A Sofer must be a Torah-observant Jewish male adult (over 13 years old). STAM written by a woman, child, non-Jew, non-observant Jew, deaf-mute or someone who is mentally impaired is pasul and must be buried. If STAM was written by a heretic, it must be burned. The Sofer must be a “yerei shamayim” and have a solid grasp of the relevant halachos. Either quality without the other could cause him to make mistakes – which often can not be detected – and produce pasul STAM.
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STAM 101 introduction & index