By COLlive reporter
The recent controversy about the kosher validity of small low-cost mezuzos and the modus operandi of the Sofer Stam industry brought some back to a document written in 1986.
On Friday, 24 Kislev 5747, the eve of the first night of Chanukah, the Crown Heights Beis Din (Badatz) issued a public letter to all sofrim (scribes), magihim (reviewers) and sellers of Stam, an acronym for Sefer Torah, Tefillin and Mezuza.
Rabbi Yehuda Kalmen Marlow OBM, Rabbi Avrohom Osdoba and Rabbi Yosef Heller didn’t write what prompted the letter, but it is clear they tried to impose standards on a market with little transparency.
While there is a great demand for Stam, they wrote, there is a lot of improper Stam on the market, “or at least ones that aren’t optimally kosher (lechatchila) and enhanced kosher (mehudar),” they wrote.
The 3 rabbis then spelled out 9 regulations “so that there would be no impediment in our neighborhood,” as a Mezuzah which is pasul (non-kosher) is known to create harm instead or protection.
Among the rules were that all scrolls, batim (boxes) and retzuos (straps) should undergo “rigorous review” and that their writers should be known as “G-d fearing and expert,” whether stemming from Israel or written locally.
“The small mezuzos which many of them are written without the required accuracy, and are missing tagim (crowns on letters) etc., should not be sold at all even after a review of the magihim here,” they stated.
They also demanded that all sofrim and magihim in the neighborhood appear before the Badatz and show their credentials and that they revisit the halachos of Stam in Shulchan Aruch at least once a year.
As reported on COLlive.com, a private research conducted by R’ Yisrael Dovid Wolf of Chicago accused Stam merchants in Crown Heights of selling small low-cost Mezuzos which are non-kosher.
Merchants responded by claiming their scrolls indeed undergo a careful review after being written and before being sold. They are calling Wolf to a Din Torah at Vaad Rabbonei Lubavitch in Crown Heights, which runs independently of the Crown Heights Beis Din which is fractured today into 2 entities.
Seems you have trouble reading. The only ones selling posul were the really really bad ones and I agree 100% they are at fault and malicious and this video was on the mark. My whole point was the others who were dragged down with them who’s mezuzahs “issues” were not “issues ” for the most part. So no one is being fooled by them and they are kosher although minimally. The difference in your analogy would be glatt vs non glatt. They are 100% kosher although maybe not up to your standards. And I agree with you, dont buy cheap… Read more »
Thousands of lbs of shmura matza are distributed on mivtzoyim both locally and by shluchim internationally. To keep costs down, maybe it is ok to distribute matza that is only bdieved kosher for passover. It isn’t anyway for Anash to use. It’s for people that might even be eating chometz on pessach, so who needs shmura matza that is 100% kosher l’pessach? The mivtzoyim matzas are going to people that don’t understand the importance of keeping pessach, so who cares if the matzas are 19 minutes, 28 minuites or even sometimes chometzdig? Let’s start selling cheaper matzas! As long as… Read more »
The sofrim are irresponsible and have been fooling everyone for years they pretend to check Mezuzas it takes them about thirty seconds. I want someone to try doing the same test on 150$ Mezuzas I bett you will get the same results. Hagah is not a game. It takes time and cost money. About time someone got the message that you need to deal with the problem. If they had any brains they would not complain about someone stealing they’re parnasa. It’s like waving a flag that says hi I’m here to make money off you and I don’t care… Read more »
You wrote: “Do you really want them to stop selling them? And all of a sudden you will be willing to pay more money for your mezuzahs? Really? …. These sofrim are providing a community service selling these mezuzahs, they cost so little there is little to no profit in them. It’s intended for the shluchim who are giving for free to their balabatim or they are buying but they dont understand the importance of having a proper mezuzah, these mezuzahs were never meant to be on the doors of anash!” Ok, so the local butcher can have a special… Read more »
It really seems like you’re the clueless one around here. Some of your basic premises are fundamentally flawed. You bring up some nice, general points, but others are so lacking that they stare me right in the face. You seem to have misunderstood R’ Wolf’s point in making this “investigation.” Unless you have expertise in the Stam field, and have scrutinized all the mezuzos from all the stores, you can not say that the sofer ignored the “mistakes” in the stores you claim were “on his agenda.” These statements have no proof to back them up. Your proof? “Look at… Read more »
The shtar is unavailable for the reasons I delineated
when we speak about tefilin we always get an explanation that bigger is better and therefore cost more. but when someone wants to order small tefillin he gat explanation why actually small more expensive.we will always have this problem this is just business.
