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Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 270
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Read the full text in the readerYoreh De'ah Siman 270
Yoreh De'ah Siman 270 is a source-text unit from the Shulchan Arukh with 2 seifim. Its reading map separates the practical rule, its conditions and the points that need comparison with the surrounding text.
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Original text
<b>שכר מצות כתיבת ס"ת. ובו ב' סעיפים:</b><br>מצות עשה על כל איש מישראל לכתוב לו ספר תורה ואפילו הניחו לו אבותיו ספר תורה מצוה לכתוב משלו ואינו רשאי למכרו אפי' יש לו הרבה ספרי תורה (ואפילו אין לו מה יאכל רק ע"י הדחק) (הגהות מיימוני פ"ו) ואפילו למכור ישן כדי לקנות חדש אסור אבל ללמוד תורה או לישא אשה מותר למכור אם אין לו דבר אחר למכור: הגה וה"ה לצורך פדיון שבויים מותר למכרו (גם זה שם ותוס' פ"ק דב"ב ואגודה שם) ועיין באלו הדינים בא"ח סימן קנ"ג שכר לו סופר לכתוב לו ספר תורה או שקנאו והוא היה מוטעה והגיהו הרי זה כאלו כתבו (ב"י בשם נ"י) אבל לקחו כך ולא הגיה בו דבר הוי כחוטף מצוה מן השוק (טור בשם ריב"ל פרק הקומץ) ואינו יוצא בזה:
There is a Positive Commandment on every Jewish man to copy a Torah Scroll for himself. Even if his ancestors bequeathed one to him, he is still commanded to copy one of his own. He is not permitted to sell it even if he owns many Torah Scrolls. This is even if he does not have what to eat. (A Torah Scroll can be sold] only under the most dire circumstance)(Haghoth Maimoni Chapter 6). Even selling an old [Torah Scroll] in order to buy a new [Torah Scroll] is forbidden. However [if the scroll is sold in order to acquire funds] to study Torah or to marry a woman the sale is permitted if the seller has nothing else to sell. Rema: For redeeming Jewish captives it is permitted to sell [a Torah Scroll] (See Tosfoth Bava Bathra chapter 1 beginning with "ואגודה שם", and Orah hayim 153). [If] he hired a scribe to copy a Torah Scroll for him or [If] he bought [a Torah Scroll] with copying errors and he proofread it, it is as if he copied [the Torah Scroll] himself (Beith Yosef quoting Nimukei Yosef). However [if] he bought it as is [with errors] and did not proofread it at all, it is like he abducted a Mitzva from the market and he does not fulfill his obligation [of copying a Torah Scroll] (Tur quoting Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi from Menahoth chapter 2)
האידנא מצוה לכתוב חומשי תורה ומשנה וגמרא ופירושיהן ולא ימכרם אם לא ללמוד תורה ולישא אשה:
Nowadays the commandment is to copy the five books of Moses, the Mishna, and the Talmud with its commentaries. [These books] can only be sold [in order to gather funds] to study Torah or to marry a woman.
English translation: Sefaria Community Translation · CC0