Chapter Fifty (פֶּרֶק חֲמִשִּׁים)

The letter Tav - its point spread forth (אוֹת תָּיו נְקֻדָּתָהּ נִתְפַּשְּׁטָה), and from it came a line downward like a Nun Sofit (וּמִמֶּנָּה קָו לְאׇרְכָּה כְּמוֹ ן׳), and since its length increased in the drawn line (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁנִּתְרַבֶּה אוֹרְכָּהּ בַּקָּו הַנִּמְשָׁךְ), even though it was not as long as the Nun Sofit (הַגַּם כִּי לֹא הָיָה כָּל כָּךְ גָּדוֹל כְּמוֹ הַן׳), it became separated from the point (נִפְרְדָה מִן הַנְּקֻדָּה). And when the point saw that its line had separated from it (וּכְשֶׁרָאֲתָה הַנְּקֻדָּה שֶׁהַקָּו שֶׁלָּהּ נִפְרַד מִמֶּנָּה), it spread to its left (נִתְפַּשְּׁטָה לְצַד שְׂמֹאל שֶׁלָּהּ), until the end of the width of the boundary of the letter (עַד סוֹף רֹחַב גְּבוּל הָאוֹת), and from it came forth a small line like a Reish (וְיָצָא מִמֶּנָּה קָו קָטָן כְּמוֹ ר׳). And the long line that was separated (וְקָו הָאָרֹךְ שֶׁנִּפְרַד), when it saw that it was the end of the letters (כְּשֶׁרָאָה שֶׁהוּא סוֹף הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), and that there was no other letter after it to cover it (וְאֵין אוֹת אַחֶרֶת לְפָנֶיהָ לְכַסּוֹתָהּ), it became afraid lest the judgments attach to it (נִתְיָרֵא שֶׁמָּא יִדְּבְקוּ בָהּ הַדִּינִין). Therefore, it folded the long line into a half-fold (לָזֶה כָּפְלָה הַקָּו הָאָרֹךְ חֲצִי כְּפִילָה), because it was afraid to lengthen its fold like the others had done (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּתְיָרֵאָה לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּכְפִילָתָהּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשׂוּ הָאֲחֵרוֹת), for there was no other letter before it that had already contracted (שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה לְפָנֶיהָ אוֹת אַחֶרֶת שֶׁנִּתְכַּוְּצָה), and therefore it was afraid of the judgments and did not extend the fold (וְלָכֵן נִתְיָרֵאָה מִפְּנֵי הַדִּינִין שֶׁלֹּא לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּכְפִילָה), and it contracted slightly in the fold (וְנִתְכַּוְּצָה מְעַט בִּכְפִילָהּ).