Mehudar: There are no halachic doubts about it, and it is kosher according to all opinions.
L’chatchilah: Everything is written and done in accordance with the accepted ruling, and there are no questions or doubts of invalidity according to halachah, although the form of each letter is not exactly the same.
B’diavad: Means, in Aramaic, that something was already done. The rav takes this into account, even though the way it was performed was different from the way it should have been done l’chatchilah (in the first place).
Klaf is made from the skin from a kosher animal (בהמה או חיה) or bird and processed according to the instructions of Chazal (the Sages) and Poskim (arbiters of Jewish Law).
There are three common customs for writing the letters:
Beit Yosef: Used by Ashkenazim
Arizal: Used by Chassidic communities. It is essentially like the Beit Yosef with changes in parts of some of the letters as instructed by the Arizal according to the Kabbalah.
Wallish: Used by the Eidot HaMizrach, it differs from the Beit Yosef in the shape of the letters (font).
Computer checking is done after the sofer finishes writing. Its main function is to find missing, extra or transposed letters.
Since so many mistakes have been found in sifrei Torah, tefillin and mezuzot in recent years, it is highly recommended that every item undergo a computer check.
It is important to note that a computer check does not replace checking by a rav meggiah, it is in addition to it.
Common standard mezuzah sizes are 6, 10, 12, 15 and 20 cm.
You can special order 25 cm mezuzot.
Apparently, according to the halachah, there is no difference between them, and one can choose which size he wants. But keep in mind that the majority of mezuzot less than 12 cm are pasul (not kosher).
It is strongly recommended to purchase large mezuzot when you have a choice between large and small mezuzot.
Obviously, this is not to say that that a small mezuzah can’t be kosher. Our intention is only to point out that small mezuzot are usually far from being kosher l’chatchilah.
It is one of the names of HaKadosh Boruchu that when written cannot be erased.
The letters are the abbreviation of “שומר דלתות ישראל” – “Guardian of the doors of Israel.”
There are those who hold that according to the halachah, a porch must have a mezuzah, and it should be placed to the right of a person going out from the house to the porch. Also, a laundry room and service porch must have a mezuzah.
Storeroom: One should affix a mezuzah, but it is not the custom to say a brachah.
Office: It is not clear if an office must have a mezuzah. In practice, the business owner should affix a mezuzah without a brachah. If he will sometimes sleep there at night on a bed, he should affix the mezuzah with a brachah.
The mezuzah is affixed to the bottom of the upper third of the doorpost, to the right of a person entering the house.
Sefardi minhag: Affix so that the mezuzah is standing straight.
Ashkenazi minhag: Affix so that the mezuzah is slightly tilted toward the inside of the house.
“Baruch attah Hashem… who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to affix a mezuzah.” -“ברוך אתה ה’….אשר קידשנו במצוותיו וציוונו לקבוע מזוזה”
A mezuzah should be checked twice in seven years for water leaks, heat damage, dampness and general wear and tear.
Sefardi minhag: According to kabbalah, one puts on the Tefillin shel yad while seated and the Tefillin shel rosh while standing.
Ashkenazi minhag: To put on Tefillin shel yad and shel rosh while standing.
Sefardim say one brachah: “Baruch attah Hashem… who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to lay Tefillin.”- “ברוך אתה ה’…אשר קידשנו במצוותיו וציוונו להניח תפילין”
And Ashkenazim say two brachot, on Tefillin shel yad and Tefillin shel rosh:
Shel yad: “Baruch attah Hashem… who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to lay Tefillin.”- ברוך אתה ה’… אשר קידשנו במצוותיו וציוונו להניח תפילין””
Shel rosh; “Baruch attah Hashem… who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us about the mitzvah of Tefillin.”- “ברוך אתה ה’… אשר קידשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על מצוות תפילין”.
Tefillin purchased from a G-d fearing person, according to halachah, do not have to be checked.
But the reality is otherwise. A variety of flaws have been found in Tefillin that were considered to be mehudarot l’chatchilah.
Therefore it is proper to check them every few years.
It is clear that someone whose ethnic group, community or family has the custom to put on Rabenu Tam Tefillin should most definitely keep this minhag (custom).
For example, among Chassidim and very many from the Eidot HaMizrach, the minhag is for all married men to put them on, and thus it should be for all married men in these groups.
