The letter LAMED

The letter MEM

The letter MEM SOFIT

1. Its neck must be as long as a vav 2. and the head of the neck should be rounded on the right side t the top 3. and on the left side a corner for its head like it is the head of a vav 4. for the form of the letter lamed is like a chaf with a vav on top of it and that is the reason the thigh should be rounded at the back on the right side 5. and bent well to the front like the shape of a chaf. However whether one must extend the lower line of the chaf to be equal to the upper line is a matter for dispute. There are authorities who say one must and those who say on the contrary one should only extend it a little.... 6. and on the left side at the place where the chaf and vav join there should be a corner and not a curve.... 7. The join of the vav and chaf should be fine 8. because its form is like the form of a vav where it gets thinner at its end... 9. One should write the head and the neck a little bent to the front 10. and on the head of the neck there should be two taggin, one on the right large and on the left small.

1. Its shape is a bit like a chaf and a vav [joined side by side] therefore the top on the right side should be rounded. 2. But at the bottom it should have a corner without a heel 3. and its roof should be equal and not rounded (only rounded on the right side) 4. and also its roof should be as long as the base of the letter below... 5. and one should take care to join the nose on the left side to its roof. 6. Initially it should extend almost evenly with the roof except that there be between them on the upper side [a break] like a small notch. 7. and the shape of the nose should be like a vav standing slightly leaning at an angle but not too much. 8. and it should reach until it is opposite the base below and until . and one should be very careful that it [the nose] does not touch it [the base]. 9. but in all cases there shouldn't be between a huge gap initially such that the vav slopes a great deal because of it.

It should initially be rounded at the top on the right side 2. and below it should have a corner on the right and left so that it shouldn't look like a samech... The Pri Megidim wrote that it is better that it be square on all sides because it easier to err (by making it a) samech. And in all cases it should be closed on all sides. 3. And its roof should pass initially outside of the closed part a little like the head of a vav. One should not lengthen the roof to the left too much...

Mordechai Pinchas

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nun to samech