Chapter 24 – Errors and Defects in a Sefer Torah
24.1) Do not read from a defective Sefer Torah (handwritten copy of the Torah, the holiest book within Judaism).
24.2) Defects include division of a single word if it looks like two separate words, overlapping words, or out of place words.
24.3) If two letters overlap due to Scroll usage, you may use the Scroll; if the scribe wrote it wrong, you may not use it.
24.4) If a letter loses its shape do to a hole, the Scroll is unfit to use.
24.5) If a child can determine that a letter is not shaped correctly, the Scroll is unfit to use.
24.6) If you use a child to test a Scroll, cover the letters preceding and following the one you think is misshapen to test.
24.7) If another Scroll is brought out because the first was defective and the defect is discovered between the calling of two persons, resume reading from where you left off.
24.8) Follow the customs of the community when deciding whether to continue reading from a defective Scroll when the defect is discovered during the reading.
24.9) Complete the reading of a Scroll with a defect if another is not available, but do not say the benedictions.
24.10) If you discover a defect in one of the Five Books of Moses, you may read another book.
24.11) If the column between two columns of a Scroll is torn, you can read out of it if the torn part is less than the intact part.
24.12) If a drop of wax disfigures a word, you may scrap it off on a weekday.