The letter CHAF

1. The length of its body should be one full quill thickness and no more so it doesn't look like a resh. 2. And one should write it straight - ie that its head and its face should be an even line and its face should not tilt upwards. 3. Initially the right side at the top should be rounded. 4. And one should make it a leg from the right side and 5. slant the leg to the left side and the leg should be short and not long so that it does not look like a vav and be invalidated by a child's reading [it wrong]. 6. Also the yud must have a small tag above on its face 7. and opposite this a small prickle coming down from below and the prickle should be shorter than the tag... (Note: whether the absence of this small prickle invalidates the letter is hotly debated and is used as the prime example of how careful one must be in forming the letters).

The letter CHAF SOFIT

1. One should write it rounded at its back so that it doesn't look like a bet and should [indeed] be rounded at its back on both sides 2. and the space on the inside should no less than a quill thickness. 3. And its face should be equal at the top and bottom. Also one must be careful that one does not shorten its width so that it doesn't look like a nun to a child... if one made it corners at the back above or below it is invalid...

1. Its leg should be long. 2. and its roof short so that it doesn't resemble a [large] resh. (Nevertheless one should not make its roof too short so it doesn't look like a final nun to a child and it is invalidated)... And the scribe must be very careful that initially the thigh is double the length of the roof so that if he were to bend it it would be able to be a normal chaf (Note: therefore one is discouraged from lengthening the letter at the end of a line) 3. The scribe must also be careful that he doesn't make a corner for the final chaf above rather it should be rounded... and if he made a corner above like a dalet it is invalid...