The Importance of Haga’ah
Question: I am buying tefillin for my son’s upcoming bar mitzvah. A number of people have asked me which magiah I sent the parashiyos to. I know what a sofer is, but what exactly is a magiah?
Discussion: In the past, the sofer was the one who did everything:
1. Tanned the hides and processed the klaf
2. Prepared the ink
3. Wrote the parshiyos
4. Checked the parshiyos
5. Made the battim
6. Made sure the battim were square
7. Painted the battim
8. Made the retzuos
9. Put the parshiyos in the battim and closed them up
Nowadays, each step is usually performed by a separate person who is a specialist in that area. The one who checks the parshiyos to ensure they are kosher is known as a magiah, or “proofreader.”
Question: Can I check the parshiyos myself?
Discussion: No. Even a sofer is not qualified to check parshiyos. Whereas a sofer needs to know the halachos of how to write, a magiah needs to know the halachos of what to do if a sofer didn’t write as he should have. Although in earlier times, as noted, the sofer fulfilled multiple functions, today the facts are different. The material which magihim learn and the training they receive is not required of sofrim nowadays now that the jobs have been split.
A layman (or even a Torah scholar) who is not intimately familiar with these halachos surely isn’t qualified to check tefillin.84
Question: Considering that the Shulchan Aruch doesn’t mention a magiah anywhere, then nowadays, why is a magiah considered necessary?
Discussion: As mentioned, in the past, the sofer did everything involved in the production of sta”m. Nowadays, things have become more specialized. Indeed, Shevet Halevi85 rules that, in our times, an independent inspection by a certified magiah is a halachic requirement, not just a recommendation.
Da’as Kedoshim86 praises those that check their stam even more often than what is halachically required. Experienced magihim can certainly vouch for the wisdom of this suggestion. New items, as well as items which have been in use for decades, are often found to have serious halachic issues. Sometimes these issues can be repaired, sometimes they can’t. Sometimes they have been there from the beginning, sometimes they developed over time.
Examples of issues which can be repaired are letters which have begun to fade, have mild cracking of the ink, or a small split in them. Sometimes they can even be missing part of a letter, such as a kutzo shel yud.
Examples of issues which usually cannot be repaired include severely faded or cracked letters, or a large split in a letter. Sometimes the sta”m has been found to have a missing letter or word as well. Mezuzos (even indoor ones) are sometimes water-damaged or burnt from exposure to sunlight. (On one occasion this author had opened such a mezuzah case only to have ash waft out of the case; the mezuzah had simply been incinerated in its metal case from daily blazing sunlight.)
As mentioned, sometimes the initial check wasn’t performed properly and the problem was there from the day it was written. This can include letters which can look okay to the casual observer yet will be recognized as passul to the trained magiah. An example of this would be what is known as a “kav mashuch b’shaveh” (illustration 2).87
It is imperative to understand that these problems are not rare; these are “ma’asim she’bechol yom” – daily occurrences. Hence, as stated, the need for a sta”m item to undergo a quality haga’ah cannot be overstated.
84 It should be noted that Chasam Sofer, Yoreh Deah 283, who says that one may check one’s own mezuzos, is referring to mezuzos which have already been established as kosher by an expert.
85 VII: 2:3.
86 32:22.
87 This refers to the heads of letters such as aleph, ayin, shin, etc., which are meant to have the shape of a yud at the top. This yud-like head needs a neck and head. If only a neck or only a head is visible, the letter is passul. (Mishnas Sofrim, aleph.) Such a pessul may only be corrected before the sofer begins the next letter, and therefore, if found after the person has bought the mezuzah, the mezuzah is invalid; see Shulchan Aruch 32:18.