Halakhic standard for the tefillin

 

Tefillin Beit-El makes Tefillin of the highest quality, employing the following Hiddurim - "adornments" - as our standard for the various levels of our Tefillin

 

see:  What is Hiddur (Beauty) of the Tefillin?

 

1. Single skin, from "Behemah Gassah" - cow or bull, not sheep or goat

2. Dried naturally after the first stretching

3. No empty space in the base

4. Straight lines of separation up to the stitching

5. Wide compartments (4-11mm)

6. Deep compartments (32 mm), Biblical passages fit in completely

7. No "bunching" (Shulchan Arukh Harav)

8. No two holes across from each other

9. No surface wrinkles

10. No holes at all in the internal walls

11. Walls are smooth, not dried on meshwork

12. Thick skin, opening at 1st layer - not 2nd

13. One leg of the Shin done entirely by hand

14. Shin pulled out entirely by hand

15. Sinew in-between the compartments

16. Sinew between Biblical passages

17. Separate compartments from top to bottom

18. Extra-small stitching holes (1.4 mm)

19. Sinew touches sinew at the stitches (internally)

20. Evenly-spaced stitching holes

21. Maximum squareness - up to .03 mm, electronically measured

22. Cut of passage does not extend past arc

23. Passage closed by stitching; glued afterwards for beauty

24. Fine painting - no layers

25. Knot of Yud tightened against the case (also for Ashkenazi)

26. Glue of Kosher hides, even in passage

27. Not from first-born animals

28. Three proof-readings of Biblical passages (Kol Yaakov)

29. Passages checked by expert and authorized scribes

30. Two crownlets for Lamed - corresponding to Mercy and Judgement

31. Scribe concentrates on and for each letter; not-thin, long-lasting writing.

32. Paragraph-structures according to Taz or Rambam (Pre Megadim)

33. No excessive space between words (Rabbeinu Tam)

34. Consistent writing throughout - Ari, Beit Yosef, etc.

35. Head of Lamed shaped liked Vuv, not Yud

36. "Thorn [letter-tip] of Rabbeinu Tam" properly made

37. No penetration by other letters into space of Resh or Dalet

38. Proper crownlets on Sha’atnez Getz and Bedek Chayah letters

39. No crownlets touch each other

40. Crownlets are properly attached to their letters

41. Black ink, not faded - on both letters and crownlets

42. Extra care on blackness of tip of Yud

43. Examined for Duchsustos (inner leather)

44. Totally straight lines, also at end - no Kubah

45. No defects in bottom of Nun

46. Scribe repairs touching letters before proceeding

47. Chet made according to Rashi

48. Bottom-right tip of Bet does not enter Vuv

49. No repairs with metal pen (Rabbi M. Eliyahu)