The transmission of the Hebrew alphabet within the context of Safrut is a process that ties tradition, Halacha, and Kabbalah. Among all the letters, the letter Chet (ח) has historically served as a focal point for intense halakhic discussion and paleographic variations. This discourse primarily centers on the structural composition of the letter’s "roof" and the specific strokes required to render it valid according to various authorities. Years back I wrote a short post about it but this topic is much more complex and I will go over the main points here.
Origin and Early Sources
The shape of the Chet has evolved from its ancient Ktav Ivri pictographic origins to the standardized "square script" (Ktav Ashurit) used today. The ancient pictograph for Chet was a representation of a fence or a ladder. As the script transitioned into the square letters, the wall became a doorway (or Sha’ar)—a structure through which one passes from the mundane into the holy. Perhaps this is connected to the Ktav Ivri ladder idea - a stepping stone to something greater.
אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: חֲזֵינָא לְהוּ לְסָפְרֵי דַּוְוקָנֵי דְּבֵי רַב, דְּחָטְרִי לְהוּ לְגַגֵּיהּ דְּחֵי״ת, .... חׇטְרִי לְהוּ לְגַגֵּיהּ דְּחֵי״ת, כְּלוֹמַר: חַי הוּא בְּרוּמוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, וְתָלוּ לֵיהּ לְכַרְעֵיהּ דְּהֵ״י
Rav Ashi says: I have seen that the exacting scribes of the study hall of Rav would put a hump-like stroke on the roof of the letter ḥet ... They would put a hump-like stroke on the roof of the letter ḥet as if to thereby say: The Holy One, Blessed be He, lives [ḥai] in the heights of the universe.
The Talmud specifies the necessity of a "chatrei" and the entire legal debate hinges on the philological interpretation of this word.
Linguistically, the term chatoteret (חטוטרת) translates unambiguously to a "hump," specifically referring to the hunch of a camel or a human skeletal deformity characterized by a curved, protruding back. In modern Hebrew lexicons, such as the Wellisch dictionary, the root is heavily associated with the English terms "hunched," "hunchback," or a localized physical bulge (גבנון).
Chatrei mentioned in the Talmud is usually connected to the camel's hump - see Mishna Chullin 9:
וְעוֹר חֲטוֹטֶרֶת שֶׁל גָּמָל הָרַכָּהThe skin of the hump of a young camel that did not yet toughen
The application of a biological term to a calligraphic stroke suggests a very specific morphological requirement. The question is what is the hump alluding to exactly.
The Interpretation of Rashi
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi, 1040–1105) provided a minimalist interpretation of the chatoteret that preserved the ancient, continuous, flat-roofed profile of the Chet that was prevalent in the scrolls. Relying on an alternative philological root, Rashi connected the Aramaic term chatrei to the Hebrew word choter, meaning a staff, rod, or small stick - and not to the camel's hump.
In Rashi's opinion, the chatoteret is a small, upward-pointing flourish or tag protruding solely from the left corner of the letter's fundamentally flat roof. This delicate projection represents the abovementioned pointing toward the Creator, serving a symbolic function without altering the core skeletal geometry of the gate-like letter.
Crucially, Hebrew responsa and historical scribal literature corroborate that Rashi's interpretation reflected the prevailing scribal reality of early ancient scrolls. Modern research confirms that most ancient manuscripts followed Rashi's specifications, featuring a flat roof with a distinct corner tag. The flat-roofed Chet, often associated exclusively with Sephardic and Yemenite traditions in later centuries, was historically prevalent in early Ashkenazic contexts before being entirely supplanted.
The Interpretation of Rabbeinu Tam
Rabbi Jacob ben Meir (Rabbeinu Tam, 1100–1171) disagreed with his grandfather, arguing for a more complex structural interpretation. He interpreted chatrei specifically as chatoteret, meaning a camel's hump as in the Mishna mentioned above. He maintained that if the chatoteret were merely a flourish, the Talmud would not have compared it to a camel's hump, which is a central, defining feature of the animal's silhouette. Instead, Rabbeinu Tam posited that the Chet must be constructed from two separate letters joined at the top by a thin, bridge-like stroke.
In this construction, the bridge itself constitutes the chatoteret. It is rendered as a small, upward-pointing peak or "yoke" connecting the two vertical strokes in the center of the letter. This interpretation emphasizes the union of two distinct entities into a single, unified whole—what is called a “composite letter.” This structural change was significant because it meant that the grandsons (the Tosafists) were essentially using a different visual standard for their Torah scrolls than their grandfather.
The Beit Yosef (siman 36) says that the Gemara in Shabbat 104b can be understood to favor Rabbeinu Tam’s structure:
אָמַר רַב שֵׁשֶׁת: הָכָא בְּמַאי עָסְקִינַן — כְּגוֹן שֶׁנְּטָלוֹ לְגַגּוֹ שֶׁל חֵי״ת וַעֲשָׂאוֹ שְׁנֵי זַיְינִין.
