Browsing the blog archives for November, 2009
In case you didn’t notice, we are having a Thanksgiving sale all weekend until Monday night. All of our products are marked down. This includes Shofars, Shofar Bags and Mezuzahs.
We hope you will take advantage of this sale to pick up some items for your gift list and to treat yourself. There is no coupon necessary to receive the discount price.
It is very interesting how when you run a website selling Judaica products, you become an automatic authority on Judaism. I get questions all of the time from people who want to know different things about Judaism.
I guess its a good thing then that I just happen to be a Rabbi and am usually able to answer the questions I get. Lately I have started writing articles on some of the topics that people ask me about. I figure that way, when I get the question again, I can just point the asker to the appropriate article. I think I am going to use this blog from time to time to highlight some of those articles.
Here is a very elementary article that I wrote about Judaism:
Cheap Shipping on Mezuzahs
We are very happy to announce that we have changed our shipping rates on Mezuzahs and other small items. We did some research and found that we can ship small packages for very cheap via first class, registered mail.
For example we can now ship a Mezuzah or a 10″ Shofar to the USA for only $2.87. Before we were charging $6.99.
If you want to see how much it will cost to ship your item, just add the item to your shopping cart. Our shipping estimator will display. Choose your shipping destination and press ‘update’. The estimator will display your shipping options and costs for that item.
We hope that these new, lower shipping costs will encourage even more people to buy our Mezuzahs which are certified Kosher and guaranteed to be made in Israel.
I recently made an account over at Yahoo Answers and started answering questions the people have about Mezuzahs, Tefillin, Shofars etc.
Today I came across the following very interesting question:
Fellow Jews – What’s your opinion about mezuzahs?
Do you have them at home? in each room? or just the entrance?
Do you touch them when entering/leaving the house?My folks just invited a guy today to inspect the mezuzahs at their home. He found that two of them were “defective” (had one or two letters drawn badly) and therefor had to be replaced. And then they went on and did a mini-ritual of hanging each mezuzah at its place (and repeated in every room’s entrance).
To me, the way some people “use” mezuzahs seems totally absurd (have them in every room’s entrance, touch/kiss them when they pass it, etc.).
I see it as a symbol, not a tool. It carries a meaning, not a function.
Take a wedding ring for example – It symbolizes the love and binding to your spouse. Just because you have 10 fingers it doesn’t mean you need to have a ring on each finger, and even if you do – does it really say that you love your spouse more?What’s your take on this?
Here is what I answered:
This is a very good question.
I am a Torah scribe. I make Mezuzahs and check/repair them as well so I hope that I can explain the traditional Torah viewpoint regarding the Mezuzah.
Traditionally, Judaism believes that there are 613 Mitzvahs (commandments) in the Torah for Jewish people to observe. Each one of them has two aspects to it. The obvious aspect is the symbolism of each Mitzvah. In the case of the Mezuzah, it symbolizes that the home is a Jewish home. It also reminds us that God took us out of Egypt.
But each Mitzvah also has another aspect to it. That is the part that is entirely beyond our understanding. Each Mitzvah is something that God desires us to do exactly as he has commanded. This is both to demonstrate our dedication to him as well as because the infinite God has reasons for each Mitzvah that are beyond our understanding.
If one were to observe any given Mitzvah only to fulfill the symbolism of it, then there would be no need for rules, measurements, time frames etc. etc. Yet Jewish law, as it is codified in the Talmud and other books is precisely concerned with the minute details of how to properly observe each Mitzvah.
This is because the second, transcendent aspect of each Mitzvah is at least as important as the superficial symbolic aspect. It is therefore important that each Mitzvah be performed in its proper time according to all of the specifications that were handed down to us in the Written and Oral Torahs.
When it comes to the Mezuzah, the written Torah explicitly says, “And you shall inscribe them on the doorpostS (plural) of your house and on your gateS (also plural). In addition, we have very clear traditions in the Talmud prescribing exactly how a Mezuzah is to be prepared, how often it is to be checked, which doors are obligated to have one etc.
This is how traditional Judaism has viewed the Mitzvahs through the millennia and still does today. Of course in the last century several new versions of Judaism have come on the scene such as Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and others. As a general rule, those movements either entirely discount or marginalize the trancendent, infinite aspect of the Mitzvahs. They are only concerned with the symbolism that can be understood. But traditional Judaism as it has been practiced for thousands of years views the matter more or less as I have explained above.
With blessings,
Aaron Shaffier
Our village of Tekoa as viewed from the neighboring Arab village.