2, I have experience not once when someone tefillin were told as pasul by Chabad sofer and mehudar from other soferim including Chabad sofer with a good reputation I know personally. lot of rabonim in aretz do not recommend deal with chabad sofrim at all since they posel just for sale you another
What bothers me the most of everything, is The “Koch” and the “Hislahavus” in searching and in Finding Someone else’s “Aveirois” “Avlois” “upeshoim”, I think that it’s time that People Should Become A Little Bit More “Pnimiyusdik” and A Little Bit More “Bar Da’as’en” and A Little bit more “Emes’dik” Between themselves and the oibershter – and before they say or before they write C”V a Harsh Word About Another Yid, They Should ask themselves: Have I Found Already And Have I Fixed Already all of my own Aveirois Avlois Upeshoim – That I Poshut have now some extra Time… Read more »
Ebay has for $26 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mezuzah-Scroll-7-Cm-Kosher-Parchment-Torah-Klaf-2-8-Inch-Hebrew-Judaica-Jewish/261414524325?epid=1731410880&hash=item3cdd8515a5:g:yyEAAOSwAL9UgVbk:rk:2:pf:0
You can argue from today to tomorrow if the problems discovered it the mezuzahs are really problematic or just borderline kosher… the fact is that the debated ” issues” that were found apply in all the mezuzahs shown, yes all, even machon stams. Look at the slides. Of course there were some stores that had really really poor quality with deformed lettering and multiple issues per mezuzah, and this video would have been correct had it been aimed only to them. But then there are the rest of the sofrim and they are all in the same boat more or… Read more »
writing a mehudar mezuzoh will take an experienced sofer +/- 2 hours. Calculate materials, in between handlers, and the final sellers costs, anything below $80 is probably no good.
Rabbi Miyad Wolf שליט”א has done what none of us had the guts to do.
He stood up against falsehood and lies.
He singlehandedly (along with some unnamed individuals) fought against the establishment and protected us from swindlers.
Now, as we stand on the threshold of “Phase Two” he needs us to stand behind him.
Please help support this Yungerman, who went on Mesiras Nefeshe Mamash – something not many can say about themselves today – and sacrificed his name and dignity to fight for the truth.
Let us put an end to Mezuzah Fraud – TOGETHER!
https://www.gofundme.com/support-the-truth
The reason we have so many Hechsheirim on food and not on Stam is simple: If a Rav gives a Hechsher on STAM he will need to set up a serious system to ensure that the products are actually kosher. His name is at stake. If he just signed the paper that it’s kosher, sends over some drugy mashgiach who knows nothing about STAM and doesn’t keep kosher to walk in once a month to show his face, then he calls the store owner to verify that the mashgiach showed up, and when the mashgiach is nowhere to be found… Read more »
Sorry for your experience.
Peehaps such experiences were the very impetus for the vital video. It’s more likely that your story supports their side.
You can argue from today to tomorrow if the problems discovered it the mezuzahs are really problematic or just borderline kosher… the fact is that the debated ” issues” that were found apply in all the mezuzahs shown, yes all, even machon stams. Look at the slides. Of course there were some stores that had really really poor quality with deformed lettering and multiple issues per mezuzah, and this video would have been correct had it been aimed only to them. But then there are the rest of the sofrim and they are all in the same boat more or… Read more »
When I was in Eretz Israel in 1970 I bought new Tefillin with parsios in the Alter Rebbe Kasav from a highly regarded Lubavitcher Sofer. A number of years later I had them checked and the sofer in Crown Heights brought them to Rabbi Marlow who said the parsios were Pasul. I went to buy Ari zl parsios from a non Lubavitcher Sofer and I’ve been using them ever since. I don’t understand all the machlokes in Lubavitch and I
am afraid to purchase things that one says are mehudar and another says are pasul.
I’m sorry your contacts were ignored.
BTW the Rabbis Wolf- father and son- neither are sofrim but are dealers between sofrim and buyers
I was told that many stores don’t even make money of these inexpensive mezuzos. So why should they do a favor and sell them. Instead buy from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Peer-Hastam-Mezuzah-Ashkenaz-Certificate/dp/B0053AUYPI/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1546911927&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=mezuzah
You ask: Why do we have mashgiachim and hechsherim for food and not for STAM?
Read slowly so not to get confused: Both food and STAM need to be kosher, right?
But Food that isn’t kosher is “treif”, while STAM that isn’t kosher is “possul” (not “treif”).
GET IT?
