The International STa"M Forum

anyone in stamforum land know of someone in the jerusalem city center (i'm located in nachlaot) who has access to bedikas machshev software and knows how to do t'fira? i'm finishing up a last-minute megillas esther and want to have it sewn and checked for chaserot/yeteirot please contact me at pesachrothberg@gmail.com or cell phone 054.393.5777 thank you thank you and GOOD PURIM!!!

What is the heter to write the parshas haketores on klaf in ashuris? I am aware that the Kaf Hachaim and others bring down the practice and that it is a segula for parnasa, but why is it okay to write it in the first place? I am vaguely aware that there is a shayla about whether or not it is muttar, but I'm not aware of who discusses it explicitly. Any sources would be appreciated.

Where can I read about the kesher of the tefillin shel yad according to the Baal Hatanya? Why is it considered by some than the regular kesher? If somebody has different sources, I would be very interested.

Does anyone know how I can get my hands on a copy of ילקוט צורת האותיות? I emailed Rabbi Greenfield a few months ago and he told me that it's (obviously) out of print, but they are working on reprinting it. Does anyone know where I could get a second-hand copy? Additionally, I am interested in reading some of his other articles, namely "תפילין הקדושות של רבותינו" and "חתימת המסורה". I emailed his recently about these but have yet to receive an answer. Does anyone know where I might get my hands on one? I live in Kew Gardens Hills, NY, but am often around Brooklyn. Any leads would be greatly appreciated!

I think its important for those selling megillos to make the folds for the customer or at least explain to him how to do it in such a way that the folds are not done on the ksav but rather in the margins or on the seam itself. I am forever fixing broken letters on megillah folds, and some of them are really not that old...

THE GENERIC COMPUTER (when lines get  mixed up -the generic is terrible)

is it ok for woman to sew torah to atzei chaim? in keses - lishkas hasofer siman 1, s. k. 7 it seems that not, although dosent mention specificaly sewing to atzei chaim.

My opinion: The Tav is pasul. The left foots' blita is more inward as a pei, and to minimal outward. The Nun of nafshechem is also pasul - it looks more a caf than nun.

Does anybody have a tikun for the real gra megila where the aseres are the last 11 lines of the column? (chabad took the ish bereish daf  that ish belongs on top of column and aseres just needs to be on left side of column and the gra took the aseres besof hadaf means end of column and ish bereish daf means right side.)

Here is a picture of the Rebbe MaHarash's Megillah.  As can be seen the Asseret Benei Haman are at the top.  However the listing of the names are not STRAIGHT or JUSTIFIED.  Rather, they are indented taking the length of a regular writing without stretching any letters.  The same goes for the word ASERET, it is not justified with the Ve'ETS. The Rebbe wasn’t a scribe, but his doctor told him he should do detailed work with his hands. So he wrote one Megillah for each of his children. He only wrote three or four megillahs, one of which is in the Library in New York, and the other by Rebbetzin Carlebach.  The above pictures are from the Carlebach scroll.  It's in remarkable condition for its age (around two hundred years old) with really wonderful handwriting. You might enjoy reading the following article: http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=20125

 ABOVE IS ASERES CHABAD you should review aruch hashulchan too properly understand the aseres issues. Above is aseres like chabad does it the gra HAD A SIMILAR MEGILA BUT WITH THE ASERES ON THE BOTTOM 11 LINES. BELOW IS ASERES ACCORDING TO M"B (KIFLAYIM) BY RABBI MARKOWITZ

I want to thank Shalom Gloiberman for giving me this picture, of the Rebbe Maharash megila. I wrote on my hebrew forum a essay in regard to the aseret bnai haman, in this form. This megila was written approx. 1870-5, and was given to his son Rabbi Shalom Dovber, and was inherited by Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak the Lubavitcher Rebbe (grandson of Maharash).

Hi Eli, Here is the diagram for writing the Shem Al Pi Qabbalah as found in the Yalkut.

Someone has pinched my Yalkut Stam and I need to send a diagram to a sofer who doesn't know how to make the Shaim al pi kaballah exactly. If someone has a diagram could they please upload it. Thanks...

Tzadikim, I have a Question. Black Shadow behind surrounding the letters, But letters are still clearly readable. Is there any problem?

Is this Reish or Chaf Sofit M"B brings breichas hamayim here is the link -does this apply here? http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8456&st=&pgnum=68

I'm not a big expert on batim so advice is appreciated. I know that one broken tefira (or even sometimes 2) can be kosher if it's on the side, but the a broken tefira in the corner that ruins the Zavit is Pasul. This shel yad had a long gid coming out of it. I wasn't sure what it was so had a look and it seemed that it's from the corner tefira underneath.  Perhaps it was the end of the tefirot but it seems to have been badly looped because I pulled lightly at the bottom at it almost pulled out all the way through, so it seems that it's not actually tied to anything. Just pulled through.  The other 3 cornea tefirot (2 on top and 1 on bottom) are a bit loose but they seem to be still connected even if loose. Does this one bottom corner tefira that isn't really connected posel the tefillin? Must it be opened and re sealed?

Is this Tzadi kosher?

We all get an occasional problematic tefilin or mezuza with "SENTIMENTAL" value. I have heard in name of rav wosner that if we have tefilin from a very prominent sofer then even a bdieved is lechatchila-if I am correct he said it regarding shrt lameds in rav Nachman papirnes ksav from his older years. The Shaila is what is the Lomdis Is it that we may use a bdieved if the chashivas of the sofer is so great or that since a chushiver sofer wrote it we count it as lechatchila. The meuzah or  that has sentimental value  is this a reason to allow a bdieved? maybe since it was written without tagim it should be kept in the china closet for sentimental value.