I once read a story about R. Moshe Feinstein, that he heard that someone had permitted writing a get with a typewriter, and he had very harsh words about it. Someone then asked him, nu, what is wrong with it, and he said, it is a good question to discuss, but it is a clear breach of masorah.
It would be interesting to see a discussion about just why the robo-Torah is not kosher.
However, one must take exception to these statements:
“In order for the Torah to be holy, it has to be written with a goose feather on parchment, the process has to be filled with meaning and I’m saying prayers while I’m writing it,” said Rabbi Reuven Yaacobov.
A goose feather is not required, in fact Sephardi sifrei torah are written with a reed. Besides, no reason why a robot could not use a goose feather.
Prayers are not meakev, either. Kavannah probably is
Which brings one to the question of whether pressing a button on a machine can render the product lishmah. That is a widely discussed question in several areas, including matzoh and tsitsis.
(There may be other reasons it is possul, just want to get the ball rolling.)
Human effort (koach gavra) is required. Even to the point that spilling ink isn’t good. Which is where the whole stenciled Torah controversy came from.
“Robot writes Torah in Berlin museum”
I once read a story about R. Moshe Feinstein, that he heard that someone had permitted writing a get with a typewriter, and he had very harsh words about it. Someone then asked him, nu, what is wrong with it, and he said, it is a good question to discuss, but it is a clear breach of masorah.
It would be interesting to see a discussion about just why the robo-Torah is not kosher.
However, one must take exception to these statements:
“In order for the Torah to be holy, it has to be written with a goose feather on parchment, the process has to be filled with meaning and I’m saying prayers while I’m writing it,” said Rabbi Reuven Yaacobov.
A goose feather is not required, in fact Sephardi sifrei torah are written with a reed. Besides, no reason why a robot could not use a goose feather.
Prayers are not meakev, either. Kavannah probably is
Which brings one to the question of whether pressing a button on a machine can render the product lishmah. That is a widely discussed question in several areas, including matzoh and tsitsis.
(There may be other reasons it is possul, just want to get the ball rolling.)
Human effort (koach gavra) is required. Even to the point that spilling ink isn’t good. Which is where the whole stenciled Torah controversy came from.