taken from a manuscript of Elias Levita. The accompanying specimen presents Sephardi script. In this flowing cursive alphabet the ligatures appear more often. They occur especially in letters which have a sharp turn to the left (, , , , , ), and above all in , whose great open bow offers ample space for another letter (see Figure 2).

The following are the successive stages in the development of each letter:
* Alef is separated into two parts, the first being written