Comments on: Sofer Sounds Alarm: We’re Facing a STa”M Crisis

By: Ploni

Ploni — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:00:37 +0000

In reply to Problem is price. It doesn't have to be Alter Rebbe. If one must choose between low-quality or another script but Mehudar, any LOR will most likely opt for the latter even if he generally prefers AR.

By: Incorrect

Incorrect — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 01:57:38 +0000

In reply to Cracked retzuos. Poskim write that as long as the overall color is black it is not a problem (see הליכות שלמה – תפילה פ"ד סכ"ח).

By: Cracked retzuos

Cracked retzuos — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 01:22:02 +0000

Why are you saying it’s nisht geferlich?
My understanding is that cracked details are a problem even if there I one tiny non black spot anywhere in the retzua, in the part that’s needed to fulfill the mitzvah.
Because the loshon is: “black as a raven” just as a raven is completely 100% black so need to be the retzuos.

By: A few comments

A few comments — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 20:05:08 +0000

1) First of all, the price of stam is not overpriced, it’s actually very fair, life is expensive. If you can spend 1,500 on a chosson shas, you can also spend a little for the oibershter too. It takes a sofer three hours to write a nice AR mezuzah, and if he makes a mistake sometimes hours of work go down the drain, plus 20$ for the klaf, and probably not writing 8 hours a day, and invested money to learn safrus, and if he has a store and workers factor that also in, after all these things you see $200 for a mezuza is very reasonable if not on the low end
2) Second, cracked retzuos, although not specified here exactly in what way, the way it is by most people is nisht geferlich.
Third, a much bigger problem is placement of mezuzos. A lot of stores in crown heights have the mezuzah in the very end of the doorway, when it’s supposed to be right by the door, instead they put it in middle of the wall that looks like a door. Anyone who knows hilchos mezuza should go around and and comment to storeowners, and they should be receptive.
Kol tuv

By: Agree

Agree — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 19:30:54 +0000

Teaching Hilchos Shabbos, which is fundamental, is almost totally neglected in our Yeshivos. Don’t expect any changes in anything else if we’re not going to teach Hilchos Shabbos and teach it well.

By: Moishe

Moishe — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:55:24 +0000

The problem is that even when you go to a sheliach and you want to buy a mezuza.They are selling you mezuzot that costs approximately 60-65 dollars that some are sofek kosher or bediavad kosher or you need to bring them to sofer to fix some problems. I bought from some sheliach for 2 members of my community 2 mezuzot and checked them by a sofer before i brought them to them and they were sofek kosher or very bediavad kosher according to some psak of a Rabbi (to not passel it).And also some mezuzot were rolled up wrong(there were black lines from ink on the mezuzah.) And a sheliach told me mezuzot had an chabad hechsher .

And the problem is that the Rebbe made a shturem about kashrus of mezuzot, and we speak about it and tell the stories and we give them sofek or bediavad koshere mezuzot.

By: Problem is price

Problem is price — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:46:40 +0000

A home needs many mezuzahs. Today, an Alter Rebbe mezuzah cost over $200 each. Tefillin x 2 pairs, over $5,000. People would love to buy the best, but they just can’t afford it, so they purchase lower quality.

You write that choson teachers should stress that the need mehudar mezuzahs. I agree that mehudar is best, but most newly married couples can’t afford it.

If STAM was affordable, I think people wouldn’t hesitate to buy the best.

By: True, but...

True, but... — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:34:49 +0000

In reply to Is this the solution. Yiras shomaim doesn't cover for lack of knowledge

By: Is this the solution

Is this the solution — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:18:27 +0000

I may be wrong, but I don’t think this is the problem or the solution. Unfortuntely there are problems of this sort in so many other serious areas as well, like Shabbos and Kashrus. There are bandaids and quick and perfect fixes, but then there is reality. Reality is that Yiras Shamayim is the only way to solve these types of problems and there are no quick fixes for that. When there isn’t Yiras Shamayim, big problems will always crop up, when there is Yiras Shamayim that’s the antidote for Hashem’s help to protect and guide a Yid.

A good place to start is with respect for Rabonim. People say the Rabonim this and the Rabonim that, not realizing that this excuse is as old as every Yiddishe community with Rabonim. A Yid’s business is to listen to the Rabonim, not to figure out why they aren’t good. Yidden can R”L manage to do that even with Moshe Rabeinu.