The International STa"M Forum

מבואר בשו"ע שיוד"י האלפי"ן שיני"ן וצדי"ן וכיוצא בהן, אם היו מדובקים לגג או לצואר האות [ונעשו קו משוך בשוה - גולם, ולא נקודה כעין יו"ד] הרי זה פסול, משום שינוי בצורת האות. נראה פשוט, שאם רוב הניכר של היו"ד מדובק, ואין ראשו בולט אלא מעט, חשיב גולם ופסול [עד שיתקן]. ולא מועיל המעט שעודף להיחשב כראש היו"ד, דלא מצאנו הראש שיהא טפל ובטל כ"כ במיעוטו לגבי רגל עבה ושמן.

נשאלתי האם מזוזה זו היא כשרה ומהודרת, (והאם זו כתב חב"ד) או לא? נראה לי שאין כתב זה מהודר, ויש בו חששות לפי ההלכה אפילו לפסול. ואין צריך לומר שאין זה צורת כתב המיוחס בדיוק צורת האותיות. ואפרט להלן הערות שיש על חלק מצורות האותיות שבמזוזה זו. רגלי ימין של ה"א ותי"ו  - כפופים מדי לאחור [לצד ימין], ובתי"ו נראה כשתי רגלים כפופות. ובה"א כרגל כפופה לאחור. יש בזה שאלה חמורה של שינוי צורת האות, ובתי"ו  יש פוסלים  (שו"ת שבט הלוי) ועכ"פ אין זה צורתן לכתחילה. ראה מה שכתבתי  פורום לנושאי סת"ם: רגל ימין של תי"ו ורגלי חי"ת וזיי"ן - כפופות כעין מושב נו"ן ואין זה עיקום (וכפיפה מעט) שבירך המצוי בכתב [המיוחס של חב"ד] ר' ראובן, שהוא עדין הרבה מזה המצוייר כאן (וזוית שבירת הירך - הוא כלפי פנים דוקא, ומעט). הרגלים כאן גסות ועבות ביותר – וזה שינוי מהמקובל שרגלי האותיות ד' ה' ות' של ימין יהיו עדינות ודקות, ויש להקפיד בדבר זה לכתחילה. רגל הד' הרבתי כפופה לאחור יותר מדי  - אני בעצמי חושש כאן לשינוי בצורתה והיי...

Wishing all members and readers of this forum a Chag Kosher V'sameyach and much continued success in all aspects of their avodas hakodesh!

I am in the process of organising a sefer Torah for a family who's patriarch recently passed away. The extended family wants to commission a sefer in his memory, to be shared by the various children and grandchildren, and used at family simchos and the like. The sefer would be housed at different shuls for different periods. They chose to have the sefer written in Ksav Arizal, since most of the family is Chasidish. (Some are Chabad Chassidim, some are Gerer Chassidim, and some are non Chassidic (but they don't mind Arizal). But the real issue of contention is if the "pitzuei DAKKAH" should be written with a Hey (the way most write it today) or an Aleph (the way Chabad (and Temanim) write it. Years ago, this would likely have been less of an issue as this matter has definitely grown more contentious and political (on both sides) in recent history. The Chabad Shul attended by some family members would not likely use the sefer if it was written with a Hay. Converse...

What is the best humidity to store a Sefer Torah?

Following Y.Y.'s request, I spent a few minutes and printed out the problematic Taz posted last week (The space left was too small to fit 9 yudin b'tziruf). I  amended it with a pencil to show how I would add ink to certain letters to create a space of 9 yudin btziruf (combined). It would thus be kosher after repair. Before: After: A few points: 1) It was a bit clumsy doing it with pencil (a rapidograph would have been easier but the ink bled as soon as it came in contact with the paper I was using (hence the mechikah by the taf). 2) At no point during the repair was there a shinuy tzurah or panim chadashos. (it meant thickening the vavs from the bottom up, and doing some letters, such as the taf in stages, ensuring that at least a fraction of the bottom left regel remained exposed. 3) Frankly, before attempting such a tikkun it would be wise to photocopy the parsha and plan the tikun by sketching it in with pencil first. Once you are satisfied with the result...

