

Can You Write Torah While On Your Period?

Yes. Menstrual impurity is a completely different class than anything to do with a Torah, t’fillin, or any other sacred text.

In point of fact, ejaculation is a much bigger problem from an impurity standpoint when it comes to writing Torah. However, while nearly every female-presenting scribe I know gets asked about menstruation constantly, I have yet to hear of even a single male-presenting scribe getting asked if he can write Torah after ejaculating.