Buying Mezuzos and Tefillin

Click for information on the different types of qualities for Tefilllin and Mezuzos 
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G-ds blessing to man come through his Mitzvos such as Tefillin and your and your family’s safety come through the Mezuzos you have in your home.  
We are taught that the Mezuzah provides us with a constant protection even when we are outside of our homes. One of the names of g-d are written  on the back of each Mezuzah Sha-dai can be read as an acronym for “Shomer Dalsos Yisrael” which means “the guardian of the doors of Israel” although we must fulfill each Mitzvah regardless of the promise of material gain, this can be a further incentive to be careful in the fulfillment of this mitzvah and to acquire quality kosher Mezuzos.
We  have a large selection of Mezuzos and Tefillin, some really basic and others that are very Mehudar.

When it comes to purchasing Mezuzos it is important realize, that like everything the less you pay the less you get. It takes a Sofer several hours to write a Mezuzah, and several days to write a pair of Tefillin so as you can imagine  if you see a Mezuzah being sold for 40-50 dollars alarm bells should go off in your head.

In the early 1980′s the Judaica market was flooded with inexpensive Mezuzos and Tefillin that came sealed in packages endorsed by the Israeli Rabbinate.
An investigation was made and  it was discovered that the Israeli Rabbinate did not endorse these Mezuzos and Tefillin and in fact many were written by nonreligious Jews, non Jews,women or they were collected from old posul Mezuzos awaiting burial as well as being printed on paper or Klaf (all of which are non Kosher). The Chief Rabbinate informed the public not to use such Mezuzos and that the endorsement was null and void. Unfortunately these Mezuzos and Tefillin are still around today.
​Therefore before you purchase any Mezuzah or Tefillin you need to be sure it is coming from a reliable source and that it is checked over by a certified Sofer.

Click for information on the different types of qualities for Tefilllin and Mezuzos 

An authentic looking seal is unfortunately not enough

How can you tell a bogus Mezuzah from a real one?
Here are some identifying signs of Machine printed Mezuzos onto klaf/parchment or paper.

In general you want to try find at least two identifying marks before you make your decision.

1) The Mezuzah is less then two and a half inches.
2) If two or more Mezuzos from the same batch look exactly the same.
3) There are no lines scored into the klaf/parchment along where the letters are written.
4) The writing looks like photocopy print, usually you can tell by feeling it. Some of the letters should be raised a bit from the thickness of the ink if it were handwritten.
5) The three words known as “kuzu bemuchas kuzu” which are written upside down on the back side of the Mezuzah are closer to the middle rather than the top edge of the Mezuzah.
6) You can determine if it is written on paper or parchment in one of the following two ways 1) If a corner can be torn with minimal effort 2) If a crease is left when a corner is slightly folded.

If you have a doubt about your Mezuzahs authenticity show it to a Certified Sofer to make the final decision.