Every door – A Mezuzah
Every entrance to the rooms of the house should have a mezuzah affixed – except for bathrooms and rooms that are less than 4 square meters. So, if we have, for example, four bedrooms, a living room, and a balcony, we will need 6 mezuzahs: one for the main entrance, one for the balcony, and four for the bedrooms.
For a room to require a mezuzah, it must be at least 4 square meters and one that is entered occasionally.
However, even in other cases (like for example: a room smaller than 2 square meters but used within the house, a large closet room that can be entered, and more) it is customary to affix a mezuzah at the room’s entrance, but without a blessing.
The definition of an “entrance” that requires a mezuzah:
- Its height is at least 80 cm.
- It has the shape of an entrance (whether there are two columns on its sides and a lintel above, or it is an entrance in a glass wall and the like).
- In any case of doubt and uncertainty – whether a room or any entrance requires a mezuzah – it is advisable to consult a Rabbi.
The place of the mezuzah on the door
The mezuzah should be affixed in the upper third on the right side of the door, “to the right of the entrant”. In other words: in the upper third of the column located on the right side of the person entering the room or the house (Figure 1).
When it comes to the main door of the house, the mezuzah is always affixed on the right side of the entrant.
For entrances to interior rooms, a question arises, which side is called the right: the right side of the entrant or the exit. This is determined by the door structure. When the door opens into the room – the mezuzah is affixed on the right side of the entrant to the room. When the door opens outside the room – the mezuzah is affixed on the right of the one exiting from it. In entrances that have sliding doors, the definition is – “most of the entry”. Affix the mezuzah on the right side of the entrant from the room that is used less to the room that is used more. (These rules also apply to an interior room that has only one entrance).
This can happen when there are two adjoining rooms and a door separates them, or for example a back door of the house facing a closed yard, fixed on the right side of the entrant to the yard. But if there is an entrance to the yard from the street, this back door is considered an entrance to the house and is affixed on the right of the entrance. And so is a living room and kitchen, kitchen and dining area, every entrance, not necessarily a door! In these cases, it is advisable to consult with a qualified Rabbi.
“Recognize the hinge”
There is another method to determine which side to affix the mezuzah, which focuses on the location of the door hinge.
Most doors have a hinge around which the door rotates. The hinge is usually located inside the room into which the door opens. And this is the criterion for where to affix the mezuzah: where the hinge is, that is considered the inside of the room, and on the right side of the entrance to that place, the mezuzah should be affixed.
Exceptions are entrances to a house from outside (also main doors of offices and the like, not just private homes), where the entrance is always considered an entrance – even if the hinge is set outside and the door opens outward.
Some communities follow this method, including the Chabad custom.
- In sliding doors, which do not have a hinge, the mezuzah is affixed according to the ‘usual’ method – on the right side of the person entering the room.
The mezuzah is affixed in the door space (illustration 2). If the door space is large and wide, it should be affixed in the outer centimeters of the door. In entrances where there is no door space, like glass doors and the like, the mezuzah should be affixed to the frame around the door.
Affixing the mezuzah
- The mezuzah can be affixed by a man or a woman, over the age of Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
- The mezuzah can be affixed at all hours of the day, whether day or night.
The mezuzah needs to be affixed strongly and stably, so if the lintel is made of wood – there is a preference to use a hammer and nail, and if the door is made of iron – the best way is screwing.
However, there is also an easier way, and that is: adhesive with double-sided tape, which also withstands for a long time. There is no need for additional ‘work tools’, it does not dirty and does not leave dust… just remove the paper and stick.
Since right after the blessing the mezuzah must be affixed – without interruption, we ensure that all the things we need to affix the mezuzah are within reach.
- Recommended: Mark the exact location on the doorway where we intend to affix the mezuzah.
- Ensure that the ‘head’ of the mezuzah is upward, and it is not upside down (“Hear, O Israel” is at the top, and the end of the second paragraph – “upon the earth” – is at the bottom), and also, that the letters “Sh-D-Y” written on its back are facing towards the mezuzah of the opposite doorpost.
- Hold the mezuzah in the right hand, and recite the blessing: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah.”
- Attach and affix the mezuzah to the doorway, slightly diagonal, so that its top is facing the inside of the room (illustration 3).
There is an ancient debate about the positioning of the mezuzah, whether it should be ‘standing’ or ‘lying’. In order to satisfy both opinions, the custom is to affix it in a slightly diagonal manner.
However, in Sephardic communities, they follow the first opinion and tend to affix the mezuzah when it is ‘standing’.
- If affixing mezuzot on multiple doors, recite the blessing only once: before affixing the first mezuzah. After that, affix – without interruption or speaking – all the other mezuzot in the other rooms.
