The International STa"M Forum

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Is anyone familiar with this sefer? I've seen it quoted in Mishmeres Stam and Kesiva Tama.

Above are some photographs of a sefer Torah I have been called in to repair from time to time.  It as a sefer written on klaf mashuach, coated parchment. Over the past few years I have noticed fresh problems and cracking, occurring more frequently, to the point that there are currently several amudim that look like the pictures above. I have never previously agreed to undertake a comprehensive repair a mashuach torah scroll, because that nature of it is very difficult to work with (ink runs off the coating) and because of the coating, there is no guarantee how quickly letters will continue to crack. Once it starts, it doesn't stop, and it would be very difficult to guarantee continued Kashrus. I have recommended to the owners that it is beyond my scope and capabilities to work with such a sefer.  Furthermore, all of my usual  repairers that I outsource to in Israel, won't touch klaf moshuach seforim. Does anyone know of a reliable repairer of klaf mashuach? Perhaps someo

Does anyone have instructions for how to put together the Lanai Table? I just put it together, and I want to make sure that I have it right.

B"H   With gratitude to Hashem I am happy to inform you of the release of my newest book, Sefer Torah: Divine Protection and Unity.  Several years of work have gone into this project and I am pleased to share that it is the most thorough book in English of its kind. The book is designed to be user-friendly while also providing extensive research and sources. It is a great reference for Ashkenazic, Sefaridic and Chabad practice.  A special thanks to Rav Moshe Weiner and the other Rabbonim for the careful review of this entire sefer and extensive notes.  Just in time for Shavuos! The sefer is available on Amazon . https://www.amazon.com/Sefer-Torah-Protection-authoritative-regarding/dp/1986223140/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526342494&sr=8-1&keywords=sefer+torah+book קבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימיות Rabbi Dovid Nissan Bressman

In today’s day and age, virtually every kosher product available to the consumer comes with a hechsher. By hechsher, I mean an official and recognised rabbinical body or agency that certifies the kashrus of a product, be it a food item or a religious article. Hechsherim play a vital role in providing consumer confidence, and something branded by a reputable kashrus agency will be considered more legitimate than a similar product that does not. The agency has rigid policies and protocols in place to ensure correct standards are met, and they are independent of the manufacturer so that there is no conflict of interest. As we have discussed on this forum previously, there is a distinct lack of official hechsherim on Sta”m products - Tefillin, Mezuzos and Sifrei Torah. Even the Vaad Mishmeres Sta”m, the oldest and most well- known rabbinic agency in the Sta”m world does not certify products. They test and ordain sofrim and magihim (examiners), offer a computer checking service (sp

היו"ד דומה לרי"ש קטנה, דינה כדין יו"ד הדומה ללמ"ד קטנה - שאלת תינוק

I have heard that the OK will soon be giving a hechsher on Tefillin, Mezuzos and Sifrei Torah... Has anyone else heard of this? Update : Someone sent me this. Seems INDEED this is the case. See below.

A friend showed me this mezuzah and said he was advised by a credible magiah that this mezuzah was pasul. I saw these pencil markings on it. I noted the mem of matar has the gag touching "too much" but mishnat hasofer says bediavad (even if the gag is a complete straight line) this can be fixed in a tefillin and mezuzah. Does anyone know of any source which would hold this mem is pasul? https://drive.google.com/open?id=1H8W4BsYWNIVvuvkhXGFAug4k3maJmbbv

Has anyone heard of any major posek saying double sirtut reduces (halachic) hiddur? I know there is a source in rishonim not to have more than one sirtut. Does anyone know where? Is this taken into account buy today's poskim? Thanks

Download here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yeriotshlomo The video shiurim are excellent...

