NEW YORK – Mezuzos are a staple in Jewish homes – a reminder to its inhabitants of G-d’s presence, and a protector of those living there. Given the importance of this mitzvah, it is an unfortunate reality that many mezuzos available for purchase at Judaica stores and elsewhere are not actually kosher, according to experts at the Orthodox Union familiar with the matter.
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The mezuzah industry is a largely unregulated one, primarily based in Israel. Due to complex and intricate rules surrounding what makes a mezuzah kosher, such as making sure that all 700 letters in the scroll are written perfectly and in order, each mezuzah must be expertly checked to determine that it is not pasul (disqualified). This process of checking most often does not happen.
To address this issue, OU Kosher is partnering with STAMP (STa”M Project, or Sifrei Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzos/Megillos Project) to give those purchasing mezuzos the confidence that what they are buying is kosher. STAMP is a Jerusalem-based nonprofit that aims to restore transparency and accountability to this space through a rigorous quality assurance process.
Regulations include having each mezuzah checked separately by two salaried magiim (trained experts in this type of technical writing), utilizing an AI-powered program that also scans all mezuzos for various issues, and packaging the kosher mezuzahs in a tamper-proof bag, accompanied by a card containing a QR code – leading to a high-resolution image of the mezuzah and the name of the sofer (scribe) and magiim who oversaw it – as well as STAMP and OU logos.
Recognizing the seriousness of this dilemma on a communal scale, the OU is not profiting off of this initiative, and there is no added cost for the OU’s involvement. The partnership with STAMP to oversee the kashrus of mezuzos is a free service to the North American Jewish community.
Please see more information about the initiative here.
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