Getting the Hump: the Letter Ḥet in Holy Writings

Abstract In Torah scrolls for liturgical use, there is a scribal tradition to write the letter ח ( ḥet ) with a central hump in the form, rather than the flat roof that is seen in codices and printed texts. This article explores the development of this humped ḥet from both halakhic and palaeographic points of view, from its first mention in the Talmud through confirmation of the existence and the adoption of the form that is present in modern scribal practice. We will examine two possibilities for the form’s origin and will study how the form subsequently was interpreted in the early rabbinic commentary literature.