[Avodah] Ksav Ivri and Ksav Ashuri

[Aryeh Herzig]

Much has been written about this topic. There is even a sefer that came out
two years ago called Ksav Ivri Ksav Ashuri by Rav Zvi Einfeld published by
Feldhheim.

There seem to be two approaches to this issue (based on interpetations of
Sanhedrin 21-22).

1) "Ksav HaNishtavan" (Ezra 4) which can be interpeted to mean the "changed
writing" was revealed by the writing hand on the wall in the time of
Belshazzar.  It was a heavenly signal that henceforth our script will be
Ashuri.

2) Avraham Avinu came from Mesopotamia bringing with him Ksav Ashuri.  Ksav
Ivri was the local way the Canaanim wrote.  Avraham's children adopted the
Ivri for everyday and retained Ashuri for holy writings and the written
Torah.

This may also be the basis of the differences in opinion between Bavli and
Yerushalmi on what letters had miraclous floating centersin the Luchos.
Bavli says the Samech which in Ashuri has a middle part completely
surrounded by the letter.  Yerushalmi says Ayin which, in Ivri, looks like
the English "O", completely surrounded by the letter.

The use of Ivri in writing the Holy Name by the authors of the dead sea
scrolls may have been a mechanism of writing it but avoiding pronouncing it
since, by the time they were written, Ivri was pretty much an unused form of
writing.  It is doubtful that the even the Tzadokim pronounced the Holy Name
outside the Beis HaMikdosh because even the Samaritans (Cuthim) are still
careful not to pronounce it.

As an aside, a number of years ago the Israeli govenment was about to issue
a medal or coin commemorating the archaeological discovery of a silver
scroll in ksav Ivri with Birkas Cohanim.  It was to contain the contents of
the scroll and, on the other side, the same words in our present-day
Ashuri.  Rabbonim protested that  the Holy Name would be written in such a
non-Kadosh fashion.  So, A Heh apostrophe was writtten instead.  But the
protesting Rabbonim had no problem - or perhaps never even realized - with
the Holy Name being clearly spelled out in Ksav Ivri. Isn't it ironic? We
are even careful not to write out the English word G - O - D, and, here, the
Shem HaEtsem is being written exactly as it was written in the Luchos
(according to Yerushalmi) and it was not an issue.  Perhaps if 99.99% can't
read it there is no Kedusha any more?

.............Now that is an interesting Shaaleh for Rabbonim to ponder.
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