And see further comments #37 and #51!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why do we have mashgiachim and hechsherim for food and not for STAM? Just as we utilize and rely on a mashgiach in the food industry, we need mashgiachim in the STAM business too. Similarly, all tallisim have a hechsher, why not other religious products like teffilin and mazozos?
If CH incorporated this, it would be an important message to yidden around the world that Chabad STAM products are kosher and trustworthy as they come with a respected and reliable hechsher.
Every sofer is humen and could make mistakes.
It raises red flags when the mistakes are when its kosher
if you had 1 out of 10 kosher serious issue
If you have posul 1out of 10 posul it happends and take care of it
Loved: “If you had a beef with my milchig salad (I guess bugs might be fleishig)…”
when I read #51 it seems like a summarized collection of many mezuza comments (equally absurd comments whether sofrim dealing with possul mezuzas or restaurant owners dealing with bugs in their salad).
During 2011 I purchased for a friend (becoming frum) of mine a pair of tefillin from who I thought was a well respected scribe. The scribe was the father of the man who produced the now viral video.
I’ll keep the details of the tefillin vague, but I’ll say that there were multiple problems with the tefillin. I reached out to the sofer, and he repeatedly brushed me off.
Bottom line, I can’t speak of the validity of the crown heights stores, but what I can say is that your not gonna get anything better from the Chicago character. Vd”l
Amazing job!!!!!!!!
when i read #37 it seemed to me like a joke, just imitating the mezuza process
can someone post this shtar document that VRL makes some sign. if you cant post it then send a link. A beis din needs to be according to Halacha. Does a BD have a right to go against Halacha with this document signed?
I own a cafe in Crown Heights and if you DARE put out such a video, I will sue your pants off and I will get EACH restaurant/pizza shop/bakery/sushi store to join me in a Din Torah against you. HOW DARE YOU try to take away my parnassa??? You must be related to the one eatery that has no bugs in their salad! How is it even possible that only “one” eatery has 100% no bugs on the salad? And why are you targeting Crown Heights eateries and not BP, Willie or Flatbush? You are making a chillul Hashem and… Read more »
This letter is talking about the exact issue happening today, don’t believe anyone who says otherwise. Rabbi Heller has spoken about this issue so many times in Collel. And HE IS RIGHT, he wants a hekshar on Stam and Mikva.
I am thinking of sending in my custom wigs and 10 other to be DNA tested to see if they are taka human hair or not !
Some of the excuses that people are giving is that the Mizuzos are for people that don’t keep the high standards of kosher mezuzas, or for people that would not have them at all, with that logic maybe we should start Distributing machine matzah instead of shemura
hand made matzah, because it’s cheaper and these people don’t keep the higher standards of matzah Etc.
Of course that is a ludicrous argument.
Every sofer in CH, hand over all your under $50 mezuzos, to a vaad of rabbonim knowledgeable in this and have them checked. Then the infomration be presented to the sofrim and adjustments to their business/craft be made accordingly.
Let there be established a fund to subsidize when necessary $20 per mezuza so no one need to buy the lowest priced ones.
I got the drop box of pics of all the mezuzos
Hes pretty right on his assesment
Anyone who knows the halachos sees that this sofer is ignorent. Open a shulchan aruch!!! It’s true like the rabbonim said that there are problems with inexpensive mezuzos, EVEN AFTER THEY ARE FIXED UP like machon stam does
Hazmonah. From a community member view looks like a prank
If the bais din callled him up to din torah they would sent him a letter directly
Not have it sent all over it would have been a personal letter to him
I doubt if he got a letter from bais din he woukd have forwarded it
Every rov knows the halachos better than the sofer. The sofer is meant to ask a rov when he has a question and not pasal anything himself.
BESIDES THE ISSUE OF THE REBBE STATING- ” WHO CREATED THEM” , THE PRESENT ISSUE FALLS UNDER THE DOMAIN OF THE LOCAL BAIS DIN AS THE ISSUE EMANATES FROM LOCAL STORES AND SOFRIM IN THE SHECHUNAH… THE VRL WAS SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH ISSUES INVOLVING MOSDOS, SHLUCHIM AND NOT IN LOCAL ISSUES. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT IT IS RIFE WITH NEPOTISM, FAVORITISM, AND KNOWN FOR IT;S POLITICAL LEANINGS..SINCE THE LOCAL BAIS-DIN DID ISSUE THE AFORE MENTIONED LETTER IT WOULD BE MOST APPROPIATE FOR THE LOCAL B”D TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE. THE PROPER ANSWER IS NOT SO MUCH FOR… Read more »
Arbitration agreement one signs in every Beis Din whether in USA or UK is a secular legal document drawn up by clever Jewish religious lawyers who draft with a propensity to favour the Beis Din Beis Din never allow this document to be reviewed by the parties’ independent lawyer Arbitration Act is a fair balanced Act with protection for the parties all the parties However as amended it is clearly an unfair document Therefore you really need to chose a Beis Din who is known for its yiras shomyim sadly we all know which Beis Din to avoid but few… Read more »
look at all the different spellings! its wolf, not wolfe, woolf, or anything like that, and its written right above. LOL
What I see here from the letter in 5747 is that the merchants cannot get off the hook by blaming their suppliers… but they have to take responsibility for knowing the individual sofer who is writing these questionable/ on kosher Mezuzos…
Also, why is it that there is not single Mocher Stam in Crown Heights who carries the Hashgacha of either faction of the Crown Heights Beis din, while the food industry does?!
