A place for English speaking sofrim (scribes), magihim (examiners), rabbis and vendors of Stam (Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzah scrolls) from around the world to communicate, share ideas, ask questions and offer support and advice.
was just given this mezuza to check. the letters have a lot of cracks. The klaf is very suspicious and i think that maybe it is just paper. How can i check?
Those types of mezuzot are not kosher irrespective of what material they are written on, but if you really want to check you try ripping a corner. If it rips easily, it's paper.
Such mezuzahs can theoretically be kosher if written correctly on klaf but less than 6cm is a telltale sign it is printed. The fact that the back side is upside down is also a sign it was printed. As mentioned you can try to tear a corner but sometimes they print these on klaf.
Someone once asked me, casually, "Can you give me a rule of thumb to tell if a Mezuza is Pasul?" I said, "If it's smaller than your thumb, it's Pasul."
I recently tried this kosher ink for my rapidograph and I am extremely pleased with it. It does not clog the nib like other kosher rapidograph inks, and it's very dark and strong. It's at least as good as the Rotring commercial grade rapidograph inks (of course these can only be used with batch numbers that have been lab tested and approved kosher), and in addition you do not need to add a drop of regular Sta"m ink (as per the instruction of the Shevet Halevi, which is messy and time consuming). I was wondering if anyone else had an opinion or comments with regards to their experience with this ink...
We all know that there is no ancient source that requires ink to be מן המותר בפיך . Possibly, as said here before, because in the olden days ink was always מן המותר בפיך and the question was never raised. It was probably self-evident. Nowadays, no decent Rav will approve an ink which is not מן המותר בפיך . Who was the first one to raise this question? Was it raised because of animal ingredients or because of non-kosher wine?
In today’s day and age, virtually every kosher product available to the consumer comes with a hechsher. By hechsher, I mean an official and recognised rabbinical body or agency that certifies the kashrus of a product, be it a food item or a religious article. Hechsherim play a vital role in providing consumer confidence, and something branded by a reputable kashrus agency will be considered more legitimate than a similar product that does not. The agency has rigid policies and protocols in place to ensure correct standards are met, and they are independent of the manufacturer so that there is no conflict of interest. As we have discussed on this forum previously, there is a distinct lack of official hechsherim on Sta”m products - Tefillin, Mezuzos and Sifrei Torah. Even the Vaad Mishmeres Sta”m, the oldest and most well- known rabbinic agency in the Sta”m world does not certify products. They test and ordain sofrim and magihim (examiners), offer a computer checking service (sp...
Those types of mezuzot are not kosher irrespective of what material they are written on, but if you really want to check you try ripping a corner. If it rips easily, it's paper.
ReplyDeleteSuch mezuzahs can theoretically be kosher if written correctly on klaf but less than 6cm is a telltale sign it is printed. The fact that the back side is upside down is also a sign it was printed. As mentioned you can try to tear a corner but sometimes they print these on klaf.
ReplyDeleteSomeone once asked me, casually, "Can you give me a rule of thumb to tell if a Mezuza is Pasul?"
ReplyDeleteI said, "If it's smaller than your thumb, it's Pasul."