Question:
When buying tefillin for our son, is there a preference of buying directly from a sofer versus a local judaic store? If yes, how would we choose which sofer to order from? (We don’t have personal connections to any particular sofer)
Answer:
Hello,
One of the crucial factors when purchasing tefillin is that it should be from person that is a person with Yiras Shomayim. It is extremely easy for tefillin to look great, but in fact they can be posul, for various reasons, that don’t meet the eye. For example, there is a halacha regarding writing the tefillin, that the sofer must write them in order, and if it isn’t written this way, the tefillin are posul. Included in this is that if he made a mistake in course of his writing them, in many instances he may not go back and fix it, rather the tefillin are posul and what was written may not be used. This is something that no one can know except the person who wrote them.
When buying tefillin from a store, one has no idea who is the person who wrote the parshiot, or who made the batim (boxes). Therefore it is recommended to buy tefillin from a reputable sofer, or at least to get a recommendation from a reputable sofer, who feels the responsibility to provide you with tefillin that are made properly.
If you would like help with this, let me know which area you are in, and I can try to assist you with this.
Best wishes
