I've decided to postpone the series on checking tefillin for a week or so, when I get a load of new parshiyos which should provide some material. In the meantime, here is a halachic question for my vast readership. Come on, at least two of you are rabbis. :)
There are various foul-smelling chemicals available to sofrim to clean klaf, smooth it, or produce other desired effects. Every once in a while, a new additive comes out and people wonder if it constitutes a chatzitza. The latest round of this debate is about a product which raises a variety of other questions, but one remark that I read piqued my interest: "A layer one millimeter thick is obviously a chatzitza and one molecule is obviously not, but what is the cut-off?"
There are various foul-smelling chemicals available to sofrim to clean klaf, smooth it, or produce other desired effects. Every once in a while, a new additive comes out and people wonder if it constitutes a chatzitza. The latest round of this debate is about a product which raises a variety of other questions, but one remark that I read piqued my interest: "A layer one millimeter thick is obviously a chatzitza and one molecule is obviously not, but what is the cut-off?"
- Is that premise true? Or is a contiguous layer deliberately applied to the klaf (or the hand, or anything else where these laws come into play) a chatzitza regardless of its thickness? Do those criteria even matter?
- Even granting the premise, is that discussed anywhere?
Actually... ink on the hands of a sofer STa"M does not constitute a hatzitza, as it is normal for a sofer's hand to have ink on it. The same would apply to paint spills for a painter, &c.
ReplyDeleteAs for the dividing line for thickness: I recall hearing a case that there were once a bunch of Maskilim who threw bread into the town well just as Pesah started as to stuff up the observant Jews. Big trouble--after all, hametz is prohibited I'm even the minutest of ratios. The rabbi ruled that they needn't be concerned because 'even a kol shehu has a shi'ur.'
So where do we draw the line? Common sense, I would say. Unfortunately, that seems to be in short supply these days. If you fill an oil tanker with wine and them use a syrinx to add .5cc of yen nesech, would that be problematic? I'd say no, but I'm sure there would be those who rule against it....