The International STa"M Forum

I was sent some Mezzuzah's to check.  Oddly enough one was still new in a plastic wrapper with this hekhsher on the back: However upon inspecting it visually these were some of the more glaring issues that I found: Does anyone know anything about this Hekhsher?

up until now i've employed a small cotton swab (q-tip) to apply mei klaf. the advantage is that a little goes a long way. i would also use the same q-tip each time, eventually causing a slightly noticeable mark to form around the area where the mei klaf had dried. i was told this was from particles of dust or dirt that had been on the q-tip. i'm looking for a new method to apply mei klaf that conserves on the materials (and amount of mei klaf) being used any advice? l'chaim, pesach

If someone simply carved out a space in the doorpost and stuck the mezuzah there (inside of a case) would this be kosher? In such a case the mezuzah in it's case will stay where it is however it's rather easy to simply remove from there since it's not nailed in. If anyone has any insights (or b'frat mareh makomos) on this please share.

The samech of 'vesartem' is tiny. Although there is no shiyur (me'akev) of the challal of the letters, including the samech. But it is obvious that a tiny slit isn't considered at all challal, and is pasul because of shinuy tzuras ha'os. In the case at hand, the scan shows me a samech that is pasul. But any slight variation will change the picture - the size of the challal in relation to the letter at large. Therefore I can not decide from the scan in this case, this has to be seen in reality to decide.

Does anyone know of a way to get plastic kulmus tips in or around the New York City area and/or online? The last time I saw them was in Monsey a few years ago (they may still have them there, I just haven't been to Monsey for a while) and any leads would be appreciated. Tizku l'mitzvos!

I know this might be total am haratzes but ein habayshan lamed I have seen many people on different safrus blogs that they highlight a letter and encircle the letter. Sometimes thought the letter with the problem is in hashems name. I was wondering if this is okay on computer even if it sometimes covers up hashems name. on a more personnel level I highlight hashems name with a highlighter and was wondering if that is okay. Input would be appreciated.

Introduction When checking STa”M (Sifrei Torah, tefillin and Mezuzos) , it is not uncommon for an examiner to encounter a shailos chochom , a question that requires the psak (ruling) of an expert rav or moreh horoah .  However not all morei horoah / rabbanim are comfortable answering technical shaolos in STa”M - as a matter of fact very few are. Additionally, virtually all the noteworthy poskim in STa”M today live in Eretz Yisroel . As a sofer living in Melbourne, I have personally relied heavily on overseas rabonnim to answer my questions, either by telephone or by email. If the question concerns a tzuras haos (formation of a letter), very often I will take a clear digital photograph or high resolution scan and email it to the rov for a ruling. In the past, upon receiving an answer, I  would often share the email with other sofrim around the world who were on my email list. Likewise, many of them shared their answers with me. (Over the years I have amassed hundr

The second beis [in 'levavcha'] doesn't have an akev at all. This type of akev of the beis (found in russian & chabad ksav) is a bend outward of the descending  line "gav", making an akev. It must start around half way down of the back of the beis, so the akev is the bottom part protruding. Here the bend starts immediate after the gag, so it is the back of the beis and not an akev. Although most poskim pasken that a clearly squared beis is kosher [Mishnat Sofrim, Chatam Sofer], there are some poskim that demand an "akev kolshehu" (some protruding oketz) [see Mishnat Hasofer]. and all agree that lechatchila a beis must include an akev. Therefore this beis must be fixed, by scraping a bit from the beis before it, allowing space to add an akev.

Hi, If a sefer was written in  ksav beis yosef but shemos written like the kaballah of the arizal. I have never seen this before. Is this lechatchillah ok or is there any detraction of kashrus or the like? Its being sold as kosher lechatchillah , is this correct?

I can't remember if this has been discussed before on the forum but is one allowed to send a kosher sefer (with aitz chayims) wrapped in a box or suitcase by mail or cargo? Or can it only be taken by hand? Or Does it have to be made unkosher like unstitching two yeriyios if such a thing is even allowed? I'm sure this has an easy answer but I've only mailed parts of sifre Torah (which is definitely allowed) but I now have to transport a kosher one.

A sofer was writting R"T tefillin and didn't leave 9 oisios at the end of "v'haya im shamo'ah" (in the shel yad.) In Mishnas HaSofer from R' Yaakov Meir Stern (Siman 26 Sif-Katan 15) he writes that by R"T this isn't m'acev b'dieved. In Note 18 he is m'tzian the following teshuvas: Noda B'Yehuda Tinyana Siman 5 , Shut R' Chaim Kohen Rappaport Siman 1 , Shoel U'Mashiv Mahadurah Kammah Chelek Beis SIman 30 and Remah (רמ"ע) Siman 37 . The question is are the poskim l'maseh makil in this? Obviously I'm assuming the sofer would have to tell the koneh however maybe he could sell these tefillin for cheaper if the original buyer wouldn't want them. R' Shammai was asked this shailo and told the sofer that it's a problem (i.e. pasul), however after someone mentioned to him the makilim that R' Yaakov Meir Stern brings down he said he didn't know or perhaps didn't remember there were makilim

Someone contacted me recently looking for someone in NY who repairs Atzei Chaim. Any leads would be appreciated. Thanks.

