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...
I have heard in the name of Rav Elyashiv that a hollow “yud” is halachikly a small “mem stuma”.
ReplyDeleteThanks Etan. But does anyone say it's definitely kosher as a yud?
ReplyDeleteOur Tinokot Shel Bet Rabban.
DeleteThat "Sh'mu'a" in Rav Elyashiv's name seems odd. If we see a Mem Stuma with a strong Regel protruding from the bottom right, descending as long as the letter is high and then curving toward the left, and the lower left corner protruding downward, and the top left corner sporting a Makal, we might (at least) have to ask a Tinok is this is a mem.
ReplyDeleteRav Elyashiv always chose to fill in a Yud when given the kavod off filling in a letter because, as R' Etan writes, he held it was (or maybe was - I'm not sure which) a kosher Mem Setuma and hence by filling it in he was actually writing a letter and not just filling in an already kosher letter.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that it depends on the way it was done. if it has a nice outline with a short regel -yes it can be a mem stuma , just take a pen and draw a mem stuma and add a small regel-it will still stay a mem stuma-fill it up and you have a yud
ReplyDelete