If you have read the About Us page on our website you already know that we are located in Tekoa, Israel. Tekoa is a small Jewish village in Judea (also known as the West Bank). The original Jewish village of Tekoa was located just a stone’s throw away from modern day Tekoa. You may remember it from the Bible as the home of the prophet Amos, or as the place where Jehoshaphat gathered his troops to fight against Ammon and Moab.
Today Tekoa is home to about 400 Jewish families from many diverse backgrounds. It is a beautiful place with clean desert air where children play freely in the streets. It is a literal fulfillment of our hometown prophet Amos’ prophesy. 2,700 year ago he wrote of the destruction and exile that would befall the Jewish people. Then in the end of the book of Amos he wrote of the redemption that would come afterward:
I will bring back my exiled people Israel;
they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.
We are extremely proud that we moved from our home in California to Tekoa. We are proud to be part of the prophesy that is being fulfilled before our eyes that we know will culminate with the Messianic era and the redemption of all mankind.
From time to time we do get emails from people who say that they will not buy from us because the don’t want to support the “Israeli occupation”. We are saddened to hear of people who are so disconnected from God’s word that they can’t see the miraculous fulfillment of Biblical prophesy which is happening before the eyes of the entire world. We are even more saddened that more often than not, these attitudes are expressed by our fellow Jews.
On the other hand, we are extremely encouraged by the overwhelming support that we get from most of our customers both Jews and Gentiles. Most of our customers are very happy to know that their purchase is supporting a small business based in Judea, the Biblical heartland of Israel. Several customers have told us that they were going to purchase from other websites based in the USA because the shipping was faster, but they decided they would rather buy from us because they want to show us their support. We cannot express our thanks enough when we hear that.
Over the next months, we are going to take this a step further. Michal and I have started making contact with artists and craftsmen from our village and from other towns and villages in the Judea region. We are going to put together a collection of Judaica products that are hand crafted in the “settlements”. This will allow our customers to support the Jewish return to the land even more. Keep your eyes open for new products in the near future.
Blowing the Shofar
If you want some instruction on how to blow the Shofar, take a look at this page that we put together over on the main site. You will find a few videos that show different aspects of how to blow the Shofar. One focuses very much on technique while another one shows the entire order of Shofar blowing for Rosh Hashanah. Take a look.
Don’t miss out on this special offer. For a limited time, buy a shofar (36″ Yemenite), and get a free velvet Shofar bag.
This special offer is good on any 36 inch Yemenite Shofar, full or half polished. This offer is for a limited time only and will not last forever. So take this opportunity to buy a nice shofar and get a beautiful Shofar bag for free.
Many of our customers are shocked to hear it but it is true. Most of the Judaica products sold in the world today are made in China and India. There was a time when you could be be sure that the Kiddush cup or Shofar you purchased was lovingly crafted in Israel. Today, that has become the exception instead of the rule.
Most of the Judaica sold today in stores and online comes from one of a few large wholesale manufactures. These companies will typically shop around in Israel for the most beautiful hand crafted Judaica products. They take these products to the Far East where they have a prototype made that is just different enough from the original to avoid getting sued by the original artist. Within a few months, they have 10,000 pieces sitting in their warehouse ready to ship out to Judaica stores and websites all over the world.
One Judaica artist who I spoke to called these companies ’soul snatchers’. She told me that when she comes out with a new style she only has a few short months to market it before one of these big companies comes out with a Chinese approximation at a fraction of the price.
One of the largest of these companies is located in Israel. They write on their advertisements things like, “art of Israel”, or “designed in Israel”, everything except “Made in Israel”. I have noticed that they also do not put ‘Made in China’ stickers on their products even though that is exactly where they come from.
When Michal and I started this website we made a decision that we will not sell those kind of products. We think that when you buy a Judaica product it should have both a body and a soul. That is why when you shop with us, you can be assured that each and every item is actually made in Israel. Most of the items we sell are actually made by hand by Jewish craftsmen. Some of our items may cost a bit more than the competition, but we are confident that our customers will understand and support us.
I have never heard of this guy before but he sure knows how to blow the Shofar beautifully. In this video you can hear a replication of the traditional Jewish Shofar service for Rosh Hashanah. The prayer leader calls out the names of the sounds to be sounded. And then the Baal Tekia – Shofar blower sounds the corresponding sound.
Many of our customers like their Shofars to have a natural look. But some people are looking for a Shofar that makes a special display piece and yet is functional and Kosher. Our new decorated Shofars are the perfect choice. Here are a few examples.
 Silver Jerusalem – Ram’s Shofar $95.00  |
 Silver Jerusalem – Yemenite Shofar $210.00 |
 Embellished Ram Shofar – Pomegranates $92.00 |
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