We are dealing with a case where one removed the roof of a ḥet and transformed it into two instances of the letter zayin, effectively writing two letters with a single correction.
Perhaps we can speculate on the reason why Rabbeinu Tam favored a more distinctive Chet letter structure. Modern scholarship and many safrut sefarim (i.e., Meleches Shomayim) suggest that in old scrolls, the left legs of the letters Hey (ה) and Kof (ק) often touched their roofs, pointing to an ancient scribal custom that favored uniformity and simplicity. This presented an halakhic problem because the Talmud in Shabbat 103b says:
״וּכְתַבְתָּם״ — שֶׁתְּהֵא כְּתִיבָה תַּמָּה...
שֶׁלֹּא יִכְתּוֹב אַלְפִין עַיְינִין,.... הֵיהִין חֵיתִין, חֵיתִין הֵיהִין.
...one should not write an alef as an ayin, an ayin as an alef... a heh as a ḥet, a ḥet as a heh...
The flat-roofed Chet could easily be confused with a Hey, which in earlier times could have its lower left stroke touching the roof. This might explain why Rabbeinu Tam favored a well-defined Chet structure even if it broke with the more common writing style of his time—he felt that the unique camel-like feature was what made the Chet different from Hey.
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| Note how the Het and Hey look alike |
The Early Adoption in Ashkenaz
Rabbeinu Tam was the most respected Ashkenazi rabbi of his time, so it is not surpising that Ashkenazi scribes of France, Germany, and later Eastern Europe quickly adopted his opinion. The ancient scribal work Alfa Beta mandated scribes to compromise and write the letter Chet in a way that follows both Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam—a hybrid. This provided a path for Ashkenazi scrolls to utilize the more distinctive Chet of Rabbeinu Tam without a drastic break with the opinion of Rashi and the prevalent script style.
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| Alfa Beta's Compromise |
While earlier scholars estimated a 15th-century standardization in Ashkenaz, paleographic evidence pushes the timeline for the Rabbeinu Tam's Chet much earlier. Key witnesses include:
Memorial Scroll Trust #1540 (MST #1540): A fragmentary Torah scroll whose parchment has been radiocarbon-dated to the last quarter of the 13th century (1255–1295 CE), containing clear examples of the humped Chet.
Erfurt 8 Scroll: An Ashkenazi Torah scroll that certainly predates 1349 CE (the date it was hidden during a plague pogrom), which also features a standardized humped form.
We therefore see early examples of the rapid adoption of Rabbeinu Tam’s Chet in Ashkenazi communities.
The Traditional Sephardic "Vellish" Script and the Flat Chet
While the Ashkenazic world was moving toward the "bridge" Chet, the Sephardic tradition maintained a different trajectory. In the Iberian Peninsula, Provence, and North Africa, scribes utilized a script known as "Vellish" or "Sephardi." This script was characterized by its rounded, fluid appearance and elegant aesthetic. For centuries, the Sephardic Chet was written with a flat, straight roof bar, as the Sephardi scribes were less receptive to the changes championed by the Ashkenazi Tosafists in distant lands.
In fact, often times scribes wrote a simplified Chet without any hump - not of Rashi and not of Rabbeinu Tam. The Halachic authorities discuss if this is acceptable, and Rabbi Akiva Eiger is one of the few who validates it, understanding the Gemara above of writing the Chatrei as a mere suggestion to the very meticulous scribes.
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| Chet without any "hump" |
However, geographic transition zones showed early signs of script changes. In Catalonia, beginning in the late 11th century and continuing through the 14th century, Ashkenazic scribal features began to affect the local Sephardic square script, creating unique regional variations. The Rosh, who moved to Sefarad, noted that he saw different scripts circulating but observed that minor discrepancies do not invalidate a scroll.
The Beit Yosef (siman 36) even mentions a strange Sephardi custom of writing all Chets like Rashi except for the Chet of וְחָרָ֨ה אַף־יְהֹוָ֜ה בָּכֶ֗ם וְעָצַ֤ר אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ in Rabbeinu Tam style—thus confirming the existence of the two competing customs in the same communities.
The Lurianic Revolution and the Mystical Shift
The sixteenth century brought about a seismic shift following the expulsion from Spain. The Sephardic diaspora found a new spiritual anchor in the mystical teachings of Safed, primarily through Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Arizal (1534–1572).4
In Lurianic Kabbalah, the letters were viewed as metaphysical building blocks of creation, serving as vessels that channel divine energy from the infinite (Ein Sof) into the finite material realm.
