I received this question via email. I am not really a klaf expert, I was wondering if anyone could answer this question: Dear Rabbi Gutnick, I am writing to you because a good friend of mine has put the idea into my head that the klaf in my tefillin were not really tanned and therefore are not kosher. He referred me to Megilla 19a re diftera. From the research that I have done so far, it seems that the klaf that is used today is tanned only with a lime wash. On all of the tanning websites I’ve seen so far, they say that the lime doesn’t accomplish tanning but only the removal of the hair and some other pre-tanning effects. Would you be able to explain to me or refer me to a website that explains how the tanning process that is used today takes the hide out of the category of diftera? Thank you very much.
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ReplyDeleteKeset 28:7.
DeleteYitzchak: I was aware of the kesses (it's 27:7 not 28:7) however there he writes that there should be a window in the case for the shakayso its seen. However, what about todays see through cases where even if the mezuzah has rolled to the side you can still see it clearly because the whole case is see through! Is it really necessary to straighten this out? Furthermore, a non see through case or one that does not have the hole for the shakay as the kesses writes, in particular the common type today that are made of metal , opaque plastic or wood where the mezuzah is inserted from the bottom of the case, it is very hard to guarantee that the mezuzah will not swivel around. But if there is no hole or window or transparent case, and you cannot see the shakay anyway - does it really matter?
DeleteI was actually wondering this exact thing as I was looking it up... More about the see-through cases
DeleteI would guess that since he provides the reason: כדי שיהא נראה מבחוץ that if you are already missing that because the case lacks a window, it doesn't matter which way the mezuzah is facing.
DeleteKeses 27:7, Ram"o Y"D 288:15, see Rishonim referenced there.
ReplyDeleteAlso, see Pischei Teshuva 288 S"K 2.
ReplyDeleteSame as the kesses, more or less
ReplyDeleteI did have some time over tom tov to look in the sefer pischei shearim on mezuzah and it appears that if the case is not see through it would not matter if the shakay rolls to either side or even behind.