Comments on: Questionable Retzuos: How Did This Happen?

By: only me

only me — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:50:20 +0000

This book should be great. According to an article I read about this book, it isn’t expected to be in the U.S. until after Sukkos.

By: twisted

twisted — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:22:34 +0000

As in the model of BaisEl tefillin, and as in the esrog trade, the entire gesheft of sta”m supplies should be sourced in Israel, where it can be maintained under all Jewish control, and it can give parnasa to b’nei Torah. There are enough cows shechted here from retired milk cows and those bred for local fresh meat. An alternative would be a concession to send/import the number of skins needed from from any of-shore shechita op. You can have mashgichim at both ends of the transit. The badatzim and sofrim unions could get this going instead of just yelling fire.

By: rescue37

rescue37 — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:45:25 +0000

I’m sorry, but when a lot of things in yidishkeit have become a business especially chumras, it is hard not to be cynical when being told they are so much more expensive. When I bought the “mehudar” schach mat for my sukkah (upon the advice of my Rav) and paid my mehudar price I got a product that was inferrior to the kosher non mehudar that lasted 1/2 the time requiring me to buy new mats sooner. When I observe the esrog mochrim having different prices for everybody, when hand matzos cost a small mortgage for a large family, it is very hard to view mehudar (especially the new hiddurs that come out) much more than a rip off and “jewish” business practices.

By: cherrybim

cherrybim — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:21:53 +0000

Does anyone know the location where I can observe the production of these retzuos?

By: tefillin rabbi

tefillin rabbi — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:00:15 +0000

What isn’t totally clear from the above is that machine made retzuos have not and remain not made under any supervision. For this reason My rebbi, Harav Moredechai Friedlander, who is one of the leading expert poskim in STaM told me not to deal with such retzuos. This is besides the fact that even if made properly, many consider them to be bedieved.
The primary issue among the hand made retzuos is the extent of the supervision of the machshir. They also may have different opinions on certain halachic matters. For example, one may allow hides salted by a gentile while the other not. One who is concerned with the leniencies/stringencies should consult an expert in the field or the machshir.
Even if mass produced, as long as the production is under a stringent supervision then if there is any issue, the machshir will decide whether the retzuos can be used and not leave it to the maker to decide as it sounds from the above. Of course, hefsed mamon is a potentially more serious matter if the retzuos in question are many hides vs a handful and that could affect the psak of the machshir. The difference in retail cost between what the author refers to as medium and expensive retzuos starts at around $3.50 per meter (in Israel, likely to be more elsewhere) and should go up to around $10 more per meter (in Israel…) for the more expensive maker. This is a small price to pay considering the overall cost of tefillin and how often the retzuos need replacement. One issue is that the premier makers of the high end retzuos have a limited supply so they may not always be easily or readily available.

By: Barzilai

Barzilai — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 02:46:34 +0000

I wish you wouldn’t just declare that you need the dye to be kosher, as if it were a generally accepted halacha, when the SAHarav and many others hold that even the ink for Stam doesn’t need to be kosher or from a min kasher, and K’V the dye for the retzuos. Yes, there are those that hold lechatchila it should be, and there are even some that hold it needs to be kosher even lehalacha. But the burden of proof is on the machmirim, in that the halacha is not stated anywhere in the rishonim or the Shulchan Aruch, so each person ought to find out what his poseik holds.

By: Gadolhadorah

Gadolhadorah — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 01:44:59 +0000

Interesting article but it doesn’t tell the average yid with limited budget as to how to prioritize. Should he spend the extra hundred dollars for a top of the line set of retzuos or Turkish tallis that he will use for a mitzvah performed almost every day or should he instead get a plain set of kosher retzuos and use the 100 dollar to be mehader mitzvah for a once a year mitzvah like a Yanove esrog for succos or hand-made shumrah matzah for his sedorim? What is the general rule about when to be mehader mitzvah when dealing with a limited budget and not all can be done?