האם   תפלין של יד שאין בהם ריוח פרשיות [פתוחה או סתומה] כדין, מועיל לחתכן לד' פרשיות נפרדות, ותתכשרנה? שהרי תפלין של יד מד' קלפים כשרה בדיעבד, ובתפלין של ראש מבואר בשוע"ר [סי' לב סעיף נד, בשם המגן אברהם] שאין קפידא מהדין בריוח פרשיות כי הם בד' קלפים נפרדים. א"כ שמא גם בשל יד אם נחתוך קלף היד לד' פרשיות נפרדות, לא יעכב בהן דיני פרשה פו"ס? נראה לי פשוט שלא מועיל. דדין פו"ס מעכב בשל יד, לא משום שהם באמת [במציאות] על קלף אחד, אלא משום שדינן של הד' פרשיות בשל יד להיות בקלף אחד, וגם אם הם בקלפים פרודות זה מזה, הרי הן  נחשבות כמדובקות יחד , וצריכין להיות  ראויין  לריוח הפרשיות כדינן. אבל אם אין הרווחים כדינן, הרי אינן ראויות כלל לידבק יחד. ונראה לי שזה הטעם שאנו מקפידים להניח תפלין יד של ר"ת, דלכאורה מכיון שאפשר לחתוך הקלפים זה מזה, הרי אם יחתוך פרשיות שמע ווהיה א"ש, לא יהא שום חילוק בתפלין של יד בין רש"י ור"ת. במלים אחרות: גם אם הקלפים מחולקים, הרי הן נחשבין מאוחדים יחד, ולכן צריך להניח של יד רש"י ור"ת, כי א...

No hefsik parsha!

Ayin by vayizak zeaka gedolah umara in last picture are these Ayin kosher they look like a tzaddik Besides fir the fact that I  had it computer checked and it's missing 5 letters has one extra and alot of other small chashashis

where does one buy klaf+sofer supplies in Australia?

The shiur will go ahead with Rav Weiner this Tuesday 3/29 (11:00pm Israeli time). This is 4:00 PM New York time... To view live, please go to this URL: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2vp8l5lxcxY (There is no need to log in) The shiur is Lezecher Nishmas Rabbi Mendel Gorman Z"L, a member of our forum who passed away on Purim. We also have in mind (yebodel lchaim toivim aruchim) two other members of this forum who are unwell and may they have a speedy refuah shelaimah. We look forward to your participation...

Had a strange request from an interesting balebos who is both close to Chabad and the Litvisher kollel. I was explaining to him the difference between all the different types of ksav, minhagim and layouts for megillah. He liked the idea of combining the beautiful artistic style of Alter Rebbe ksaav and the halachically advantages of the 11 line Gr"a megillah layout. I told him such a combination is unheard of and borders a purim shpiel. But he's set on the idea, and said he's going to call it the "moshiach megillah" because such a megillah is suitable for moshiach's times. Indeed. I did however place one condition: payment upfront. Because if he orders it and doesn't buy it, I highly doubt I'd find any other customers interested in buying it, and could well stuck with it for a long time!

We had scheduled an online shiur L'zchus Rabbi Mendy Gorman as well as for another member of this forum R' Pinchas Sholom Ben Brocha . It was decided in the end that due to practical reasons (the time wasn't suitable for everyone) that Rabbi Weiner was going to upload the shiur to the forum and people could listen at their convenience. However we only managed an audio file and for some reason audio files cannot be uploaded here. It was supposed to be uploaded by the time the shiur was supposed to happen, a few minutes ago. We are now postponing the shiur to 11:00 PM Israeli time  next Tuesday 29th March , after Purim. I will update the exact mode of transmission as we get closer. Apologies for anyone who was inconvenienced. Wishing b'suros tovos and a freilichen purim to everyone.... Eli

