Buying tefillin online. Need help.

good advice: DON’T. At best you’ll get ripped off, at worst they will be pasul

Squeak, not nice. Funny, but not nice.

would you buy a car online without seeing it first and getting a mechanics opinion so why would you buy something as choshuv as teffilin?!!!

Hrolfr

Go to a local sofer who is reliable and someone you can trust.

Tefilin BetEl is a truly quality product, unless the level of mechanization and technology they use bothers you, and the company supports a community of yir’ei shomayim. They also have a transparent operation, open to the public. I am sure they have an operating website from which you can order.

Hrolfr

My first pair of tefillin were made in EY and shipped to NY. I second DY have someone you know either your Rav or a Rav or Rosh Kollel or someone you know who is connected make a recommendatio for you of a sofer he knows or put you in touch with someone who can help you.

There is no reason not to buy tefillin online if you do your due diligence. There are a number of reliable soferim who have websites you can purchase from. I have no affiliation with any of the sites as a customer to some of them.

I too can vouch for hasofer.com. The owner is a talmid chochom as well as a professional and known as an authority on STA”M shailos.

Tefillin Beit El is a relatively (safrus is by it’s nature a cottage industry) large operation with an excellent reputation for quality. They also offer free shipping which is a significant bonus if you’re in Scandinavia. A word of professional advice: though Beit-El recommends the “chofetz chaim” knot, most soferim and batim-machers don’t because it puts heavy stress on the ma’abarta. Ask them to fasten the knot with a gid instead.

torahscroll.com is the website of a senior sofer named Yitzchok Reisman. My own STA”M teacher remembers hearing of him as a veteran magiha 30+ years ago. There is no order form on his website and the site is kind of thin in general but he does have contact information.

It is certainly best if you can get assistance from a Rav that you know. If you cannot – Tefillin Bet El is a good option. They have a web-site and e-mail. They have always been very helpful when I contacted them. They have a various qualities available. I suggest going for the best that you can afford. I agree with the previous poster who suggest having them fasted the “yud” with a “gid” rather than using what is called a “Chofetz Chaim Knot”. Many soferim are not favoraible inclined to using the “kesher” called the “Chofetz Chaim Knot”.

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.

Reb Yerachmiel: While I haven’t (yet) done business with you, I’d like to compliment you on your site. The educational materials are a very nice touch.

Regarding holding the knot in place, another trick I’ve seen is to stuff a small piece of retzua into the ma’abarta. Never done it though because I’m always afraid it will fall out.

I need new tefillin. Received 3 recommendations; Tefillin BeitE-L, hasofer.com and stam.net.

Hrolfr:- Unequivocally & without any hesitation nor 2nd thought:- Absolutely procure your Tefillin from Tefillin Bet-El.

They are great & superb, and I have dealt with them for over 3 decades, and there simply is no looking back.

When I was in Yeshiva in Israel over 3 deacdes ago, the Posek there told me to only go to Tefillin Bet-El and no-where else, and I have been on board with them, ever since.

I recently had a pair of their Tefillin checked at a well known Sofer in Brooklyn NY, and they were in awe at the high quality of the Parshiyos & Tefillin.

Hrolfr:- This is an absolute no-brainer:- Acquire your Tefillin from Tefillin Bet-El.

Itche, I use that trick and I have never had a problem. If its large enough it will wedge nice and tight.

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.

how did you answer a post that has not yet gone up?

it possibly went up and was later unapproved by mistake

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 just had my tefillin checked that i purchased from Bet El .The shel yad parsha was ruled pasul.

I had my tefillin checked about 2 years ago.
For my bar mitzvah, my father had reached out to a relative who is a well-known and respected sofer to get my tefillin. He doesn’t really write things himself anymore, but he does sell for others. My father bought the tefillin he had recommended.
When I had them checked, the sofer asked me, “Where did you get these tefillin from?” I was nervous, and told him about the relative. He replied, “They are in amazing condition, and the parshiyos are absolutely beautiful! One of the nicest sets I’ve ever seen!”
When my son had his bar mitzvah, I also reached out to the same relative, and got my son’s tefillin from him. Hopefully they’ll last a lifetime!