Q&A: The Commandment of Writing a Torah Scroll
The Commandment of Writing a Torah Scroll
Question
Hello,
There is a commandment for each person to write a Torah scroll for himself (or through an agent).
I wanted to ask whether there is a justification for the fact that nowadays people are not so careful about this commandment.
And is it really the case that because it is preferable to do it oneself rather than through an agent, each person is obligated, or at least it would be fitting, to learn how to write a Torah scroll and to write one? After all, just learning how to write takes many hours, and then there is the writing itself.
Thank you.
Answer
The medieval authorities (Rishonim) already wrote that nowadays one fulfills this obligation by purchasing books of the Oral Torah. The purpose of the matter is to contribute to Torah study, and writing a Torah scroll does not contribute to that nowadays in any way.