PROFESSIONAL EXAMINERS

MEZUZAHDOCTOR.COM

PROFESSIONAL EXAMINERS

1-800-MEZUZAH 1-800-639-8924

What makes our examiners professional?
Defects and flaws in STaM are difficult to detect and can easily pass unnoticed. Perfection is a critical... For example, if there are any broken letters or touching letters in a Mezuzah, the entire scroll is rendered Posul (invalid) and not usable. Not only must one purchase the highest quality STaM from reliable sources, but regularly check it for problems, which can arise over time. The STaM that we sell, examine and repair passes through heavy scrutiny by our certified examiners. The Vaad Mishmereth STaM is the world's foremost certifying agency for scribes and examiners. Individuals must attend training sessions and pass numerous oral and written examinations in order to become certified. Every scribe who receives certification has been prescreened
and evaluated by the Vaad to be an honest and focused individual. Integrity and steady attention to detail without distraction are critical to the field.

Below are the laws pertaining to the examiner.
(The following laws apply to Mezuzos,Tefillin and Sifrei-Torah equally.)

1) KETIVA TAMA (PERFECTION OF THE WRITING): The Halachot of Tsurat Ha'otiot (the proper formation of the letters) are extremely complicated. There are scores of various Possul forms of letters likely to be found.

There is a distinction between a perfectly formed letter and one which, while not perfect, nevertheless is Kosher. A Mezuzah in which all the letters are perfect is the result of the painstaking labor of a master Sofer. Such a Mezuzah is prized by those who seek perfection in Mitzvos. The value of kosher Mezuzot varies according to the degree of perfection in the formation, the uniformity of the size of the letters and the neatness with which the letters were written.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ALEF BAIS OF THE BAIS YOSEF, THE LETTERS THAT DIFFER ACCORDING TO THE ARI Z'AL AND THE ALEF BET ACCORDING TO SPHARDIC TRADITION.

Every letter must have its proper prescribed form. Deviations can occur by the omission or deformation of any part of a letter or by addition of a line or protrusion. Deviations render the Mezuzah Possul in most cases.

We classify deviations in three basic categories:
1) If a letter is illegible, it is incorrectable and the Mezuzah is Possul.
2) If a letter is legible but is missing an essential part or protrusion.
3) If a letter resembles another letter.
When a doubt arises about which letter it is, a child, who knows enough to recognize letters, but does not know enough to figure out the letter based on context, is asked to read the letter. If he reads the letter correctly, the Mezuzah is deemed kosher. If he reads it incorrectly, the Mezuzah is Possul, invalid. In some cases, a Rabbi who specializes in the field of STaM is consulted.

2) CHASEIROT V'YETEIROT (PROPER SPELLING): The Mezuzah must be spelled exactly as the words appear in the Torah. Even one additional or missing
letter renders the Mezuzah Possul. Even a good Sofer can occasionally err and words can be misspelled, repeated, or missing.

3) MUKAF GVIL (SURROUNDED BY PARCHMENT):
Each letter must be completely surrounded by parchment when the letter is formed. A Mezuzah is therefore Possul in the following examples:
a) If a line connects two letters. (FIGURE C)

MUKAF GVIL

FIGURE C

b) If one letter touches another. (FIGURE D)

TOUCHING LETTERS

FIGURE D

c) If an opening in a letter is incorrectly closed. (FIGURE E)

OPENING IN A LETTER INCORRECTLY CLOSED

FIGURE E

d) If a letter extends to the end of a parchment. (In particular, check the bottom of the letter tzadi in the word "Haaretz" on the last line of the Mezuzah.)
e) If the letter was written so it is in contact with a hole in the parchment.
The occurrence of being Possul due to Mukaf Gvil is very common and occurs even in expensive Mezuzot. Mezuzot should be carefully inspected for Negios (touching letters and connecting lines) before purchase.

4)GOLEM ECHOD (ONE BODY): Each letter written in the Mezuzah must be a single connected body, with the exception of the letters Heh and Kuf. If even a minute Hefsek (seperation) in the ink, visible to the naked eye, splits a letter in two, the Mezuzah is Possul. Small splits can sometimes be corrected by a reliable Sofer. If a Mezuzah becomes torn and the tear seperates the Mezuzah, the Mezuzah is Possul because the torn letter is not Golem Echod.

5) PERUD HA'TEIVOT (PROPER SEPARATION OF WORDS):
The letters of each word should be close together but not touching and the space between each word should be equal to the letter yud. Each word must be clearly separate from adjacent words. However, even if the space is less than this, the Mezuzah is still Kosher, as long as it is apparent that the words are separate. If the words run together the Mezuzah is Possul, invalid (SEE FIGURE F). In addition, if the space between two letters in a word is so large that it appears to be two separate words, the Mezuzah is Possul (SEE FIGURE G).

IMPROPER SEPARATION OF WORDS

FIGURE F

LARGE SPACE BETWEEN THE LETTERS

FIGURE G

Even the most skilled and certified examiner can miss a mistake. In addition to careful examination by the scribe, scrolls can be computer scanned to verify textual accuracy.