Q. Our minhag, following Minhag Chasam Sofer, is to write our Sifrei Torah, Tefilin, and Mezuzos in Kesav Beis Yosef, except that the top-right section of the Tsadi is written as it appears in Kesav Ari.
Can those who are particular to have their Tefilin and Mezuzos written completely in Kesav Beis Yosef be Yotzei with a Kri'as HaTorah from a Sefer Torah written with the Tsadi written our way?
A. Chasam Sofer (2: 8) rules indeed that if the "tzadikin" written with the right yud in reverse do not disqualify a Get, since they follow the opinion of the Mekubalim, as it appears in Mishnas Chassidim (M. Tefilin 1: 10) and in Matzas Shemurim (38a), and since a child would read it as a letter Tzadik the Get is not pasul.
Imrei Shefer (k. 5), Kerem Yaakov (p. 63) and others write that the exact form of the letters is not to be found in Talmud. Therefore, one cannot declare pasul letters that have in different established traditions slightly other forms and minor changes.
Panim Meiros (1: 66) writes in regards to the yudin of the letter alef, written in reverse in a Sefer Torah, that "chalila" to declare pasul the old sefarim written following the opinions of the Sages of a prior generation. After all, he adds, well did the Rosh write that the form of the letters are not the same in all countries. As long as the changes are not major such as a letter "ches" looking as a "hei."
However, Maamar Mordechai (82) writes that in regards to the reversed yudin in the letters Alef and Tzadik, if they can be easily fixed they should be.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is also that minor changes on non-essential traits of a letter do not disqualify it.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
Important Numbers
