Change of Handwriting in the Vienna Scroll, Column 150

 

We noted before that in both columns 71 and 72, the handwriting on the Vienna Scroll changes.  These two columns are in the book of Exodus.  In Leviticus column 150, this handwriting returns.  Let's examine the evidence for this change of hand.

With the exception of these three columns (so far) one scribe has written the rest of this Torah scroll.  The upper leg of the lamed has a decided tilt:

The tavs tend to have a straigh downward stroke:

Examples from columns 71 and 72 have different features to the lameds and tavs.  Here is a lamed from column 72:

The leg is nearly straight upward, and there is a bulb at the top end of the upper leg.    Here is a tav from column 72

 Notice the bulge in the downward leg.  These features are found lamed and tavs in column 150:

We see in column 150 the distinctive upright leg of the lamed, and the bulge in the tav.  In all three columns, the hand changes for the entire column.  I'm not sure what this means.  Why did another scribe work on this scroll at three different points?  Perhaps there columns were from another scroll, and could be reused in the Vienna scroll?  Then change of handwriting has been noted before:

This is from Pollak's work on the Kaifeng Torah scrolls.  I am unsure if the 21st and 22nd skins correspond to columns 71 and 72, and the 29th skin to column 150.