The Chet, bearing the numerical value (gematria) of eight, occupies a paramount position in this metaphysical system. In Jewish thought, the number seven represents the closed, cyclical system of the natural world (the seven days of creation, the seven-year agricultural cycle). The number eight, however, represents the supernatural, the transcendent, and direct divine influx breaking into the natural order.
The Arizal Chet: Vav, Zayin, and the Chuppah
Because letters serve as actual conduits for divine light, the Arizal adopted structural modifications to the letters to perfectly align the physical ink on the parchment with esoteric intentions (kavanot). While he agreed with Rabbeinu Tam’s composite nature of the letter Chet, the Arizal instructed that the Chet must be formed by a Vav (ו) on the right and a Zayin (ז) on the left—and not by two Zayins.
The Right Leg (Vav): The straight, unadorned Vav represents the male principle and the flow of Yashar (direct, descending) divine light pouring down into creation.
The Left Leg (Zayin): The crowned Zayin represents the female principle, royalty (Malchut), and the reflection of Chozer (returning, ascending) light yearning upward toward the Creator.
The Bridge (Chatoteret): This arch symbolizes the Divine presence "hovering" over the union of the male and female principles, acting quite literally as a Chuppah (marriage canopy) uniting the opposing forces of the cosmos.
In order to mitigate the radical impact of this directive, the Arizal was very clear that these Kabbalistic innovations should only be used in Tefillin, which are sealed and not visible to the wider public. Evidently, there was caution in promoting radical changes which would put into question the validity of both the new and old practices. The Ari considered both Vellish and Ashkenazi scripts perfectly kosher for their respective communities and encouraged them to keep them for all Safrut items except for Tefillin.
At this point in time, the Sephardim were more open to changes in part because of their expulsion from Spain and eventual resettlement in new lands, a situation which provided an opening to adopt new customs. Additionally, their ordeal fueled Messianic sentiment as an attempt to cope with the suffering of exile and the uncertainties of the future facing the community. The Sephardim adopted the Arizal’s customs very quickly and, with it, there was a renewed push to adopt the Chet of Rabbeinu Tam favored by the Arizal in Sephardic communities.
The Vilna Gaon agreed with the understanding of the Arizal mentioned above—the Vav-Zayin composition of the letter Chet—and he writes explicitly that it should not be written as two Zayins.
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| The Ari's Chet |
Alternative Understanding of the Arizal’s Opinion
However, the Kaf Hachaim brings that Rabbi Chaim Vital, the Arizal’s premier student, writes in Sha’ar HaKavanot that the Chet is composed of two Zayins - a seeming contradiction to his teacher's opinion. Additionally, we have brought a Gemara above that seems to indicate that a chet is formed of two zayins and not a vav and a zayin.
Based on this, the Kaf Hachaim (and also the Mikdash Me’at) explain that the Arizal’s only innovation was writing the right-hand Zayin's head not in the usual squared manner but with a rounded corner. The Chet, in their view, is still comprised of two Zayins—but the first Zayin is slightly modified. So when it was said that the Arizal’s Chet is made from a Vav and a Zayin—the intention was not literal, just a directive to make the head of the Zayin look like a Vav (see image below).
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| Note the rounded Zayin in the right |
The Sephardi scribes adopted this view, and to this day, the Ktav Vellish is written according to the view expounded by the Kaf Hachaim. The very influential Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, the Chida (1724–1806), also approved this practice.
Interestingly, the Ashkenazi scribes writing in Beit Yosef script also use this layout—two Zayins and a rounded corner on the first Zayin. The only difference is that the Sephardim write the head part at a slight angle, but other than that, there is uniformity between Ashkenaz and Sepharad in regard to the letter Chet today.
It’s important to note that this process in Sepharad was not uniform and in some regions the adoption was slower. In Morocco, scribal traditions remained independent. While modern Moroccan scrolls today almost universally feature the "bridge" Chet, older scrolls and local traditions retained the flat bar until the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Homogenization only occurred recently.
The Yemenite community represents perhaps the most conservative practice. Due to relative isolation and commitment to ancient traditions, many Yemenite scribes continued producing flat-topped scrolls long after the bridge form became standard elsewhere. Even in modern Israel, most Yemenite soferim maintain their old scribal practice and don’t use the Rabbeinu Tam’s Chet.
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| Yemenite script. Note the Rashi Chet. |
Visual Archetypes and Comparative Examples
The letter Chet went through a long journey over time, and it can be a symbol of jewish struggle, adaptation and survival. As we have seen, this letter represents transcendence and its fitting that it has been the subject of intense scrutiny and discussion, with the goal of reaching the optimal, most accurate structure possible. The opinion of Rabbeinu Tam is the standard used today by Ashkenazim and Sephardim, having superceded the other opinions almost entirely over time.
Works cited
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