Ktav Ashuri

Ktav Ashuri is the special name for a way of writing Hebrew and Aramaic. It is also called the Square script. This name helps people know it is not the older Paleo-Hebrew style.

People in Jewish tradition use Ktav Ashuri for very important things. According to Jewish religious law, special items called tefillin and mezuzot must be written in this script. These items are used in religious practices.

The script gets its name from the ancient Assyrians. It has been used for many years and is still important today for writing Hebrew and some Aramaic words.

Name

Ktav Ashuri is the traditional name for the Hebrew alphabet. It is used to write Hebrew and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. It is often called the Square script. The name Ktav Ashuri comes from old Jewish writings called the Talmud.

There are two ideas about why it is called Ashuri: either because Jews brought it back from exile in Assyria, or because it was given at Mount Sinai and then forgotten before being rediscovered.

This name shows that the Hebrew alphabet comes from the Aramaic alphabet used in Assyria and Babylonia. It is sometimes called the "Assyrian script." This name is different from Libonaa, the name given to the Samaritan alphabet.

History

The Ashuri script is first mentioned in old Jewish writings. It was used to write special Jewish items like sifrei Torah, tefillin, mezuzot, and the Five Megillot.

According to the Talmud, Ezra decided that the sefer Torah should be written using the Aramaic alphabet. Before Ezra, the Torah was written in Paleo-Hebrew (Ktav Ivri). The Samaritans still use the Paleo-Hebrew style, called the Samaritan script, for their Samaritan Torah.