ב״ה Since I just joined the forum I figured I would post something small that I found interesting to introduce myself. Here is A source in Rishonim for the minhag of the backwards head of the letter Tzadik. The Minchas Solet (R' Menachem Mendel Meshi-Zahav), perush on the Baruch Sheamar, brings that, while the custom of having the right head of the letter Tzadik face towards the right seems to originate from the Arizal, the truth is that you can find an earlier source for in the Rishonim. Namely, the Meiri and in his understanding of Rashi. In explaining the statement in the Gemara that you should be careful in writing that your letters Tzadik and Gimel should not look alike ( לא יעשה צדין גמין ), one explanation is that if you flip the gimel around it will look like the long Tzadik. Now, the sefer Hatruma qualifies this that the head of the backwards gimel will not match the right head of the Tzadik, since it will face towards the right. However, the Meiri unde

Hi everyone, I have recently come across 2 cases of those plastic retzuos which were first discovered about two and a half years ago. This is the type that has the thick plastic (not paint veneer) heat pressed onto poor quality leather that easily tears once it is separated from the plastic. One was from a pair of tefillin purchased in NY , the other, from Israel. Both sets were a few years old and could have easily come from those fraudulent batches being sold a few years ago. My theory is that some of them began splitting right away or within a short amount of time, so people changed them. Some people may also have tested them when the fuss was being made once the fraud was discovered, and changed them then. But in all likelihood, many did not, and if the two parts are still bonded together (some may have been manufactured better than others) then people would be unaware that anything is wrong. The common pask on those retzuos were that they were possul. I'm wondering i

Hello,  I am looking for a table while I am in Eretz Yisroel. I am here until next Wednesday, and the only tables I have seen are the ones that stand on an existing table or the Lanai one that I have shown on the right. I plan to bring the Table back to America in two checked bags.  I found the one on the right for 2000 shekels, and I am wondering if anyone knows a better price? If possible I would like to see if other table options exist already in America besides the one Merkaz Hasofrim sell (I think the Lanai one is better). Specifically I would like a Larger writing surface for working with large sheets of Bristol Vellum, but I still want the ergonomic benefits of the Sofer Table. I was thinking of just making my own piece of wood and attaching it to the Lani Table to suit my needs. Perhaps I would incorporate a Light Board into the Lanai Table. Any Help would be appreciated. מרדי

On Friday morning I started writing parshiot for tefillin shel rosh. I didn't anticipate having any problem completing at least the first two, but it both took a lot longer than I expected and I had to stop twice to wait for letters to dry so that I could correct them. I ran out of time and was only able to finish the first parsha. All the sources I've seen say that you need to write at least the first two in one sitting. What is the status of the parsha that I wrote? Is it kosher but not lechatchila? Should I start from the beginning but save it in case I ever need a first parsha written at an earlier date? I saw the Lishkat Sofer brings down an opinion that if there is a sofer who is not robust and will likely make mistakes if he writes for long periods, that it is better to take breaks. But I could not be certain if he was talking about breaks after finishing the second parsha (as opposed to writing all four at once), or breaks in general, and whether he is just talking abo

הכ"ף פשוטה בסוף השיטה ענקית - אמנם נראה שמבחינת צורת האות היא כשרה, אך יש להסתפק שמא הוא מפסיק את הריוח שלאחר ובשעריך. שהרי כעת הריוח אינו פתוח לסוף השיטה. או לאידך שמא נעשה בעצם כאן פרשת סתומה במקום שאינה צריכה להיות פ' סתומה? אמנם מדובר בתפלין של ראש שלדינא אינו מעכב בה צורת הפרשיות פתוחה וסתומה [וכמו כן יש לומר - אם הניח ריוח פ' סתומה במקום שאינה צריכה].

Does anyone know where I can get  a ketores with the words as they appear in a nusach Ashkenaz siddur? or where I can get a tikun nusach Ashkenaz?

Where can i get a Pitum Haketores Nusach Ashkenaz. Ksav Ari is ok but i would like the nusach founnd in an ashkenaz siddur. Thanks, Yitzchok Weinnberger

Anyone ever see or heard of this?