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while you need to follow the psak of your posek, I asked this shaila to my posek and he said there’s no issue so it’s far from straightforward and each person should consult his rav.
Take into account that a ring (jewelry) with 3 or more consecutive words from Tanach may not be worn into the bathroom and the like. (Consult your rav.) (Certainly Shem Hashem may not be engraved.)
I am told that Rav Moshe Feinstein wore a black straw hat (hamburg) in the summer. I’ve also seen quite a few talmidei chachamim wear them in the summer months. Years ago many bnei Torah wore them in the summer, even white ones! Apparently today we are more “frum” than they were. The truth is that any respectable hat or cap is fine for davening.
As far as I’m aware, today everyone makes the double dalet the same way. A minor addition was added at a later date so the back side shouldn’t look like a cross. The front side looks the same. Perhaps this change wasn’t implemented by those in Teiman who use the double dalet due to being a muslim country.
There are many major poskim, on either side and this discussion is far from new. While Rav Ulman has very broad shoulders, Rav Diblitzky, for example, who is one of the senior gedolei haposkim differs. One should follow his minhag and must consult a posek how they should be noheg if they don’t have one or if there is basis to switch.
The entire bayis she rosh must be above the (original hairline). For the back, vertically it must be in the center of the head (like the bayis in the front- bein einecha, as pointed out by the moderator) and horizontally the upper part of the kesher should rest on the bone at the base of the skull and the lower part of the kesher should rest on the indentation/nape of the neck. Minimally, it needs to be entirely above the neckline.
Sephardim have a Dalet shaped kesher. Among Teimanim there are 2 minhagim- some have a single dalet and some a double dalet. Non Chassidic Ashkenazim use a single dalet, other than yekkis, who have a double dalet. Most Polish and Russian Chassidim have a single dalet while most Hungarian, Romanian and Czechoslovakian chassidim have a double dalet.
There is extensive discussion as to which is the correct kesher. I heard that 2 seforim recently came out specifically discussing this matter, each one representing one of the sides. For the most part, each person should stick with his minhag. However what do those who have no minhag do? Rav Yaakov Meir Stern brings sources to show that the double dalet is the correct kesher and hence one without a minhag should do so. However, Rav Dovid Morganstern in Zichron Eliyahu concludes that the single dalet is the correct kesher. (It is generally accepted that this sefer follows the psak of Rav Elyashiv unless noted otherwise.) The same opinion is concluded in Hadar Tefillin by Rav Raphael Toledano. He brings down Rav Shraya Diblitzky, who goes so far as to say that than the Dalet is the correct kesher and one who switches from his minhag of a double dalet to a single dalet brings bracha upon himself! Of course, one must consult his rav if he is without a minhag or has concerns about his minhag.
There are many legitimate dealers of STAM selling online or at least have some sort of online presence. Most are US or Israel based businesses that have expanded to the Internet sometime in the last 20 years to reach a wider audience. I don’t typically spend more time on this site other than to check out the news a few times a week. I saw the thread on tefillin and posted. I am an educator as much as a dealer of STAM and felt I had what to offer to this discussion and I’m glad it has been enlightening.
I recommend going to page 2 of kashrus Korner of this site to read 4 helpful articles that I was invited to write a few months ago.
I personally don’t know any anyone who was charged anything by customs for packages they received from us.
The cost to ship with UPS, DHL and Fed Ex is much more expensive hence, most prefer to use EMS.
Syag,
If it sounded like I was suggesting that online sources are fine without exception or you can judge the website by how nice it looks then I apologize. What I am saying is that there are some excellent online sources, most of whom are regular businesses with an online presence. The sofrim or proprietors are known to be reliable or can be easily confirmed. You need to see if the website provides information about who they are, what their standards are and if they have recommendations from rabbanim and then you should do your due diligence and confirm that they are reliable. To repeat, choosing a source for STAM, whether online, out of town (ordering by phone) or a local source, requires research and consulting with rabbanim, particularly those who are experts in STAM.
If it works for you that’s great! However, when i receive tefillin for checking I usually find that it isn’t holding the kesher against the bayis, even if the retzuah is snugly in place within the maavarta, which is also not always the case.
The piece of retzuah (it can’t be a used piece since it has kedusha) may keep the retzuah from moving around within the maavarta but it usually doesn’t keep the Yud against the bayis so I don’t recommend it.
Please note that I didn’t specifically mention Beit El by name as a reliable online source, as while I’m sure they are very reliable, if I don’t know them personally then I can’t honestly mention them by name. I do know Hasofer so can mention them by name. Besides the 3 sources mentioned, there are a number of others that I understand are highly regarded.
Most sources in Israel ship with EMS and it is delivered in the US via the USPS (signature required) or worldwide by your local postal service. It usually takes 3-5 days and can be tracked. I’ve never heard of any custom charges by customs of any country, whether it be a pair of tefillin or expensive sterling silver Torah ornaments. At most there will be a delay in customs of a few days, no matter which shipping service is used. UPS and FED EX are expensive hence most use the post office express option, which is very reliable and costs around $25 for a pair of tefillin.
Shalom!
I am Yerachmiel Askotzky, owner of stam.net. If you e-mailed us then we’d have replied within hours, if that, unless it was after hours. Apparently we didn’t receive your e-mail or you didn’t receive our reply. Sorry about that. Feel free to call or e-mail again and we’d be happy to assist you.
Had I not seen this discussion and set the facts straight, it may have been assumed that we were not a serious source since we didn’t respond to hrolfr. Havei dan es kol adam lekav zechus!
Zalman’s comment is nothing more that than motzei shem ra and should never have been accepted by the moderator! This is one of the few frum sites I read or comment on, as comments allowed on most other so called frum sites are filled with lashon hara and motze shem ra and are far from daas Torah and I don’t want to be associated with them. I suggest that the moderator be more responsible.
We and hasofer among some other online sources (most of whom are actual businesses with an online presence) are as or more reliable, experienced, highly recommended and reasonable than most of your local neighborhood sofrim. A reliable website like ours, provides information about ourselves and what we offer, our standards and letters of approval from rabbanim. We are also accessible by phone, e-mail and in person and everything is transparent and can be confirmed.
We are not fly by night sources but have been doing this for years and are respected experts and well published (go to the kashrus Korner of this website).
As i write this, a rosh yeshiva came by to pick up mezuzahs he brought to have checked and to purchase some more. This is besides the shul rav who ordered a new pair of tefillin for himself a few hours ago after we checked his tefillin and uncovered problems overlooked by others and another shul rav who is deciding which parshios to choose for his son….
Choosing a source for STAM requires research and consulting with rabbanim, particularly those who are experts in STAM.
I do agree that Gid (or a synthetic string, which is acceptable according to most) works better to hold the kesher against the bayis.
Only 3-4 flavors of B&J ice cream are CY. (I think under Belz.) The rest are under the OU, if I recall correctly, and state that they are not CY.
As far as I’m aware it is illegal to add anything other than cows milk to milk in the US and hence the basis for Rav Moshe’s heter for “chalav company”, which is generally referred to as chalav stam. (On the other hand, even according to Rav Moshe, it is assur to buy unsupervised milk directly for a farmer.)