A short Sofer STaM glossary

Sofer STaM

A trained, certified Jewish scribe authorized to write and inspect Sifrei Torah, Tefillin, and Mezuzot. STaM is the acronym for these three: Sefer Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah.

Mezuzah

The small parchment scroll, hand-written by a sofer, that is affixed to the doorposts of a Jewish home. The case is just the holder — the mitzvah is the scroll inside.

Tefillin

Two leather boxes containing four hand-written parchment passages, worn by Jewish men on the head and arm during weekday morning prayer.

Klaf

The parchment used for mezuzot, tefillin, and Torah scrolls. It is prepared from the hide of a kosher animal, by hand, following specific halachic steps.

Ketav

The style of script used by the sofer. The three most common are Beit Yosef (Ashkenazi), Ari Zal (Chassidic), and Sefardi (Vellish). They are equally kosher; families typically follow the custom of their community or rabbi.

Kesidran

Literally 'in order.' Mezuzot and tefillin parshiyot must be written in the order they appear in the Torah. Writing out of order invalidates the scroll, and this cannot be repaired.

Kasher / Kosher

Fit for use. A scroll that meets every halachic requirement.

Pasul

Invalid. A scroll that is missing a requirement — a cracked letter, faded ink, a letter written out of order, or another disqualifying issue.

Tikkun

A repair. Some issues found during inspection can be corrected by a sofer; others cannot. Rabbi Levi will tell you honestly which category a scroll falls into.

Parshiyot

The four Torah passages written on parchment and placed inside the tefillin boxes. They are written separately and must be in correct order.

Batim

The black leather boxes of the tefillin that house the parshiyot. The batim themselves have detailed halachic requirements — squareness, paint, stitching.

Retzuot

The black leather straps of the tefillin. They must be black on the outside and made from the hide of a kosher animal.

Shel Yad / Shel Rosh

The arm tefillin (Shel Yad) and the head tefillin (Shel Rosh). Each contains its own parshiyot and has its own halachic requirements.

Magihah

A trained checker who examines scrolls after they are written, looking for missing or malformed letters. A serious sofer always has his work reviewed by a second pair of eyes before it is sold.

Hagahah

The checking process itself — a careful, letter-by-letter examination of a scroll under magnification.

Kal v'chomer in scrolls

A simple principle Rabbi Levi often shares: if a scroll has even one disqualifying letter, the entire mezuzah or pair of tefillin is not kosher. That is why a quick visual glance is never enough.

Have a term we missed? WhatsApp Rabbi Levi and he'll add it. Or go deeper on mezuzah checking or tefillin checking.