1) Does anyone know if there is anything written about the halachic perspective of putting an old possul sefer torah in a display cabinet in the foyer of a shul? 2) I have a sefer Torah that sags a little and its hard to roll during hagbah (ashkenaz style) , they have to fiddle with the klaf  so that it rolls straight. Is there a solution for this? 3) Does anyone know a chasidesher sofer in Amsterdam Holland or even Antwerp Belgium or vicinity who has kabola from Mishmeres Stam? It's for someone in Amsterdam but Antwerp is not too far for them. Thanks!

Looking for sofer musmach in Baltimore that can check alter rebbe ksav parshios. Many Litvishe Sofrim have a problem checking alter rebbe ksav.

Just wanted to share a general point and a "maaseh rav" from today. Eli had posted recently what he heard from R' Friedlander in regards to paskening from a computer image or print out. Many shailos that I've seen on this forum and on R' Moshe's Hebrew forum I have brought to R' Shammai as a way of learning (this helped a lot in the shimush that I've made by him. Usually there are shailos in STaM by the Beis Horah every day however it was good to always bring more.) I've so far asked around 250 shailos from printed images and have them all saved in a folder as well as the psakim written in my notes on the computer. I have another 500 or so that I haven't asked yet! Aside from the folder with the printed images I hope to organize one day a Power Point presentation with all the images and psakim written out nicely and clearly. There were some printouts that I brought that I was asked to get an official psak on. No matter what the shailo as

Double kuzu - the sofer made a mistake in the first one skipping a samech [BTW the last 2 zayinin, are more vav than zayin] and was afraid to erase the 'shemos' so he wrote a new kuzu above. 1) since these shemos are not me'akev at all the mezuza, it is kosher with 2 kuzu. 2) it was permitted to erase the first kuzu [more accurate from the (lacking) samech down], since these are not true 'shemos' that are forbidden to erase, rather 'kinuyim' (other secondary/derivative names) that are not kodesh and permitted to be erased for great need as tikun. That should of been done rather than write a second one.

Continuing with the topic of ink, which seems to be our topic of interest at present, I have a question for Yehoshuah to please ask Rav Shammai Gross Sh'; If a company representative tells a customer that no animal by -products are in a specific ink can that be relied upon from a kashrus point of view? The reason why I ask is because I understand that  the common use in the ST'M industry of  Staedtler "Paper 745" rapidograph ink for uses such as tiyyug, tikkunim etc, was based only on telephoning the company and asking if any animal by-products are used. Lab tests were not conducted independently by the rabbis allowing the use of this ink. I was also told by reps here in Australia that no animal by-products are used. Can I rely on this? While I currently only use dyo lanetzach rapidograph ink which has a hechsher,  I'm more worried about the past, I have used the ink for tikkunim based on rabbinic advice that it was OK, and even now I do sell some cheape

I drew lines with about 5 years old Nahari ink on a business card and on klaf (unknown type and source of klaf). Let it air dry, then baked it in the kitchen oven at about 90 degrees C for half an hour to make sure it is really really dry. Then, dripped water on the lines. Here is what it looks like. On the klaf the ink spread a lot. On the card it barely spread. I then dripped more water all over the ink lines on the card. The ink for some mysterious reason did not spread. I don't know why is there such a big difference between ink on card and ink on klaf.

I was recently contacted by a shul here in the Pacific Northwest about treating a problem with mold growth on two of their sifrei Torah.  Having briefly looked through both sefarim it looks like the mold is fairly widespread manifesting in black spots along most of he margins and in a few places across areas of writing.  Based on my recommendation the shul took immediate action to dramatically reduce the level of humidity within the shul which has been nearly 100% by installing de-humidifiers.  The humidity is now holding at approximately 55%.  At this level, I think mold growth is much less likely, but it still leaves the tricky issue of dealing with with what's already formed on the Torah scrolls themselves.  I've done a bit of research on dealing with mold on parchment and it seems like there's quite a range of opinions, everything from misting the parchment with a solution of alcohol to exposing the klaf to direct sunlight for an hour, to using UV lamps.  Does anyone

This shailo has come to the Beis Horah many times by R' Shammai Gross and haven't been able to find anyone yet that speaks about it (although perhaps the psak is obvious?) It says in Shulchan Aruch that if someone rents a dira the chiyuv of putting Mezuzos on the dira is on them. Many times here in Eretz Yisrael (as I'm sure in other places) it's become the custom that the Landlord puts the mezuzos on the dira. Especially in a case when it's a dira being rented as "fully furnished" apartment. While there might be some discussion in this I know R' Shammai holds this to be the "minhag" that such a dira also comes with mezuzos. However in a situation when this is the first tenant the dira is being rented to and it doesn't yet have mezuzos up and the bal dira wants to put up before the tenant comes in can he make a bracha? If the tenant had already made some sort of kinyan and made him a shliach to put them up I would say for sure then he c