Masechet & Hilchot Shabbat 103a: does Melechet כתיבה apply when he wrote two Alefs? The latter can never form a word in Lashon HaKodesh. Does the second Alef add anything new to the מלאכת כתיבה? It's neither a 'new' letter nor a completion of a word! Yet Rashi on the Mishna claims that is is חייב for writing two Alefs! The Achronim explain Rashi claiming that the sugya that excludes two Alefs is addressing a case where he intended to write a longer word. The Meiri claims taht the Rif accepted Rashi's thesis. The Ran claims thatthe Rashba likewise accepted Rashi's view. Yet the Rambam seems to require that the repetition of the same letter requires the formation of a word. We will offer two definitions of כותב to explain the debate.
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