DEUT1657 Each Jew shall write his own sefer Torah. A person's actions are largely a function of the opportunities that he has at hand. For this reason, Hashem wants each Jewish male to have his own sefer Torah in close proximity to him. Thereby, he can learn from it at any time and gain knowledge and fear of Hashem, without having to go to a friend or to a synagogue to learn from a sefer Torah there. By having one’s own sefer Torah, one quickly comes to appreciate the mitzvos--that each one is much more precious than silver or gold. We are commanded to fulfill this mitzvah even if we have inherited a sefer Torah from our parents. Clearly, the more sifrei Torah there are, the better, for they can be lent to Jews who cannot write one and lack the means to hire a scribe to do so. Also, many people prefer reading a new sefer Torah as opposed to an old one inherited from one's parents. One should realize that although the main duty is to write one’s own sefer Torah, the mitzvah also requires us to make maximum efforts to produce books and other learning materials that are reflective of the Torah, are themselves Torah, or are written in the interests of the Torah. Each Jew, to the best of his ability and for the reasons stated above, must help to generate more Torah works, even if he already owns a large Torah library as a family inheritance.

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DEUT1688 See [[LEV749]] Leviticus 19:26 eat CHINUCH 157-8

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