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CASE STUDIES

There are Many things that can render Tefillin or Mezuzah not Kosher or at best minimally Kosher.

Some of which happen over time with aging and some unfortunately are Posul from the get go.

Such as,

Letters, words and or Tagim that are missing, extra substituted, touching, Broken, Improperly Spaced, misshapen faded, cracked and weather damaged.

We document the problems we find and periodically upload them to the website.

We hope that this will educate and encourage the public to purchase only Tefillin and Mezuzas that are high quality from a reputable source, to take care of them properly and have them checked regularly.

Affixing Mezuzahs

6/12/2019

I was in a home this morning taking down Mezuzahs for checking and shockingly discovered 9 out of 12 Mezuzahs put up incorrectly. As you can see in the photo attached they were hanging only from the screw on the top. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch calls such a Mezuzah "a hanging Mezuzah" and rules that it is not Kosher. I.e it can be the most Mehudar Mezuzah but if not hung properly it is not Kosher. If you need screws or tape to affix the Mezuzahs properly, I will supply free of charge. just reach out to me

Does this door way need a Mezuzah? Yes it does.

5/15/2019

Yes this doorway does require a Mezuzah the railing doesn't exempt it.

Missing tagim

1/3/2019

Mezuzahs like this are only Kosher Beideved. and they can and should be fixed.

Bar Mitzvah Boy with new Tefililn

3/16/2018

One of the many benefits of purchasing your Tefillin at the Sofer Center. Come experience the joy! Watch as Rabbi Kass puts the Parshios inside the Batim. learn all there is to know about your Tefillin. Connect.

Tefillin Corner Repair

2/21/2018

Tefillin need to be square, a dent in one of the corners can make them no longer Kosher. They do not have to be pointy on the corners, however if you, your son or husband have a serious dent like in the picture below, or if you are not sure how severe it is, bring them in right away to be inspected and if necessary fixed.

Sometimes nicks and dents can go undetected, which is one of the reasons why it is important to have Tefillin checked on a yearly basis. If that is not feasible then at least once every 5-7 years.

Remember; always handle Tefilin over a table or surface to prevent them from falling to the ground. It is also important to stay away from walls or low ceilings while wearing them.

Damaged

After the repairs were made

Mezuzah Fire Damage

1/28/2018

These Mezuzahs were in a house that had a fire, as you can see these Mezuzahs were all damaged. Unfortunately the Mezuzahs on the doors closest to the area where the fire broke out were consumed in the flames. The one on the right was the first Mezuzah I found within close proximity to the area where the fire broke out, As you can see it has begun to melt and had extensive damage and had to be put in Sheimos, The one in the middle which was a bit further away the case has begun to warp slightly and the Mezuzah only had minor damage. The one on the left was even further and was only covered in soot. and aside from smelling like smoke there was little to no damage discovered due to the smoke. Unfortunately fire proof Mezuzah cases don't exist yet, who knows maybe one day in our future...

Mezuzah that was recovered with the most extensive damage

Mezuzah Placement

1/28/2018

Stairs

Damaged Mezuzah -Faded and Cracked lettering

11/7/2017

Walls dont come all the way down.

2/22/2017

Travel Tefillin

1/12/2017

Standard Batim are on average 33/34/35mm. For those who do a lot of traveling where every ounce is counted, and every inch in the suitcase is important you may want to consider these 28mm batim.

Weighing approx 8oz, which is half the weight of standard Tefilin and nearly half the footprint these are the smallest Gasos batim that can still hold a "regular size" Klaf for the Parshios, anything smaller will effect price and quality of Parshios considerably. As the Parshios will have to be written on smaller Klaf and the Ksav needs to be written smaller,

Most Sofrim are not ready to write so small and many are not able to do so, as it is very difficult to write Parshios properly with all the details in such a small size. The Sofer must write slower then he is accustomed to, it is much more strenuous and he must be of a much higher caliber to be able to write beautifully so small.

Parshios in this size are approximately $400+ more then equal quality Parshios in the Standard size Klaf.
As well there are many more options of Mehudar Parshios in the regular size Klaf.