You
shall write them upon your doorposts...
The Mitzvah
of Mezuzah is meant to unite us with our Creator
and bring
blessings into our homes and lives.
To purchase a new mezuzah scroll press
here
For more information on checking mezuzah, press here
Keep reading to find out more about mezuzah in general,
how and where to put a mezuzah up, and the blessing to say…
Facts
and Insights
To
fulfill the purpose and mitzvah of mezuzah, the
parchment inside is the key. A kosher mezuzah is two passages of the Torah written with
special ink on parchment, called klaf, and
that klaf has to be especially prepared for the
purpose of becoming a mezuzah.
Two passages from the Torah are written on
the klaf, one of them being the Shema, which is an
affirmation of our commitment and relationship
with G-d. It
is in that passage that G-d commands us to keep
His words constantly in our minds and in our
hearts as well as, among other things, to place
them on the doorposts of our house.
On
the reverse side of the klaf are three Hebrew
letters: Shin, Daled and Yud. This spells out one of the names of G-d, and is also an
acronym for the Hebrew words, “Guardian of the
doors of Israel.”
So you see, a mezuzah is the best security
system you could ever “install” in your home!
Mezuzot
must be written by a qualified scribe and should
be examined twice every seven years to ensure that
time and external conditions have not rendered
them unkosher.
Unfortunately today there are some Mezuzot
that are sold as kosher, but aren’t; sometimes
they aren’t even written by a Jew at all.
Make sure you check out our section called Consumer
Advocate to learn more about what
to look for when purchasing and checking Mezuzot.
How
and where to affix a mezuzah
We
place a mezuzah into a case and place it on the
doors of our house.
This case can be plain or elaborate, and
serves as one way we can beautify the mitzvah.
There are very beautiful mezuzah cases on
the market today although it’s important to
remember that no matter how unique the case, the
mitzvah of mezuzah is only fulfilled with the klaf
inside of it!
A
mezuzah isn’t only placed on the front door to a
home, but just about every door, including large
walk-in closets and even the garage.
The only place we don’t place a mezuzah
is on a bathroom door.
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We place a mezuzah:
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On
the right doorpost as you usually enter the room/house
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On the upper third of
the doorpost (about shoulder high)
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In a slanted position
with the top pointed towards the inside of the room/house
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On the outer 2/3 of
the doorpost width
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If you have a
question whether a doorway needs a mezuzah or not, or if a
blessing is necessary on a specific entranceway, consult your
Rabbi. |
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Note:
When the mezuzah is rolled up and placed
inside case, make sure G-d’s name is face
outward.
Before
you pound in the nail (or peel off the double
sided tape), you say a blessing.
If you are putting up more than one
mezuzah, you only say the blessing once.
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Ba-ruch
A-tah
Ado-nai,
Elo-hay-nu
Melech Ha-olam |
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Ah-sher
Ki-di-shanu Ba-mitz-voh-tav Vitzi-vanu |
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Leek-bo-ah Meh-zoo-zah |
Blessed are
you, Lord, our G-d, King of the universe, who has
sanctified us
with
His commandments and commanded us to affix a
mezuzah.
Did
you know…
| The mitzvah of mezuzah is one of
the few mitzvahs the Torah actually
states its reward? In this case the
reward is long life for oneself and
one’s children: And you shall
inscribe them on the doorposts of
your house and on your gates, so
that your days and the days of your
children may be prolonged upon the
land which the L-rd swore to give to
your fathers for as long as the
heavens are above the earth
(Deuteronomy 11:20)
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| Many people have the custom of
kissing the mezuzah when passing by
it. It gives you a moment to reflect
on the blessings G-d has given you
both within and outside your home.
We kiss what we love, so it’s also a
reaffirmation of our Ahavat Hashem,
Love of G-d. |
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