By COLlive reporter
Chabad in Israel’s campaign during the month of Elul to have Mezuzos and Tefillin checked, always come up with different results.
Around 31% are found to be defective and are declared non kosher.
But what Chabad’s sofrim found this year crossed the line, literally.
A Mezuza from a home in the city of Kfar Saba, given to the local Chabad House for a check up, was with filled with the best-known religious symbol of Christianity.
Over 50 Christian crosses were hand-written over the words of the Shma Yisroel and Hashem’s names on the parchment.
“Our estimate is that this family has bought the Mezuza like this, and not that someone opened it and to dribble crosses all over it,” an official of Chabad Kfar Saba told Israeli media.
Chabad’s records show that only 40% of Mezuzos in Israeli homes are actually kosher. 11% are found to be without parchment and 14% were make kosher after corrections.
Here are 6 tips when buys a Mezuza:
1. Do not buy a Mezuza when it is closed in a case. Ask to have it opened and see the parchment and letters.
2. Only buy from a recognized store or supplier. Think twice before buying on any website.
3. Make sure the letters are neat and not messy.
4. Ask the seller to provide a certificate that the Mezuza was given for review.
5. Small Mezuzos (less than 10 cm.) will most likely become non kosher within a short while.
6. Touch the parchment to check if it is very white or smooth and that its not regular paper, silk or cardboard.
once i checked my mezuzzas in ch and guess wht they had by accident or not ill never know, switched my mezzuzzas with someone else and also left one of my cases empty. needless to say, my daughter became very ill, the rebbe said to re check the mezzuzah’s. I had to buy all new ones, the Rabbi said they were somone else’s mazel
I write and check, and look at what goes into the geneza shaimos. It never ceases to amaze me what I see coming into there. I urge everyone to get well-educated about this. I urge everyone to deal ONLY with the MOST reputable because there is so much wide-spread fraud and posul material out there. People just don’t realize what degree of their soul they are sacrificing when they have non-kosher products. When one buys a mezuza, they must understand that they are paying for a full-time soldier at their home’s doors. It is the most worth investment you can… Read more »
I also got all my Mezuzot from Chabad locally when we moved in the area and they ended being ALL PASUL… about a dozen of them. We’re Chabad so although we were shocked, we didn’t make a big thing out of it but we ended up buying new ones all over again. I agree, Shluchim need to be more careful of where they buy their Mezuzot. Better not to sell a Mezuza than sell one and the Jew thinks that he’s really accomplishing the Mitzvah. We checked ours… but how many Jews don’t??? That’s scary and it can create a… Read more »
And I have a book full of all different psulim. This story is likes needle in a hay stack.
BH. There should also be given out instructions on how, and where, to fix the mezuza the correct way. My cousin in England had a long standing medical condition, I told him to write to The Rebbe, The Rebbe answered, that the mezuzos should be checked and placed correctly. I looked at the mezuzos, how they were placed, they were right at the very top of the doorposts. which is not according to law.
thats crazy! i cant belive it!!!!
i work in a judaica store & sell hundreds of mezuzos a month. part of the service is to also check mezuzos & i can fill pages with accounts of pasul mezuzos. sadly, most of these posul mezuzos are sold by “frum” yidden, who just want to make a dollar & dont realize what they are doing just last week a jew walked in and bought a klaf and mentioned he had bought a klaf the week before in tel aviv & had paid more than he was paying in my store, and anyone could tell that the one from… Read more »