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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The popular hareidi Mishpacha magazine has an
article today about how NASA's technology is enhancing Dead Sea scroll images
making them more readable.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It has a picture of a fragment which, on close
examination, seems to be pieces of Psalms 102. Although all the words are
in Ktav Ashuri, the four-letter written name of HaShem is clearly spelled out
(line 6) in ancient Ktav Ivri. This way of writing His Name was
common practice in all the scrolls - probably to emphasize the prohibition of
its pronunciation. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Had the editor of Mishpacha been been able to
read it, he surely would not have included this picture.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My question to everyone: Does the
page require Geniza? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>More to the point, does anyone deal with the
question of the Kedusha of Ktav Ivri in our times? An era in
which most Jews do not even know what it is. Keep in mind that, according
to Yerushalmi, this is the script the Luchos were written in - MIchtav Elokim,
no less (Bavli differs on this point).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Even if these scrolls may have been written by
Zdokim and may require Sreifa, it is still prohibited to treat them
disrespectfully.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(I am not writing the magazine because
they probably will not know what I'm talking about.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Aryeh Herzig</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>