Mishna Brurah תרצא ס"ק כ holds that if aseres is not at bottom of column as in so called chabad megila the megila is kosher only bdieved and should be used to read in public only when other megila is not available. Vav of Veizasa (I heard that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe received a regular megila from his father in law the previous rebbe, The current chabad megila is written according to the megila written by the rebbe the moharash- and the late rebbe received a megila in this style as a present from a chasid-this then became the standard chabad megila) According to pre megadim if vav of veizasa is not zakufa different megila should be used  (שעה"צ סק כ) Mishna Brurah (שעה"צ סק יד) writes that nowadays we do not make the vav of veizasa zakufa How should we write it? in ksav ari I always make sure the vav is zakufa. In ksav Beis Yosef  I dont know -I would say that since its a kosher vav why not do it and be yotze the pri megadim. THE BRIGHT SIDE OF CHABAD MEGILA I...

Thank you R'Gutnick for adding me to the forum. Some time ago harav wiener posted a similar case on his blog where the chof was touching the top right corner of the tof and he wrote that if the negiah was bshas hakesivah it is a problem. I was wondering about this case in the picture if the same din applies and if anyone is aware of any kulah's to save this Mezuzah.

Rabbosai, I have asked R' Moshe Weiner to kindly give a shiur on STa"M (via Skype?)  for interested members of this forum. The shiur will be in the zechos of R'  Mendy Gorman - Yechezkel Menachem Mendel Zev ben Shainda Raizel, Lerefuah Shelaimah Ukrovah. Rabbi Gorman is a sofer from England and member of this forum. The shiur will take place via Skype conference video call this coming Tuesday evening, (the night before Taanis Esther), commencing at 11:30 PM , ISRAELI TIME (Tuesday afternoon in the US). Rabbi Weiner has kindly agreed to give the shiur on any general topic in STa"M of interest, suggestions welcome in the comments. Please mark the time and it would be nice if we had good participation. If any tech savvy members of this forum have any idea how the shiur can be uploaded directly to this website or watched live on on this site, please let me know. Otherwise we will do it via Skype conference video call. Besuros Tovos!

1) Sha''s throughout praises the use of the reed as the sofer's writing utensil. When and why was the feather (turkey!) phased in? Does anyone still use reeds? Where can I buy a reed in Yerushalayim?  2) When a lamed hits the end of the sirtut, what part of the lamed hits the side sirtut, the top of the vuv or the bottom, and why (keeping in mind that closeness of letters is determined by the bottom of the vav/top of the chuf)?

(This picture is a relatively mild case) but does a wide vov of a ches that is definitely not an outright reish - but may be a shailos tinok if presented on its own (ie not part of a ches) - present any ch'shash whatsoever? I'm asking acc to the S"A Harav who is machmir in the case of a daled or reish (instead of vov or zayin) within a ches. See the ches in the second last  line above. I've discussed this and even worse cases with several Chabad poskim over the years and have always understood it must be an "outright" reish or daled to be possul. In a sofek (such as the above case or even a little worse)  we would be meikel. (What I mean by meikel is that we don't have to start showing part of the ches to a child to ascertain if it's a vov or a reish etc). I am wondering if anyone has heard otherwise or has heard of such a concept of covering part of the ches and making a shailos tinok on the wider part in question as a way of deciding if the ches ...

There are times when a set of tefillin are brought in to be checked, and the housing is just too small to accomodate the parasha of the shel yad fully within the bayit.  The result is that a good portion of the parasha extends down to the Titurah resting outside of the confines of the bayit. At this point it is easy to recommend that the client purchase a new and larger bayit for the shel yad in order to resolve the problem.  But are there other solutions that do not involve the client spending money?  Is there anything else that can be done? Perhaps, just like we place the mezuzah at an angle; we may also place the parasha of the shel yad at an angle in order to take up the slack.  This solution is brought-up in the Sefer "Zikhron Eliyahu." Needless to say, I have tried this solution, and it did not work. The Perasha is just too large for the bayit and although part of the lower section of the scroll ended further in within the housing there still rema...