Commentary for Sotah 96:13

אלא כותב עליהם בדיו ומראה להן שמיר מבחוץ והן נבקעות מאליהן כתאינה זו שנבקעת בימות החמה ואינה חסירה כלום וכבקעה זו שנבקעת בימות הגשמים ואינה חסירה כלום

nor cut into them with a knife because it is said: In their settings;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 20. Lit., 'in their fullnesses', i.e., no part of the stones may be cut away. ');">²³</span> but he writes with ink upon them, shows the Shamir [the written strokes] on the outside, and these split of their own accord,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Through the action of the Shamir the stones are split open along the written lines without any part of the stones being cut away. ');">²⁴</span>

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