The correct place for the Tefillin shel yad is first and foremost on one’s no dominant hand, the weaker hand.
It should be placed two finger’s width above the elbow and tilted toward one’s heart., There are many customs for tying the straps, and everyone follows that of his ancestors. (This answer is dealing primarily with the source of the placement of the Tefillin.)
The Tefillin shel rosh is placed on the hair of one’s head, centered above the eyes. As brought in the halachah, it is forbidden for even a small part to be on the forehead.
This is the place to alert uninformed people who place their Tefillin shel rosh directly on their foreheads.
It is brought in the Shulchan Aruch (section 27, subsection b):
One should be very careful that the “Yud”- shaped knot of the k’tzitzah (tefillin box) shouldn’t move and should always be touching the k’tzitzah. The reason given is according to Kabbalah.
In the Zohar, in parshat Pinchas, is very stringent.
In both the Tefillin shel yad and shel rosh, there are four parshiyot:
- “Sanctify….” (Shemot 13:1-10)- . “קדש…”
- “And it will be when Hashem will bring you….” (Shemot 13:11-16) -“והיה כי יביאך…”
- “Hear….” (Devarim 6:4-9)- “שמע…”
- “And it shall come to pass….” (Devarim 11:13-21)- “והיה אם שמע…”
Tefillin shel rosh – There are four compartments and one parshiyah is placed into each one.
And with the Tefillin shel yad – All four parshiyot are written on one klaf that is rolled up and placed inside a single compartment.
The Tefillin must be a minimum of 22 millimeters.
Today the common practice is Tefillin battim measuring 34 mm.
However, there are customs in various communities, such as Chabad, where the battim are larger, 42 mm or more.
There are mekubalim who put on two pairs of small Tefillin together, Rashi and Rabenu Tam, each one measuring 22 mm, according to the custom of the Ari.
Tiny Tefillin are also used by security guards and people who fly often. These Tefillin are very comfortable and can easily be concealed under clothing.
Tefillin measuring 28 mm are a special size that usually comes with an additional hiddur (enhancement) of an external thread that passes between the sections of the Tefillin shel rosh from the outside.
They are also quite common among bar mitzvah age boys because these Tefillin battim are considered to be very mehudar and comfortable for this age group as they are lightweight and stay in place.
Because we are aware that the ketzitzah needs to be square, it often happens that we notice the corners of the bayit or the ketzitzah have become worn down and rounded.
The halachah rules that the square depends on the viewer. It the battim look square to the person looking at them with a regular look, they are kosher.
It is recommended to repair them so they won’t lose their square shape over time and become pasul, G-d forbid.
The following three parts of the Tefillin need to be square, i.e., their length is equal to their width:
- The k’tzitzah is a kind of box placed on top of the base of the Tefillin into which the parshiyot are placed. The k’tzitzah must be square, but there is no need for the height to be equal to the length and the width.
- The titura, the base of the Tefillin, is made up of two parts, the upper titura and lower These two pieces are sewn together.
- The stitching, by which the battim are sewn together, must be a perfect square.
According the opinion of most poskim, the obligation for these three places to be square is a halachah L’Moshe MiSinai.
Since so many mistakes have been found in sifrei Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzot in recent years, it is highly recommended that every item undergo a computer check.
It is important to note that a computer check does not replace checking by a rav meggiah, it is in addition to it.
Computer checking is done after the sofer finishes writing. Its main function is to find missing, extra or transposed letters.
There are three common customs for writing the letters:
Beit Yosef: Used by Ashkenazim
Arizal: Used by Chassidic communities. It is essentially like the Beit Yosef with changes in parts of some of the letters as instructed by the Arizal according to the Kabbalah.
Wallish: Used by the Eidot HaMizrach, it differs from the Beit Yosef in the shape of the letters (font).
Klaf is made from the skin from a kosher animal (בהמה או חיה) or bird and processed according to the instructions of Chazal (the Sages) and Poskim (arbiters of Jewish Law).
Mehudar: There are no halachic doubts about it, and it is kosher according to all opinions.
L’chatchilah: Everything is written and done in accordance with the accepted ruling, and there are no questions or doubts of invalidity according to halachah, although the form of each letter is not exactly the same.
B’diavad: Means, in Aramaic, that something was already done. The rav takes this into account, even though the way it was performed was different from the way it should have been done l’chatchilah (in the first place).