הלכה אויף דברים 6:9

A scroll of the Law, Tephillin, or Mezuzoth written by a heretic must be burnt. If written by a Samaritan, by a Jew converted to another faith, by one who surrenders Israelites to tyrants, by a slave, woman or minor, they are unfit for use, and must be hidden; for it is said, "And thou shalt bind them", "And thou shalt write them". The implication is that only that person is qualified to write them, who is charged with the duty of putting on Tephillin and believes in the obligation. If they are found in the possession of a heretic, and it is not known who wrote them, they should be hidden. If found in the possession of a Samaritan or non-Israelite, they are fit to be used. Scrolls of the Law, Tephillin and Mezuzoth are not to be bought from non-Israelites for more than their value, so as not to accustom the latter to steal these holy articles or take them by force.

Phylacteries and Mezuzoth may only be written in square Hebrew script. Permission was also given to write scrolls of the Law in Greek characters but not in those of any other foreign tongue. The ancient Greek script has gone out of use, been corrupted and become obsolete. Hence, at the present day, all three religious articles,—Scroll of the Law, Tephillin and Mezuzah,—are only written in the square Hebrew script. Care must be taken in writing that no letter shall adhere to any other letter; for any letter which is not completely surrounded on all four sides by a blank space of parchment has been improperly written. Any letter that cannot be read by a child of ordinary intelligence—not particularly bright or dull—is improperly written. Thus a Yod must not be like a Vav nor a Vav like a Yod, nor a Koph like a Beth, nor a Beth like a Koph, nor a Daleth like a Resh, nor a Resh like a Daleth, etc., so that the reader may be able to read fluently.

When would they read? At the end of the first-day holiday of the festival of Sukkot, which is the beginning of [the festival's] intermediate days, on the eight year [of the sabbatical cycle]. And the king would be the one to read in their ears, and they would read in the women's courtyard. And he would read while sitting, but if he read while standing, behold, this is praiseworthy. From where would he read? He would read from the beginning of the [book] of Deuteronomy until the end of the Shema section (6:9) and skip to "Vehaya eem shamoa, etc." (11:13) and [then] skip to "aser te-aser" (14:22) and read from "aser te-aser" in order, until the end of the blessings and curses - until "beside the covenant which He made with them at Horev"(28:69) and stop.