The International STa"M Forum

http://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=47795&alias=torah-in-australias-parliament

B"H Two questions for the forum, 1) Is there a minhag to place the Sifrei Torahs inside the Aron Kodesh in between Hakafos by a Hachnasos Sefer Torah? Any information on this would be helpful. 2) Why does the Rambam (Hilchos Tefilin UMezuzos 5:3) tell us which letters of the mezuzah need tagim, which mentions only a fraction of the Shatnez Ga'tz letters? See Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 36:3).

If it is not possible to put up a mezuzah both on outer tefach of the doorpost (green) and under the mashkof (red), which of the two gets preference?

Here's the list provided by the Edah. I've put an asterick next to those that I'm not familiar with. If you're familiar with them please provide information. * אחדתא – ירושלים דוד סטאריק יצור מיוחד – ירושלים * התפילין – קרית ספר * חותם ההידור – ירושלים * נ. ראז – ירושלים סטאריק בתים מאכער יצור מיוחד – ירושלים עטרת תפילין – חיפה שיינפלד בתים – ירושלים דאסקאל תפילין – בני ברק טוטפות – שלמה נפתלי פדר – בני ברק * תפילין כהלכה – ירושלים * משה קרישבסקי – ירושלים * פריזנט – ביתר

Whose do you recommend? What hiddurim are included? Which hechsher?Please include contact info for maker.

I would greatly appreciate a psak lemaase from Rabbi Winer 

does it have a tzura?

Anyone has mare mekomos on the topic of  אם הגיה אפי' אות אחת מעלה עליו כאילו כתבו ?  in regards to if this could appy to the actual sofer and not the Torah owner. Gmar hatima tova

These were found by a friend of mine, they are both evenly off the sirtut the entire Mezuza, the sofer (after yelling that you know nothing!!!!) said that it just happens sometimes! Any limud zechus?

B"H Is there a matte finish Tefillin paint that is ready to go? I use the Tefillin paint (thick) mixed with lacquer thinner, however I am asked often if they have a paint that is able to be used and stored in the Tallis bag.

Hi. This was found in yesterdays Torah reading... aleph and daled... before and after fixing screenshots attached. Would anyone think that there is a chashash in the daled being a shinui tzurah to a tzdi pshuta? Many thanks, Daron

Please check out this link: https://www.kedem-auctions. com/he/node/30900 They are claiming, amongst other things, that: גדולי האדמו"רים הזמינו אצלו תפילין. כאשר ביקר האדמו"ר הריי"צ מליובאוויטש בארץ ישראל (בשנת תרפ"ט) הזמין אצל רבי נחמן פפירנא תפילין מהודרות עבורו ועבור חתניו. חתנו הרבי מליובאוויטש רבי מנחם מנדל שניאורסון היה מקפיד להניח תפילין אלו עד סוף ימיו Pardon my ignorance, but I always thought that  the Rebbe Rayat"z bought the tefillin for his- sons- in law from Reb Zalman Vainshtein  Z"L, the well known Chabad sofer in Warsaw before the war. Can anyone shed light?

Rav Natan Siegel z"l of Efrat, Israel passed away on Shabbat, following a period of illness. Rav Natan was my inspiration for becoming a Sofer STaM, when he ignited the passion for the Holy Hebrew letters one tikkun leil Shavuot 24 years ago. Rav Natan was a master Sofer, teaching many students and advising experienced Sofrim. He wrote tefillin and mezuzot with great care and excellence. For Rav Natan, every Jew was an "Ot" in the Torah - every Jew has his and her critical place, and without whom the Torah could not be complete. Rav Natan loved to sing and dance, and so it was painfully difficult to watch him in his last weeks tied to a respirator, in a coma, and unable to move. Rav Natan Siegel has now danced to infinite heights, and no doubt welcomed in the choir of Angels - where they are certainly singing Zimrot Shabbos... in the niggun of Reb Shlomo Carlebach. May Rav Natan's family be comforted with the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. (attached photo of Rav N

? מה הדין

Whose batim do you use for your basic gasos and why? For non Edah, avodas yad retzuos I use from 2 of the well known and oldest makers under respected hechsherim. One wholesale customer recently told me that he got feedback from some of his customers that the retzuos I provided (I don't know when) were taking on a reddish brown hue.While well aware of this issue, I haven't seen it myself on the retzuos I have in stock nor heard about it from any other customer. For some reason, on a rare occasion, the paint can take on this hue. I assume there's some chemical reason for it and I've even see it return to black. (Rav Elyashiv held it was still kosher with this hue.) As this client isn't aware of this metzius, he immediately assumed that "my" retzuos were not good quality. I explained to him that it has nothing to do with the quality and happens on occasion to any retzuos, including those with the best name, hechsher and highest price. Have you experienced

צריך שאלת תינוק, אם יקראנה ץ' היא פסולה, ואם יקרא האותיות י' וך' כדין - מותר להפרידם

אני חושב שהה"א הזו פסולה

Hi all, You may remember that I posted on Pesach about this forum and unfortunately not having the time to maintain it. I had some volunteers who offered their assistance but unfortunately this never eventuated. I am looking for anyone who can assist me with 1-2 per week over the coming weeks to update/ clean the members list and invite the many new members wishing to join who I have not gotten back to due to time constraints. I would like if they could please then remain as administrator. Please feel free to email me privately or post in the comments if you wish to assist. Thanks