The International STa"M Forum

Am looking for a young sofer in Montreal who is available to check and correct a sefer Torah beginning to end. It should not take more than 2 weeks full time or less. I cannot pay a lot of money but if you are willing to work hard and get it done it should be doable. I live in Ottawa and am looking for someone close by, hence Montreal. Please contact me at eliebenz@gmail.com

I want to share a tip I learned many years ago regarding opening tefillin parshiyos that have been exposed to heat. As you open/ unravel the parshiyos, if you hear a crackling sound, as if the letters are sticking to the back of the klaf, this is a worry. Often this is an indication that the parshiyos have been exposed to heat, such as being left in a hot car on a hot day. The way to deal with this is as follows: Stop opening the parshiyos immediately, as you could pull parts of letters off. Instead, hold either side of the parsha and bend the parsha back and fourth for a few seconds. When you continue opening the parsha, you should no longer hear the crackling sound because the bending back and forth movement should have "unstuck" the ink somewhat. It will no longer get pulled off as easily when you open the parshiyos.

I usually use a lacquer thinner to mix with the thick Tefillin paste-type paint that has a hechsher from Rov Wosner. By the way is this paint petroleum based? I am wondering if there is any less harmful 'paint thinner' substitutes that also work well?  Does anyone know if odorless mineral spirits work? Thank you,

Does anyone have any idea if anything can be done with this shaim?

Is there a problem with the ה of Ha lehashem, does there need to be a bigger revach between it and the Shem? How would you correct it?

A friend of mine is interested in buying prepared yrios of sefer tora, csav ari, from shmos - end. Please contact moishebaz@gmail.com

Several posts of late address the shailo of an intrusion into a reish or daled from the left side (not lamed from line underneath which is more chomur). I asked Rav Friedlander Sh' as to when we have to be worried about this. His response was that it's only really a problem if it is an abnormal intrusion, in his words a " vildeh" stroke that sticks into the letter before it much more than usual. he said for example, a beis, which has an ekev of two or more kulmusim and most of that is sticking into th eleft of the reish or daled, then it woul dbe problematic. But a regular ekev which sticks in slightly, or even a bit more than slightly would present no problem. I believe sefardim are more machmir in this but I am unfamiliar as to the practical guidelines.

Decades ago that beis din of Crown Heights put out a psak din about Batim of Tefillin that they should be separate all the way down to the תפר even if they may spread a bit and not be perfectly square since we measure the ריבוע when they are squeezed together. Does anyone have a copy of that psak din?

A Yeshivah bochur just came back to Melbourne from where he was learning in the USA and said that while he was away he had his tefillin checked. Everything was fine, except the sofer told him that in the last parsha of his shel yad the words "vechoro af" are on two separate lines. I think his complaint is that from there the sofer did not follow the roshey hashitin of the Arizal exactly. What surprises me is that the sofer made an esek out of this and allegedly told the customer "the tefillin are still kosher but are only Bedieved". (I'd like to see his makor for that.) We have discussed this before and while there is room to be machmir about Roshe Hashitin in mezuzah, I have never heard anyone make an esek of it in tefillin. I have always understood that in tefillin a small shinuy like this would present no issue. The tefillin were not purchased from me so I am not nogeya badovor. However the boys father asked me if he should change the parshiyos...

Does anyone have a source for the common practice of facing the shin-dalet-yud on the outside of the mezuzah to the front i.e. facing directly outwards,  and why it is undesirable for it to face the sides or back of the mezuzah case? Thanks

I think even according to the Keses - there never was a caf kefufa or beis, therefore can be separated.

Ink between heads is dark. Question is only if enough of the rosh is recognizable?

I was wondering what the din is by sefardim in the case below. If Rabbi Michael or any others could guide me here I'd be much obliged. I know sfardim are more machmir when intrusion is from side than Ashkenazim.

Has a noticeable line going out to the right hand side of the gug, if ain shiur beuve haos my worry is if it's a shinuy to a zayin?

I am wondering what is the opinion on Shu"A Ha'Rav? Does he agree with the Mishna Berurah that the insides of letters (at least 3-walled letters) are exempt from the requirement of hekef gvil (at least after the fact)? Or does he hold that the inside is no different than the outside? From my learning I have concluded that the inside is no less than the outside. I'm wondering if anyone understands differently?

I was reading through some kitvei yad of Rav Haim Vital ZTzUK"L and found this recipe for Dyo.  My own comments are in (parentheses like this): To make a very good ink-  Take rain water and put into it very finely ground Afatzim(gallnut powder) and boil it a bit.  Then remove the afatzim, take the water and put into it Gum Arabic and Roman Vitriol(called Kankantum in the Shulhan Arukh, specifically it is copper sulfate) as you desire and boil them.  When it turns black remove it from the heat and strain it through a linen garment(a coffee filter will work just as well, or any other fine non-reactive filter) and leave it exposed to the air for a single night, and then place it in the sun and it will be a very good ink.  Once reduces you can add water and mix it with a wooden sliver. For those who want the original Hebrew: לעשות דיו טוב מאוד מאוד.  קח מי גשמים ושים בתוכן העפצים כתושים דק דק והרתיחם מעט והסר העפצים וקח המים ושים תוכם גומא ארביקא וויטריאו...