The STa”M Project

Bringing transparency and reliability to the field of STa”M

The STAMP Certification

I’d like to buy a STa”M product

The need

STAMP is a nonprofit organization, operating under the direct supervision and guidance of leading rabbanim and sofrim, whose mission is to restore transparency and reliability to the world of STa”M, using a state-of-the-art, professional approach. 

What kashrus agencies did for our food, STAMP is now doing for our STa”M.  

What is STAMP?

Why Does Your STa”M Need Certification?

Nobody questions the need for kashrus supervision.  We understand the necessity of supervising a field with complex halachos where it is so easy for mistakes to occur.  

Yet the field of STa”M, which is similarly complex and prone to error, operates without any supervision whatsoever.  The vast majority of Jews are using STa”M written by sofrim whom they have never met, who work independently with no organized oversight system of accountability.  This has created a worldwide situation where STa”M products are sent to market without any reliable way of knowing whether or not they are kosher.

In response to this untenable state of affairs, a group of prominent rabbanim and sofrim came together and decided:  It’s time to change this situation.  

Testimonials

Moshe Cohen

Sofer Stam, Israel

Moshe Cohen

Sofer Stam, Israel

Moshe Cohen

Sofer Stam, Israel

The STAMP Revolution

Comprehensive Supervision to Ensure Your STa”M is Kosher

Educating
the Public

STAMP raises public awareness about STa”M and its halachic requirements, thus empowering the consumer to know what to look for when purchasing.

Promoting Fair
Trade Standards

STAMP seeks 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.

Promoting
Transparency

Unique QR code tracking system STAMP has created a unique computerized system for every STa”M product under its supervision, to enable consumers to easily access the full history of the article: who wrote it, who checked it, what materials were used, what style writing was used, etc.

Training
agihim

Responding to the current severe global shortage of magihim, STAMP runs a specialized program to train new magihim.

Comprehensive Certification

STAMP provides certification for the sofrim, the materials and the STa”M articles themselves, ensuring halachic compliance at each of the three levels of the STa”M production process. Thus, the consumer can be confident that any item with the STAMP seal is halachically reliable.
posts filter

How Your Mezuzah Gets to Your Door:
The STa”M Process

The kosher klaf and ink are then purchased by a sofer, who writes the parshios (Torah passages) contained in each mezuzah, bearing in mind all the laws of writing each letter . 

3

The completed parshios are sent on to magihim for checking, to ensure there are no mistakes.  This checking process is a halachically-required step. In fact, halachic sources recommend two rounds of proofreading – a practice which STAMP’s magihim are careful to adhere to.

4

The klaf is manufactured from the hides of a kosher animal, which are processed in a halachically prescribed manner to create parchment.

1

The ink, which must be black, is prepared with a specific recipe of ingredients which have been in use for thousands of years.

2

Interested in Becoming a Magiah?

Take our Magiah Course and join our database of STAMP-trained magihim!

Click either version below to be redirected to the publisher's site

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.