82

To write a Sefer Torah

The Luchos - Ten Commandments
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Torah – תּוֹרָה

Every male is required to acquire a complete Torah Scroll for himself. Better yet if he can write one himself—then it is considered "as if he received it from Sinai"!

This mitzvah commands every Jew to write a Sefer Torah for himself, ensuring the Torah’s preservation and transmission. Even if one inherits a Torah scroll, he fulfills the mitzvah more completely by writing his own. The act represents personal connection and responsibility for Torah, binding each Jew to the covenant of Sinai. In later generations, this mitzvah is extended to include supporting Torah learning through acquiring books of Torah study.

Commentary & Classical Explanation:

  • Rambam (Hilchot Sefer Torah 7:1): Every man is obligated to write a Sefer Torah, even if his ancestors left him one.
  • Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 613): Explains that the root is to ensure that Torah remains fresh and widely available to every Jew in every generation.
  • Talmud (Sanhedrin 21b): Notes that even a king of Israel must write his own Torah scroll, in addition to the communal one.
(Source: Chabad.org)
וְעַתָּ֗ה כִּתְב֤וּ לָכֶם֙ אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את וְלַמְּדָ֥הּ אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שִׂימָ֣הּ בְּפִיהֶ֑ם לְמַ֨עַן תִּֽהְיֶה־לִּ֜י הַשִּׁירָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את לְעֵ֖ד בִּבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ - פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּלֶךְ
Deuteronomy 31:19 - "And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness for the children of Israel."

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