Stam

סת״ם

We take orders for sifrei torah, mezuzahs and megillas. We are not dealers for other sofrim. Everything we sell is custom written for you. Call us for a quote and time-frame for production. If you need a mezuzah urgently, refer to our resources section below for some recommendations.

Buy from a Reliable and Reputable Sofer

“Stam” is an abbreviation for Sifrei Torah, Tefillin, and Mezuzos. It includes also Megillos. The importance of buying your Stam from a reputable sofer (scribe) cannot be overstated. The rules applicable to writing Stam apply to all the various documents, with one main exception, “k’sidran” [we’ll explain momentarily] which applies only to tefillin and mezuzos. Although by looking at the handwriting, one can tell a lot about the kashrus of the item, there are many hidden aspects in the production process which, if not adhered to, will completely invalidate it. Let’s talk about mezuzos — though, as mentioned, this applies throughout.

This rare footage shows R’ Menachem Davidovitch Z”tl in the process of writing. He was, during his lifetime, the “gold standard” of sofrim. His extensive knowledge of Halacha, with his technical expertise in writing established him as the leading resource of our generation, on which various rabbonim have relied when paskening shailos in Stam.

There is such a thing as “chok tochos” — creating a letter by means of erasing the ink. Anything other than writing is not valid, and is generally chok tochos. For example say you have a letter ה, which in essence is a ד with a “left leg” in the shape of a tiny י (yud). By erasing the left leg, you have created a ד. That’s chok tochos, and it absolutely invalidates the mezuza.

Then there’s “lishma” — the item must be written with the orally EXPRESSED intention of doing it for the sake of the holy item being written. Likewise, every time the name of Hashem is written, it must be expressed that it is for the sake of the Holy Name.

Additionally, for mezuzos and tefillin, the letters must be written “k’sidran”, that is, sequentially. You can’t skip a letter and then go back after you’ve moved on, and fill it in, say, to correct it. (This does not apply to Torah and Megilla scrolls.) There are many other requirements regarding the ink, the parchment, and so forth — this is not the forum to go into them. But as you can see, it gets complicated.

If a sofer were to contravene one of the above rules — whether intentionally, or even “innocently” because he did not realize that what he was doing was prohibited — you would never know it just by examining the mezuza. Hence the importance of buying from a reputable sofer.

R’ Menachem Davidovitch Z”tl in the process of writing Hashem’s name. Listen to him as he verbally dedicates his writing of Hashem’s name lishma.

What we do…

We’re currently writing a Sefer Torah for a client. It’s a long term project, but not time-sensitive to the client. So, we can take orders for Megillas and Mezuzas if the need arises. We write in the style of “Beis Yosef” or “Ari zal” according to the needs / custom of the client. We do not take orders for tefillin, nor do we write in the style known as “Vellish”, which is the custom of Sephardic Jews.

We also do mezuza checking. Both our own products, and those brought in for checking, are put through a rigorous checking process by a human (“bedikas gavra”) and by computer. The computer check is not subject to human error, and can pick up spelling errors, and some errors in the shape of letters or missing tagim.

Resources

If you urgently need a mezuza, or tefillin checking, we can recommend the following resources:

Lishkas Hasofer (Rabbi Nosson Haberfeld)

108 Rte 59, Airmont, NY 10952

(845) 425-9268

(Full Sofrus service, with attached bookstore)

Rabbi Melech Michaels, Mezuza Depot

4 Darby Road

Airmont NY 10952

https://mezuzadepot.com

845-290-2546, Email : rmmichaels1@gmail.com

(Full Sofrus service, plus mezuza house calls,
taleisim & tefillin bags)