– Rabonim know nothing about stam (or shchita, mikvaos or any other torah topic)
– Rabonim are biased and will certainly violate the basic Torah law to judge the rich and the poor equally
(source: anonymous comments)
I went with 2 witnesses to 10 eateries in Crown Heights.
I ordered a leafy vegetable salad in each place.
I placed each salad in a zip lock bag marked by a number reserved for each eatery and took the bags home.
I invited 2 mashgichim from established kashrus organizations to inspect the salads for insects.
Video results:
9 out of the 10 eateries have salad with at least 3 insects in them!
Only ONE eatery had salad with no insects in it – Mermelstein’s!
COMING SOON TO YOUTUBE!!!
I spoke tonight to 3 or the people on the hazmonah to wolf and they have taken their name off the תביעה against rabbi wolf
2 said they never authorized there name to used on the הזמנה
Bdieved isn’t a grade of Kashrus. It means that such a product may not be used, but however post facto, one has fulfilled his obligation. You can’t sell a Bdieved product. That’s categorically Assur.
It is well known of the shtar that litigants need to sign before the beis din. It allows the Beis Din to adjudicate in anyway they feel. If this is incorrect. VRL speak up and bring transparency to your actions. 1) If the shtar is signed does the Bd need to make a psak according to Halacha? (Just remember if you say yes the floodgates could open). If there is going to be a bd make sure it is based on Halacha with transparency. Watch that shtar.
I heard half the stores have taken their names off the hazmonah
A SHAALA IF ITS KOSHER OR NOT IS ONE THING. BUT TO SELL TEFILIN WITH NO PARSHES….. WE MUST DO T S H U V A
There is no question that the situation today is better than it was in 1986 and that the bulk of the mezuzos sold then – on coated parchment, very small, and completely without tagin – are no longer being sold in Crown Heights. HOWEVER, some of the other issues raised in the 1986 letter are still relevant and should be applied going forward. The merchants should not fight with the messenger but rather deal with the issue directly. 1) Every mezuzah should be traceable back to the person who wrote it. If a sofer is a G-d fearing person but… Read more »
The Toanim have nothing’ to fear VRL will not find against them
Too many involved interests
That is why VRL was chosen
Wolf has the right to chose the Beis Din in any event so the ball is firmly in his court
nowhere in the letter does it say small mezuzois of 5 cm. it says small mezuzois that are not written with the proper care and are missing crowns etc should not be sold
sounds familiar.
if someone will offer proof that a shoichet is using a very questionable chalif will you say “it’s loshon horeh” to expose that fact.? Rabbi Wolf at great personal expense and cost is having mesiras s nefesh mamesh for the tzibur
Thank you for your mesirus nefesh
I never heard of this sofer and Wolf’s father doesn’t even use him. His father brings good sofrim from out of town each year to check tefillin and mezuzos. Why is wolf trusting him
if he is being brought to a beis din can wolf choose which one to go to ?
It’s known that machon stam Constantly takes guidance from one of those 3 rabbis Rabbi Heller shlita.
How do you know that machon stan does not know who the sofer is.?? As a principle they only have STAM from sofrim with ksav kabala. And I come highly recommended Even for the less expensive ones.
Fron A shliach Who got burnt from others and became a customer at machon stam.
YES ! 100% they are the same. Then they were 18 dollars now 30 years later those same cheap ones are 30 dollars. Again in the letter is says IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL THEM EVEN WITH CHECKING>
Rabbi Heller Shlita is a MUMCHA GODOL in STAM and a Mumcha in CHecking STAM and a Mumcha in checking letters and Tagim
The merchants via VRL are calling MYD wolf for a din Torah. NOT to determine if the the kashrus of the mezuzos but rather to determine if what MYD wolf did in “bashmutzing these merchants is OK halachically. We have a Torah of 613 mitzvos- jusr likenthere are halachos regarding kosher mezuzos there are also halachos regarding proper business practices and lashon hara
Why would someone sit down and take the time and effort to write a posul mezuzah? Take an extra few minutes to do it well. What’s the gain in making a לכתחילה poor product? Might gain a few bucks in this world, but will see huge losses in the next. It’s essentially selling עולם הבא for a few dollars.
