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Note: I have edited this post to remove references to a specific organisation. This is because I had a nice conversation with them. I am going to leave the meat of the post up here, because the substance of it is still out there and still relevant.
More and more, recently, I run into things like this:
A Sefer Torah, by definition, is a Torah scribed by someone who has been certified to do this work. Certification is not unlike an ordination of a rabbi or designation of a doctoral degree; the authority is confirmed by one who also has the authority. Generally, certification allows the individual to scribe, within the context of Jewish law or halachah, Sifrei Torah, tefillin and mezuzot (the three ritual objects that contain Torah texts).
This makes me cross, because it is not true, and it is deceiving people. Scribal certification is not like rabbinic ordination. It is much more like kashrut certification. Rabbinic ordination is what makes a rabbi, undoubtedly. But scribal certification is not what makes a scribe. R' Askotzky in his book Tefillin and Mezuzos says quite clearly that one does not have to be certified to be a scribe,* and he probably ought to know, given his list of qualifications.
Kashrut certification indicates that you can trust that the chef's work is kosher. Scribal certification indicates that you can trust that the scribe's work is kosher. That is all.
The other reason it makes me cross is because some people are using this falsehood to discredit UHC's Torah Project, written by me. So, if you hear that: think twice, for my sake.
* And that if someone is not certified you should ask why, which is a jolly good idea.
More and more, recently, I run into things like this:
A Sefer Torah, by definition, is a Torah scribed by someone who has been certified to do this work. Certification is not unlike an ordination of a rabbi or designation of a doctoral degree; the authority is confirmed by one who also has the authority. Generally, certification allows the individual to scribe, within the context of Jewish law or halachah, Sifrei Torah, tefillin and mezuzot (the three ritual objects that contain Torah texts).
This makes me cross, because it is not true, and it is deceiving people. Scribal certification is not like rabbinic ordination. It is much more like kashrut certification. Rabbinic ordination is what makes a rabbi, undoubtedly. But scribal certification is not what makes a scribe. R' Askotzky in his book Tefillin and Mezuzos says quite clearly that one does not have to be certified to be a scribe,* and he probably ought to know, given his list of qualifications.
Kashrut certification indicates that you can trust that the chef's work is kosher. Scribal certification indicates that you can trust that the scribe's work is kosher. That is all.
The other reason it makes me cross is because some people are using this falsehood to discredit UHC's Torah Project, written by me. So, if you hear that: think twice, for my sake.
* And that if someone is not certified you should ask why, which is a jolly good idea.