A Sofer, Sopher, Sofer SeTaM, or Sofer ST"M (Heb: "scribe", סופר סת”ם) is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot, and other religious writings. (ST"M, סת”ם, is an abbreviation for Sefer Torahs, Tefillin, and Mezuzot. The plural of sofer is "soferim", סופרים.)
By simple definition, a sofer is a copyist, but in their religious role in Judaism they are much more. Besides Torah scrolls, Tefillin, and Mezuzot, scribes are also necessary for the writing of megillot (scrolls of the Song of Songs, Book of Ruth, Book of Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Book of Lamentations), Nevi'im (the books of the prophets, used for reading the haftarah), and for gittin—divorce documents. Also many scribes function as calligraphers—writing functional documents such as marriage contracts, or ornamental and artistic renditions of religious texts—which do not require any scribal qualifications, and to which the rules on lettering and parchment specifications do not apply.
The major Jewish law (Halakha) pertaining to "Sofrut," the practice of scribal arts, is in the Talmud in the tractate Maseket Sofrim. In the Torah's 613 Mitzvot (commandments) the 613th is that every Jew should write a Sefer Torah in their lifetime.(Deut. 31:19)
Read more about Sofer: Qualifications and Education, Documents Written By Scribes, Calligraphy and Lettering, See Also