BAIS HAVAAD ON THE PARSHA ~ PARSHAS NITZAVIM- VAYELECH ~ Writing a Sefer Torah

In this week's parsha the Torah gives us the last of the 613 mitzvos: the mitzva for every Jew to write his own Sefer Torah. The sefer Yesod Veshoresh Ha'avodah (Shaar Hakolel chapter 15) says that this is one of the mitzvos that merit a person long life. However, this is somewhat puzzling because the Torah only says that a king who writes a sefer Torah merits long life. Harav Hagaon Rav Chaim Kanievski Shlita and Harav Hagaon Rav Yaakov Chaim Sofer Shlita both answer that since the Torah says that a king must write a second Sefer Torah, the Torah is teaching us that the merit of long life refers to the writing of a Sefer Torah by any Jew as well as by the king. (See Sefer Knesses Yaakov pg. 23.) This week's journal will focus on the mitzva of writing a Sefer Torah.