Forbid!!!
The Rabboinm in the letter were taking about Mezuzos that were 5cm or less, those Mezuzos are not sold anywhere in Crown Heights.
Each time a controversy of a communal nature erupts in Crown Heights I ask myself the question, would a united harmonious Beis Din ameliorate against such lamentable situations.
The responsibility is CLEARLY ON THE SELLER wheter a retailer or sofer whether Halachicly or by New York laws Rabbi Wolfe did not blame or slander anyone he merely and COURAGEOUSLY stated the facts AND YES WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO CHECK THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE SOFER, MERCHANT, SHOCHTIM, BUTCHER, TEACHER ECT ECT No one is blaming anyone here except for the merchants themselves Of course you wont marry off tour child to a “questionable baal teshuvah but you will sell a yid of ” lesser quality ” in your opinion the lesser quality mezuzas Sofer and merchants PLEASE… Read more »
I feel Any Company Selling ANY Religious Artifacts for PROFIT or financial gain Should abide by All Rules & Regulations. This experiment exposed many corporations..but I Must say Rabbi Shapiro Has ALWAYS Provided Great Service to me & My Family.
The Mezuza’s subject to this week “scandal “ are NOT the small ones discussed in the letter. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible
The sofrim should be worried about the bais din above for selling such garbage. The beis din should disallow them from selling STaM. Even one passul mezzuzah is putting a bomb in someones house. This is very serious.
You are totally insane. The sofer went on camera and regardless of who he is, the images of the mezuzahs are on public display, anyone can show them to any sofer they like…no sofer will say they are all kosher
This is so irresponsible how is someone allowed to come out and say even if true that hundreds of thousands of mezuzahs are pusul without any Rabbinic authority backing him up.
Please retract your letter before it is too late, there are many opinions that hold these mezuzahs are kosher. Just because there are more stringent opinions does not make it right.
There are many times we pasken according to a more lenient opinion and there are times we make exceptions and pasken leniently for those who do not have so much money.
So please learn the laws and speak to the more veteran sofrim
This psak is regarding other mezuzah please let the people who actually know safrus explain things.
Wolf has made a series of very serious claims.
The merchants mentioned in his expose have called him to Din Torah.
We now need to wait for the next step.
With all due respect to the Rabbonim
very few of them know the Halochos of STAM
This is a real problem
Now is the time to establish a kollel or the like to learn the halochos!!
Yes that is what this article has done before all facts are ascertained I have yet to see who his sofer is & How & what the Sofer is benefitting from it besides publicity
Merchants responded by claiming their scrolls indeed undergo a careful review after being written and before being sold.
IN THE PSAK IT SAYS EVEN IF THEY UNDERWENT CHECKING THEY ARE NO GOOD AND IT IS ASUR TO SELL THEM.
Wolf will not get impartial hearing especially now the CH Beis Din’s earlier involvement is known and revealed
VRL and CH Beis Din are diametrically in conflict
He does not need advice but just thought it important to put this out in the ether
I give him credit!!!!!! He did exactly what the BAIS DIN THEN said. THESE MEZUZUS now are even worse. Then there a only a couple hundred chabad houses now though with thousands this MEZUZAH boiler house makes are pumping out millions of cheap questionable mezuzus. I suspect that the people calling WOLF to a DT will find out that in the end their names and there store names and thei business will suffer. This has been a long time coming !!! Don’t sell cheap stuff. A big sofer today told me that the Rebbe who instituted the huge INYAN of… Read more »
according to this psak, all the cheap ones are not supposed to be sold even by machon stam, because the only reason why machon stams were found better was because he fixed up issues. and he does not know who the sofer who wrote it is.
I know one place in Crown Heights that sells mezuzos for $35.I never got one from them but a friend of mine did. But I kept their number cause I can’t afford to pay tons of money for a mezuzah. I am not an expert in mezuzos. I am sure these rabbis know much better than I do. But I hope that there is a real need for this stringency. Because I would hate to see someone not get a mezuzah because they can’t afford one. And the only ones available are really expensive.
Miyad wolf did an incredible job in bringing this scandal to life
Thank you. I have just checked my teffilin in your merit by a reliable sofer in ch.
Thank you