445. Things That Invalidate a Sefer Torah

Tefillin, Mezuzah v’Sefer Torah 10:1

All told, there are twenty things that can invalidate a sefer Torah. If any one of these is the case, the scroll does not have the sanctity of a sefer Torah. Rather, it is like a chumash used to teach children and may not be used for the public reading of the Torah. The twenty things are:

1) using parchment from a non-kosher animal; 2) using parchment that came from a kosher animal but was not processed; 3) processing the parchment without the intention that it will be used for a sefer Torah; 4) writing on the wrong side of the parchment - on the side of the flesh when using g'vil or on the side of the hair when using klaf; 5) writing part on g'vil and part on klaf; 6) writing it on duchsustos (another type of parchment); 7) writing on unscored parchment; 8) using something other than permanent black ink; 9) writing in a language other than Hebrew; 10) being written by a heretic or someone else unqualified to do so; 11) writing the Names of God without the proper intention; 12) leaving out even a single letter; 13) adding even a single letter; 14) one letter touching another; 15) the form of a letter being distorted in such a way that it can’t be read, or that it would be read as a different letter. This is the case whether it was originally written improperly or became damaged by a hole, a rip, or an erasure; 16) so much space between letters that a single word appears to be two words, or so little space that two words appear to be one; 17) changing the form of the sections; 18) changing the form of the songs; 19) writing non-song sections in the form of the songs; 20) sewing the parchments together with anything other than sinew from a kosher animal.

Any rule other than these twenty reflects the optimum way to fulfill the mitzvah but would not invalidate a sefer Torah.

Tefillin, Mezuzah v’Sefer Torah 10:2

A sefer Torah must be treated with great holiness and honor. One may not sell a sefer Torah even if he has nothing to eat. This is true even if he own several sifrei Torah or if he wants to sell an old Torah in order to buy a new one. A sefer Torah may only be sold in order to pay for Torah study or a wedding, and even in these cases if the owner has no other way to raise the funds.