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The
Mezuzah 
 The
scroll inside a mezuzah looks like this. |
“Inscribe them on
the doorposts of your house and on your gates”.
Deuteronomy 6:9, 11:20
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| The presence of a mezuzah on the doorpost of a dwelling identifies a Jewish home. The word itself means “doorpost”, but now is synonymous with the container and the tiny parchment scroll that resides within it. Traditionally, the scroll is handwritten in Hebrew calligraphy by a trained scribe, called a sofer. Written on the scroll are verses from Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21) that speak of the Oneness of God (Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad) and of loyalty to the commandments of the Torah, beginning with the familiar verse “And you shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might”… |  |
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Affixing a mezuzah is therefore a commandment, a mitzvah, intended to remind us of God’s unity and love, and according to Maimonides, that worldly thoughts are foolish vanities, a realization to bring us back to the paths of the righteous. There is no doubt though, that earlier generations of Jews did consider the mezuzah an amulet of protection. On the parchment, rolled so it is visible, one of God’s names, Shaddai, is written in Hebrew: Shin, Dalet, Yod. This is said by some authorities to be an acronym, the first letters of the Hebrew words of the phrase Shomer D’latot Yisrael, (“guardian of the doors of Israel”). |
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The laws for the mezuzah can be found in the Talmud tractate of that name, in codifications of Jewish law such as Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, and in Jewish self-help books, such as the Jewish Catalog. Basically, a mezuzah should be affixed to every door of a permanent dwelling except bathrooms. It is fastened with nails diagonally, on the right side of the doorpost as one enters, no less than a handbreadth from the top. It should be put up within thirty days of establishing residence, only to be removed if the dwelling is sold or rented to a non-Jew. One is also supposed to have the mezuzah inspected every seven years to ensure that the writing on the scroll is still legible. |  |
Blessings for affixing a mezuzah:
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Baruch atah,
Adonai Eloheynu, melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu
b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu leekboa mezuzah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, commanding us to affix the mezuzah.
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheynu, melech ha-olam, sheh’hechianu v’ki-imanu v’higianu lazman hazeh. Blessed are You,
Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has kept us
alive and sustained us and enabled us to reach this
season. |
| For Further Reading: | Blessings |
Religious Objects is produced by Steve
Butterfass and Eric Bonnell
