Background
One of the most prominent signs of a Jewish home is the mezuzah affixed at the entrance of the house.
The commandment of the mezuzah appears in the book of Deuteronomy:
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words… shall be upon your heart… and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
The commandment is to write “these words” – those things that God commands the people of Israel – on the doorposts of the houses and the gates.
In this chapter, we will get acquainted with the commandment of the mezuzah, we will know what is written in it, how it is affixed at the entrance of the house, and more.
What is the Mezuzah?
The mezuzah is actually a small parchment scroll (its size is not fixed and it can be in different sizes, with the height of the common mezuzahs today being 10-12 cm), processed from the skin of a kosher animal, on which two sections – “parshiot“ – from the book of Deuteronomy are written, in which the commandment to affix the mezuzah appears:
What’s written in it?
The Parshiot
- The “Shema Yisrael” section, which begins with the verse “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One” and continues with the section “And you shall love the Lord your God” dealing with the fact that we must love the Lord with all our soul, educate our children in the spirit of the Torah, and dedicate all our lives to the commandments of the Lord, in any situation, in any place and at any time. This section also contains the commandments on the laying of tefillin and the affixing of the mezuzah.
Explanation of the Parsha
Hear, O Israel, listen and understand, Jew, that the Lord our God, the Holy One, blessed be He, who is now our God (of the people of Israel) alone, behold, He is destined to be the Lord is One, meaning – even all the other nations will recognize His kingdom, and understand that He is the only ruler and ruler, and there is no other god besides Him, God forbid.
Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever – we bless His name and the glory of the Lord’s kingdom, His kingdom is eternal, meaning – He is the only king everywhere and at all times, and no one else has any rule besides Him, and His kingdom will not cease forever.
- The “And it shall come to pass if you listen” section, contains a promise and a warning: if we fulfill the commandments of the Lord, He will send a blessing in our fields, He will give us and our animals food, and so we will live a happy life in our land. But if we do not obey His commandments, we will be punished by not raining on our fields, the land will not produce its crops, and we will have to leave our land. Thus, we will be forced to return and recognize God ‘the hard way’.
Explanation of the second paragraph
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, you are required to do and fulfill the commandments of the Lord out of true love for Him, with all your heart and out of desire and desire, and with all your soul and even if they want to kill you and take your soul for the fulfillment of the commandments – you must fulfill them, and with all your might and so you must be ready to lose all your money, and just not to violate the commandments of the Lord.
How can one reach such a strong and deep love? And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart by having these words of the Torah, which I command you every day, always engraved in your thoughts, and in addition – and you shall teach them diligently to your children and you shall return and teach the words of the Torah many times to your children and your students, until they are clear to them and they will be proficient in them, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up and you shall be engaged in the study of the Torah and speaking in them every spare moment – when you sit in your house, when you walk on the way, before you lie down in your bed at night, and immediately when you wake up in the morning.
And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand and bind these words of the Torah on your hand, so that they will be a sign, a sign and a reminder for you every day (meaning – you should put and tie the straps of tefillin on your hand) and they shall be frontlets between your eyes, and put the houses of the tefillin (called “frontlets” in which these sections are) on the head, parallel to the place between the two eyes, and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, and write them and affix them on the entrances of your house, and in the gates of your courtyards, the states and your towns, meaning – affix mezuzahs there, in which the sections of the Torah are written.
Who writes it?
The writing work is really a craft, entrusted to a Jewish scribe, called ‘Sofer STaM’. (STaM is an acronym: Torah scrolls, Tefillin, Mezuzot). He uses a sharpened bird’s feather called a ‘quill’, with special black ink made according to an ancient Jewish recipe and with a special script that has been passed down in Jewish tradition for thousands of years.
Writing these letters takes a long time, they need to be written between the lines marked on the parchment, and after writing them they need to be allowed to dry. Surely you asked yourself why can’t you print mezuzot and tefillin on a printer? So, this is the commandment of God.
Did you know?
On the other side of the parchment, the scribe writes the word: “Sh-D-Y”. This is one of the names by which the Holy One, blessed be He, is called in the Torah, and also symbolizes a hint in the acronym: “Guardian of the doors of Israel”.
In addition to this, the scribe writes at the top of the parchment the sentence: “Hashem our God, Hashem” in a special way according to the Kabbalah law, where every letter is replaced with the next one, so instead of “Y-H-V-H” is written: “K-V-Z-V” and so on.
In addition to this, the scribe writes at the top of the parchment the sentence: “Hashem our God, Hashem” in a special way according to the Kabbalah law, where every letter is replaced with the next one, so instead of “Y-H-V-H” is written: “K-V-Z-V” and so on.
After the writing work is completed and the ink has dried, the scribe rolls the parchment and wraps it in plastic to protect it from damage and other weather conditions.
