They say that your handwriting says a lot about you. I have seen numerous Rabbinic handwriting, but scarcely do you see such neat and handsome handwriting as that of Chacham Ovadia Yosef. Notice that the pages below are unlined. Below are some scans of a collection of manuscripts of Responsa of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef that I recently purchased.
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Aside from his neat handwriting one must be impressed by something else. With so many sources that he cites how wasn't he confused? After learning a sugya with a few different opinions it already becomes difficult to have it organized in the mind. Then after reading later achronic commentaries who each try to show you the proper path it can be more difficult to have all the info organized in the mind. It beats me how Hakham Ovadia was able to see every Rishon and a ton of achronim (many of them that are barely known to an average Talmid Hakham) an not be in confusion. Ohavim otcha Maran!
ReplyDeleteHow do you think he got that handwriting ability? Was he was taught it, developed it on his own, or what? You think that certain עדות and מקומות valued and developed such ability more than others?
ReplyDeleteIn recent times, there has been a decline in penmanship in the world around us, which some blame on computers (perhaps typewriters as well).
I suspect that once the Haskalah movement took writing style and penmanship seriously, the Haredim stopped focusing on such qualities. Some Hasidic Rebbes handwriting from the 19th century are most easily recognized by their being horrendous.
DeleteWriting frequently definitely helped, and in places where the printing place hadn't yet arrived, handwriting tend to be most legible. I have yet to see Yemenite handwriting that was not easy to read and neat.
how does one purchased such manuscripts
ReplyDeleteYou can contact us, we get them in from time to time
DeleteThank you
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