The STa”M Project

Restoring transparency and reliability to the field of Sifrei Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzos

What is STAMP?

The Need

What is STAMP?

STAMP is a nonprofit organization, operating under the direct supervision and guidance of the STa”M industry’s leading rabbonim. Our sole mission is to restore transparency and reliability to the world of STa”M.

Mezuzos, Tefillin, Sifrei Torah, etc., have long been produced by individuals working independently, with no organized supervision. As a result, there are countless stories of STa”M articles which have been in use for years – or even decades – and subsequently discovered to be invalid. Even more alarming, countless Jews around the world are still using STa”M every day, unaware that it does even meet the most basic standards of halacha.

The current lack of supervision in the field has resulted in a worldwide situation where STa”M products are sent to market without any reliable way of knowing whether or not they are kosher.

  • Was it written by a Sofer who is suitable for this holy work and has up-to-date certification?
  • Were the materials used (i.e. klaf, ink, etc.) produced in a halachically reliable manner?
  • Was it properly checked by a certified checker (known as a “Magiah”)?
  • Was it properly “computer checked” as is mandated by halacha?
  • If uncertainties arose during the writing or checking process, was a posek (with specific expertise in the field of STa”M) consulted?

Even if the answer to all of these questions is “yes”, how would the consumer know and thereby feel reassured that the STa”M item purchased is reliably kosher?

What KOSHER agencies did for FOOD,
STAMP is now doing for the field of STa"M

Our Mission

Guide

To provide guidance to the public for all STa”M-related needs.

Educate

To educate the public about STa”M and its halachic requirements, thereby empowering the consumer to know what to look for when purchasing.

Regulate

To create a worldwide STa”M market that is 100% transparent and regulated.

How STAMP is regulating the STa”M industry

“Pre-STAMP”
STAMP
The
Sofer
Many Sofrim were not certified at all and a large percentage of those who were, did not renew their certification as required.
To become STAMP-certified, a Sofer must pass a multi-stage test with a written, oral and “hands-on” component.

At least one reference is contacted to verify his suitability.

Certification must be renewed annually.

Failure to fulfill these criteria will automatically “freeze” the Sofer’s profile within the STAMP database thereby disabling his items from becoming STAMP-certified.
The
Materials
Buyers could purchase the most mehudar item, written by the world’s greatest Sofer but never know that it was written on/with material that was not manufactured in a halachially reliable manner.
Before receiving full STAMP-certification, every Sofer must sign a contract, included in which is the requirement to use only materials approved by the STAMP Rabbinic board.
The
Finished
Product
Buyers have never been able to verify with absolute certainty whether or not the item was written by a certified Sofer, written on/with reliable klaf (parchment) and ink and properly checked by a certified Magiah as well as “computer checked” as is mandated by halacha.
STAMP takes full responsibility for kashrus and reliability of every item it certifies. Every item must pass our 5-stage checking process before receiving full STAMP-certification:



Note: The STAMP rabbinic board performs daily spot checks of the Magihim’s work, providing them with the support and guidance necessary to constantly improve and hone their checking skills.

Empowering the Public Through Education

Many people are not aware of the endless number of complex halachos involved in the production of STa”M. STAMP’s community education program helps to raise awareness of these halachic requirements and the assurance provided by a proper system of supervision throughout the production process.

It is important to emphasize that STAMP is not introducing a new set of chumros (halachic stringencies), but rather creating a system that ensures halachic compliance. Just like the field of food kashrus has progressed dramatically in the past 100 years, our goal is that, by raising public awareness through education, the demand for STa”M certification will transform the level of halachic compliance throughout the field, and provide the consumer with the best quality possible.

STAMP is under the direct guidance and supervision of five of the world’s leading authorities in the field of STa”M.

HaRav
Reuvain Mendlowitz
shlit”a

A devoted talmid of Rav Mordechai Friedlander, zt"l, for 13 years, Rav Mendlowitz is not only one Of the field's top Magihim, but has become one of the primary addresses for consumers around the world looking for guidance in procuring their STa"M. By authoring the book "Inside STa"M - a Complete Buyer's Guide," he laid the foundation for what would eventually become the central Theme of STAMP: transparency throughout the STa"M industry.