Mezuzah Case
In order to protect the Mezuzah parchment, and also out of respect and sanctity, it is customary to place it inside a ‘Mezuzah case’. The ‘case’ can be made from anything: plastic, metal, wood, or any other suitable material (excluding disrespectful materials that do not contribute to the honor and sanctity of the Mezuzah).
The size and shape of the ‘case’ do not matter at all. However, of course, a beautiful Mezuzah case also honors the parchment inside it.
When inserting the parchment into it, you must ensure that the Mezuzah is inserted in the correct way with the letters S-D-Y upwards, and also that the Mezuzah is inserted into it comfortably and spaciously, so we will not have to crease or fold it every time we take it out for inspection.
- Please note! On the main door at the entrance to the house, sometimes metal Mezuzah cases get very hot from the sun’s rays and can blacken and burn the Mezuzah inside. The same is true for transparent Mezuzah cases, which significantly increase the chances that the Mezuzah will become disqualified. Also, in places exposed to rain, it is recommended to use tightly closed Mezuzah cases, to prevent the entrance of water or rain that could cause the Mezuzah to become disqualified.
- When cleaning the house, be careful not to let water and cleaning materials enter the Mezuzah case, and also when painting the house, be careful that the paint solvents do not damage the Mezuzah.
The Origin of the Name “Mezuzah”
“Mezuzah” is actually the biblical name for each of the two doorposts on the threshold, right and left to the entrance, to which the lintel is connected. So we find in the Torah: “And you shall put them on the two doorposts and on the lintel”, or in the story in the book ‘Judges’ about the hero Samson who grabbed “the doors of the city gate [Azah] and the two doorposts” and raised them to the top of the mountain as a sign of victory over the Philistines who wanted to capture him.
However, the intention is not to engrave the Torah verses on the doorpost itself, but – as our sages of blessed memory explained to us – to affix a parchment next to the lintel on which these verses will be written. Thus, over the years, the word “Mezuzah” has become a nickname for that piece of parchment placed at the entrance to the door.
Why Mezuzah?
The placement of a Mezuzah at the entrance to the house is first of all – a commandment from the Torah. But like most commandments, it also has an explanation that we can understand with our own mind.
Constant reminder. The Mezuzah affixed next to the door always reminds us that there is a creator of the world, and that there is someone who watches over us.
Protection. The Mezuzah serves like a ‘personal security company’ for the house and the people inside it. Thanks to the holy paragraphs that we have set in the house, God keeps the house or room at the entrance of which we have affixed the Mezuzah.
Question : Is it true that a house without a Mezuzah (or a house with a disqualified Mezuzah) ‘brings’ troubles and problems to the residents of the house?
Answer : Certainly not. The existence of a valid and correct mezuzah at the entrance to a house is like the helmet on a soldier’s head. It protects him from bullets hitting his head, but can we say that a soldier walking without a helmet ‘invites’ a bullet to hit his head? No. The absence of the helmet only prevents protection.
The same is true for the mezuzah: its absence does not bring problems, God forbid, but a valid mezuzah at the entrance to the house helps prevent troubles and various problems from entering the house.
“Artaban [the ruler] sent to Rabbi Judah the Prince a good pearl whose value could not be estimated, and said to him: Send me something as good as this.
Rabbi Judah wrote him one mezuzah and sent it to him.
Artaban sent and said to him: What have you done? I sent you a precious thing whose value cannot be estimated, but you sent me something worth one coin.
Rabbi Judah sent and said to him:
You sent me something that I need to guard; but I sent you something that, while you sleep, it [the mezuzah] guards you.”
(Jerusalem Talmud, Peah Tractate, Chapter 1, Halakha 1)
Purchasing the Mezuzah
The mezuzah, in addition to its sanctity and spiritual value, is also a product for which you have to pay, like any other product. The physical materials of the mezuzah (the parchment and the ink) cost money, as does the work of the scribe.
Question: Why are there different prices for mezuzahs?
Answer: In the expensive mezuzahs, the writing is more beautiful, accurate, and invested and it takes much more time. Also, the beauty of the writing (besides the halachic adornment) influences its price. Particularly cheap mezuzahs indicate shortcuts that were taken in their preparation or a certain defect in their validity, and it is desirable not to purchase them.
The price of a simple mezuzah usually ranges around 120-150 NIS, and the price of a beautiful mezuzah is around 180-250 NIS.
It is recommended to buy a beautiful and not a simple and cheap mezuzah, for two main reasons:
- Because you do not buy a mezuzah every two months, and a simple mezuzah means that there is more chance of problems with its validity over the years and there may be a need to replace it. Just like furniture for the house – we always prefer a good and strong product, that will last us for a longer period.
- Like any commandment, it is always desirable to fulfill it in the best and most beautiful way we can afford.
- Pay attention: The market is flooded with a large number of fake mezuzahs (printed, photographed, etc.) or invalid ones, so be careful to purchase them only in a recognized and reliable place or from people known as righteous and God-fearing. In every city in Israel, you can find a Chabad House where you can buy the mezuzahs with peace of mind.
