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Modern Ashkenazi Torahs are often (at least in part) written with turkey feathers. Not always - there are plenty of other quills that are acceptable (and reeds, plastic, and most say metal, among other options).

There are those who think that a Torah must be written with a feather from a kosher (species of?) bird (according to Wikipedia and more reliably, Keset ha-Sofer (Tinyana) 3:6 (English)). There are those who dispute the kashrut status of turkey.

Are there those who overlap in both of these sets such that they would dispute the kashrut of a Torah written with a turkey feather? If so, how is that handled practically? I assume if you buy a new Torah, you can commission the sofer to not use turkey feathers, but how does someone in this set ensure that his pre-existing Torah is kosher according to that set of opinions?

(This is not l'maaseh)

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Charles Koppelman
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    I'm fairly certain that no one is so worried about the Turkey being not kosher to be careful about this, especially given the opinions that anything is kosher for a quill. – Double AA Jul 30 '13 at 17:29
  • @DoubleAA Probably right. Does that make it safek in a safek? If so, that's a potential answer. – Charles Koppelman Jul 30 '13 at 17:33
  • So practically speaking the answer is: You find a sofer and pay him a lot of money to do everything exactly according to your shitos. – Yitzchak Jul 22 '14 at 23:52
  • @Yitzchak acknowledged in the question. But see the last question – Charles Koppelman Jul 23 '14 at 02:03
  • Assuming there was such a person, there would be absolutely no way to tell. You can tell a sefer written with a reed from one written with a feather by sight but I don't think it's possible to tell what sort of feather just by looking at the writing – Yitzchak Jul 23 '14 at 02:07

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The Divrei Chaim (Sanz) writes very emphatically about using only a feather from a Kosher bird, though this is an almost-universal practice even among contemporary sefardim (relatively few of whom still use reeds). However the halacha of "min hamuttar l'picha" only applies to the ink and parchment (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 32:5-8) so even those who dispute the kashrus of Turkey are within the realm of halacha using a Torah written with a Turkey quill.

That being said, being within the realm of halacha never stopped anyone from pursuing hiddurim and I'm sure someone, somewhere, may have ordered a scroll specially for that reason but as far as I know (having studied and practiced safrus under a very experienced mentor) it is not the accepted practice of any community.

Yitzchak
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In the original קסת הסופר written by the author of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch - Rav Shlomo Ganzfreid - there is no mention of not using a quill from a non-Kosher animal.

All he says (in Ch 2:16) is: Some say that it's better to use a reed than a feather - but this is not the custom.

The Chasam Sofer in his notes (ibid at the bottom of the page) says that feathers qualify - and may be preferable - as they are permitted to be eaten - i.e. kosher.

It seems that he took it for granted that one wouldn't use a feather from a non-Kosher bird.

They do not discuss what would be the Din if you wrote a Sefer Torah with a feather from a non-Kosher bird.

Danny Schoemann
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  • Reeds aren't kosher? – Double AA Jul 31 '13 at 07:03
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    In any event, while the first edition may not have mentioned it, the final edition of the קסת הסופר by R Ganzfreid clearly states like the OP quotes http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8308&st=&pgnum=18 – Double AA Jul 31 '13 at 07:08
  • @DoubleAA: Thanks! I was wondering why the layout didn't look familiar. While reeds are "kosher" I think he's referring to the fact that they are not edible - same way that gold is "kosher" but not edible, as he mentions. – Danny Schoemann Jul 31 '13 at 11:44
  • This actually opens up the question a bit more - when did that piece in the Keset Hasofer get added and why? – Charles Koppelman Aug 01 '13 at 17:28
  • Feathers are not edible either, and why would you want your pen/quill to be edible? – wfb Oct 29 '13 at 19:42
  • @wfb: 1. There's a concept of HaMutar P'Vicha - permitted to be eaten - as it says למען תהיה תורת ה' בפיך and 2. the quill may therefore need to be from a Kosher animal. (Your Tefillin aren't edible either; but they come from a Kosher animal.) – Danny Schoemann Oct 30 '13 at 10:06
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    But a reed is as kosher as a feather--both are permitted, neither is edible. – wfb Oct 30 '13 at 15:10
  • @wfb: Not sure what you are getting at. – Danny Schoemann Oct 31 '13 at 11:32
  • FWIW, the version of Keset that sofrim are tested on explicitly quotes Rashi from Menachot that "אפילו עט ברזל" is Kosher. – Yitzchak Nov 28 '13 at 04:15