HaRav
Yaakov Zions
shlit”a

One of the foremost talmidim of Rav Mordechai Friedlander, zt"l, Rav Zions is sought after by Sofrim and Magihim throughout all of Israel and beyond, for his psak and guidance in all areas Of STa"M. He is also the author of "Mishnas Mordechai", the first-ever sefer published with the Piskei Halacha of Rav Friedlander. It has quickly become one of the most authoritative seforim In the world of STa"M.

HaRav
Don Bricker
shlit”a

A talmid of both Rav Chaim Sperling shlit"a and Rav Mordechai Friedlander zt"l, Rav Bricker has been one of the STa"M industry's most trusted and reliable Magihim for over a decade. Coupled with his natural ability to guide and teach, his primary role in STAMP is to oversee the work of the Magihim, providing them with the feedback needed to continue honing their checking expertise.

HaRav
Moshe Uri Bloi
shlit”a

A full-time sofer for more than 40 years, Rav Bloi brings a unique approach that not only helps Magihim improve their checking skills, but also sofrim looking to enhance the quality of their writing. Known for his vast breadth and depth of knowledge of Hilchos STa"M, he gives Shiurim to Magihim and Sofrim alike in a different city every night of the week.

HaRav
Chaim Sperling
shlit”a

The senior member of the STAMP rabbinic board, Rav Sperling has been one of the world's most sought after Magihim (expert checker of STa"M) for nearly 50 years. None other than the Gadol Hador, R' Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt"l, regularly requested that Rav Sperling be the Magiah to check and fix much of the STa"M that he stamped with his approval.

Rabbi Avraham Yechezkel Lessin

Executive Director

STAMP was founded by Rabbi Lessin in 5779 (2019). After growing up in a family that founded and contributed to dozens of Jewish charitable organizations, he received his first certification as a Sofer from Rav Mordechai Friedlander, zt"l, back in 2012. His ceaseless devotion to making the STa"M industry more transparent and reliable is a timely synthesis of these two passions.

How Else is STAMP Changing the Field of STa”M?

We work to eliminate the current global shortage of magihim, via specialized training programs. 

We work to correct the historic underpayment of sofrim and magihim, as well as streamline the process by which the STa”M item gets from the sofer to the customer, reducing the number of intermediaries involved.

Safrus has traditionally been an isolated field, with both sofer and magiah working on their own. By creating a community of magihim who work together, STAMP’s system promotes feedback and professional development both to fellow magihim and to the sofrim whose work they check – helping to raise their professional standards and increase their job prospects.

In addition to the two checks done by the magihim, every item is reviewed by STAMP’s state-of-the-art computer checking system. This software uses cutting-edge technology that not only identifies problems with staggering accuracy, but also employs numerous innovations that ensure the reliability of the item. This computer check is performed at three points: when the item first enters the STAMP checking portal, between the first and second magiah and, finally, upon completion of the checking process. With this, a STAMP-certified item has been checked a total of five times!

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The STa”M Project

S

ifrei torah

T

efillin

M

ezuzos & megillos

A nonprofit organization restoring transparency and reliability to the field of STa”M

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STAMP's state-of-the-art Computer Checking System

Artificial Intelligence

Every problem detected by the program is flagged and presented to the computer checker (a STAMP-certified magiah), allowing him to either validate or reject the issue. With the ability to not only receive feedback but also to give it, the program detects the differences between issues that were validated and issues that were rejected, thereby improving the accuracy of its detection moving forward.

Ability to detect additional halachic issues

In addition to detecting spelling errors with pinpoint accuracy, STAMP’s computer checking system is built to identify a slew of other halachic issues: misshaped letters (tzuras ha’osios), detection of mixed writing styles, spacing issues (including shiur parsha), disconnected crowns (tagin), and more..

Feedback for Magihim

When a magiah concludes his manual check, he scans the item and the results of his work are then entered into the STAMP computer checking database. Rabbonim and supervisors are then able to use that information to offer helpful feedback to improve his checking skills.

The life of each article

Each article is paired with a unique QR code which provides the buyer with the article’s full history and biography: Who wrote it, when it was written, which materials were used, who checked it, when it needs to be checked again, etc.

Ability to ID the Sofer’s writing

In an effort to ensure that a sofer is only submitting articles that he wrote, STAMP’s computer checking system is able to match the ksav (“handwriting”) of each item with the sofer who wrote it.

Ability to ID each individual article

As it is impossible for any two STa”M items to be identical, every item can be scanned in order to discern whether or not an article was originally STAMP-certified even years after it was purchased.