Key Takeaways
If you ’re not Jewish , you may be unfamiliar with the diminished decorative case affixed to the right door frame of some homes or apartments . That case is call a mezuza , and while the optic - catching intention on its exterior get most of the attention , it ’s what ’s on the interior of a mezuzah that really count .
For chiliad of years , Jewish families have stigmatise the doorpost of their home in fulfillment of a commandment written in the Torah ( the first five Book of the HebrewBiblestarting with Genesis ) . The commandment appears double in the book of Deuteronomy in connection with two of the most significant prayers in Judaism , known as theSh’ma(or Shema ) and theV’ahavta . In Deuteronomy , after recording each of the prayers , God commands his people to " write " them " upon the doorposts of your house and upon your Bill Gates . "
The wordmezuzahmeans " doorpost " in Hebrew . The first time the news appears in the Torah is in the Exodus accounting of Moses release the Israelites from thraldom under Pharoah . When God is about to articulate the tenth and concluding infestation on theEgyptians — the death of the firstborn sons — he commands the Judaic mass to notice their doorposts with line from a sacrificial lamb so that the " destroyer " will fleet over them and let their children dwell .
While the late commandments in Deuteronomy to hang a mezuzah have nothing to do with warding off plague , the practice still resonate with modern Jews , offering rich spiritual boon and even physical protections to those who keep an eye on it .
" It ’s a reminder of our personal Jewish identity , who we are as a hoi polloi and the value that are important to us , " says Alex Shapero , political program director atMyZuzah , an organization that provides cosher , fair trade mezuzahs to homes around the mankind . " The mezuzah is a symbol that connects , protects , and unites Jews . It is an external marking that Jews proudly live here and that we ’re not afraid to say so . "
What’s Inside a Mezuzah?
While not much is known about the long history of the mezuza , it ’s conceive that Jews in the beginning stick with the precept in Deuteronomy by pen or enrol the prayers ( or cardinal words from the prayers ) directly on the doorpost of their dwelling ( it may have even been adopt from a standardised Egyptian tradition).A stone doorcase found in the ancient Syrian metropolis of Palmyrais etched with the text of theSh’maand dates from the third C C.E. , but likely reflects a much older custom .
At some level , and it ’s not clear when , the tradition shift to writing the prayers on a small scroll of parchment , rolling up the scroll tightly and burying it in a notch cut out of the doorframe . In the Talmud , a racy solicitation of comment on the Torah written in the first centuries C.E. , learn rabbis debate the merits of placing the mezuzah scroll in a protective box made of reeds , wood or metal , and that ’s the customs duty that has survived to this day .
Inside every decorative mezuzah is a tightly wound scroll that bear the two most sacred entreaty in Judaism ( These are the verses of Deut . 6:4 - 9 and Deut . 11:13 - 21 . ) On the back of the scroll is written the wordShadaiin Hebrew , one of the names of God . A true kosher mezuzah — more on that in a 2d — will contain a humble window through which the name of God is seeable .
" The most significant part of a mezuzah is the scroll itself , " says Shapero . " The cosmetic grammatical case is a way of take a leak it prettier and elevating the practice , but the scroll is really what the commandment is all about . "
Is Your Mezuzah Kosher?
Shapero estimates that 90 percentage of the mezuzah sold around the world are not cosher , which means that their scrolls fall short of encounter the in high spirits standards of Jewish law orHalacha . You might be most familiar with the word kosher as it apply to food for thought ( as in , pork products and mollusc are not cosher ) , but other facet of Jewish life also need to be kosher , admit the mezuzah .
" There are three chief things that limit if a mezuzah is kosher , " says Avraham Lessin , the Israel project coordinator for MyZuzah . " The sheepskin and the ink need to be manufacture in a authentic kosher personal manner , the scribe who write the prayers has to be properly trained and certify , and every letter and word of the prayer must be written aright . "
Those same cosher qualification employ to all the sacred texts in Judaism , including handwritten Torah scroll and the leatherbound supplicant boxful ( phylacteries ) known astefillinthat also contain flyspeck scroll of lambskin .
Lessin himself is a evidence Judaic scriber known as asofer . It takes a trainedsoferbetween two and three hr to carefully write the Hebrew prayers on a mezuzah scroll . The scroll itself should be a type of kosher parchment calledklafthat ’s made from the skin of calf embryos , which are considered the most pliable and the most spiritually vestal , says Lessin .
The ink for a mezuzah scroll must be source from a handful of cosher purveyors who make jet - black ink from a brusk list of approved component : Fe sulfate , resentment nut ( a woody contortion that grow on oak tree as a reaction to wasp egg ) , tree sap and water .
A certifiedsoferlike Lessin has undergo rigorous training to write every missive of the Hebrew rudiment in precise calligraphy . For a mezuzah textbook to be kosher , no two letter can rival , no alphabetic character can have a break in it , every varsity letter must be clearly distinguishable , no misspelling or omissions are allowed , and the scrivener must say a prayer to sanctify the name of God every time he write it on the page ( by custom , sofersare all gentleman’s gentleman ) .
How to Hang and Care for a Mezuzah
You may have seen mezuza that arehung at a 45 - degree angleinstead of directly up and down . That ’s the custom among Ashkenazi Jews ( those with an easterly European ground ) who tell a narration of two rabbi who struck a compromise between hanging the mezuzah vertically or horizontally . If you choose that method , have the top of the mezuzah lean toward the mansion . Sephardic Jews ( who follow from the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa ) traditionally attend it straight .
But the most important matter to remember when hanging a mezuzah is to say the prayer that goes along with themitzvah . The prayer is enumerate in Hebrew , but in English it say , " Blessed are You , Lord our God , King of the Universe , Who purge us with His commandments , and commanded us to append a mezuza . "
The front door is the primary place to hang a mezuzah , but some law-abiding Jews supplement them to interior doors , too . The general linguistic rule is to place a mezuzah on doors leading to rooms in which you deplete or sleep ( bedrooms , dining room , kitchen ) but not on bathroom doors or the door to the service department , says Shapero .
There are a quite a little of impost associated with mezuzahs that are n’t commandments , but are still widely practiced . The most democratic custom is to touch the mezuza every fourth dimension you guide it and then snog your fingertip as a sign of warmheartedness for the sacred prayers agree at bottom . There ’s a similar custom with Torah curl .
But one factual commandment is to visit the roll inside your mezuza twice every seven years .
" Remove the scroll and softly try it to make indisputable that it ’s not damage in any way from weewee , the Sunday or louse , " says Shapero . If word or private letters have been damaged , then it ’s probably no longer kosher . There are many on-line Judaica stores where you may purchase a kosher replenishment scroll .
Even if you ’re not Jewish , Shapero says that it ’s a grace for the doorpost of any household to be graced with a mezuza .
" The principal behind the mezuzah is a beautiful thing , " says Shapero . " Whether or not you ’re Judaic , the focus on family , on tradition and on teaching deference for others inside your family is very important . Jews are the only people who are commanded to do so , but others are welcome to connect us in this tradition . "
FAQs
You should visit the whorl inside your mezuzah twice every seven days to ensure it ’s not damaged .
Yes , mezuzah can be affix to interior doors , specially those lead to suite where you wipe out or sleep .
