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Mezuzah: God's Word on the
Doorpost
What is a Mezuzah?
In Judaism, A mezuzah (from the Hebrew for "doorpost") is a
small parchment inscribed with short Torah passages in
Hebrew. The parchment is rolled up, placed in a decorative
case, and attached to the doorpost of Jewish homes.
The word "mezuzah" technically refers to the scroll only, but
in common usage it means either the scroll, the case, or both
together. Because the first passage written on the mezuzah is
the Shema ("Hear O Israel..."), the mezuzah itself is sometimes
also referred to as the Shema.
The practice of hanging mezuzot (the plural of mezuzah) on
doorposts is mandated in the Torah and is observed by most
Jewish families, even those who are not otherwise very
observant or traditional.
Purpose of the Mezuzah
In Deuteronomy, after receiving the Ten Commandments from
God on Mt. Sinai, Moses tells the Israelites:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength. These commandments that I give you
today are to be upon your hearts. ... Write them on the
doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy
6:4-6,9)
The primary purpose of hanging a mezuzah is to fulfill this
biblical command. The mezuzah also serves as a reminder of
God's laws and presence and is a symbol of Jewish identity.
The first-century Jewish historian Josephus wrote in his
Antiquities, "The greatest benefits of God are to be written on
the doors... in order that his benevolent providence may be
made known everywhere. According to Maimonides, the great
12th-century rabbi and philosopher, "By the commandment of
the mezuzah, man is reminded of the unity of God and is
aroused to the love of him."
Modern rabbi and author Joseph Teluskhin explains in Jewish
Literacy, "When a Jew enters his house, he sees the mezuzah
and is thereby reminded how he should act in his home.
Likewise, when a Jew leaves the house, the mezuzah reminds
him of the high level of behavior he is expected to maintain
wherever he goes.
Some Jews have also regard the mezuzah as a protective
amulet, while others discourage this interpretation as
superstitious. This view of the mezuzah was popular in
talmudic times, especially in the Middle Ages under the
influence of the Kabbalists. Belief in the protective powers of
the mezuzah continues to be common today, particularly
within Orthodox Judaism.
The issue became a matter of controversy in 1974, when Arab
terrorists murdered 25 Jewish children inside a school in Israel.
After the tragedy, it was discovered that the 25 mezuzot
hanging in the school were not kosher (see below), and some
Orthodox Jews interpreted that and similar incidents as a
lesson to all Jews to ensure their mezuzot were kosher. The
implication that God will punish those who do not have proper
mezuzot has been widely denounced and few Jews would
agree with such a notion. However, the mezuzah is still
generally regarded by many as having protective powers or
treated as a lucky charm.
The Mezuzah Scroll
Rabbinic law has established special regulations for the
preparation of the mezuzah scroll, which are the same as the
rules for the Torah scroll. The scroll cannot be printed using
your computer or handwritten with a Bic ballpoint. In order to
fulfill the commandment of the mezuzah, an observant Jewish
scribe (called a sofer) must painstakingly write the 22 lines of
713 letters on kosher parchment using a kosher quill.
The mezuzah parchment comes from the skin of a kosher
animal, usually a lamb or a goat. The quill is taken from a
kosher fowl like a goose or a turkey, and the black ink is
specially prepared from vegetable ingredients. The text must
then be written perfectly and in the correct order. Because of
all these requirements, a mezuzah scroll normally costs around
$30 to $80 depending on the store, the quality and the size.
The text inscribed on the mezuzah is the passages of
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (some sources
mention only the former). Translated into English, the
mezuzah scroll reads:
Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall
love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your resources. And these things that I command
you today shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them
to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in
your house and when you go on the way, when you lie down
and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign upon
your arm and they shall be an ornament between your eyes.
And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house
and on your gates. And it shall happen, if you obey my
commandments which I command you today, to love God
within all your hearts and all your souls that I will give the
rains of the land in its proper time, the light rains and the heavy
rains, and you will gather your grain, your wine and your oil. I
will give grass in your fields for your livestock. You will have
enough to eat and you will be satisfied. Guard yourselves, lest
your hearts lead you astray and you will serve other gods and
you will bow to them. God will then become angry with you
and will withhold the rain, and the land will not produce its
bounty. You will quickly be lost from upon the good land that
God has granted you. You shall place these words on your
hearts and on your souls. You shall tie them as a sign on your
arms and they shall be head ornaments between your eyes, and
you shall teach them to your children to speak about them
when you dwell in your house, when you travel on the road,
when you lie down and when you arise. You shall inscribe
them on the doorpost of your houses and your gates. So that
you and your children may live many years on the land that
God has promised to your forefathers, as many as the days that
the heavens are above the earth.
On the back of the scroll, the word Shaddai, the name of God,
is written in Hebrew. The Zohar, the text of Jewish mysticism,
explains that this is appropriate because Shaddai's three
Hebrew letters - shin, dalet, yad - stand for the phrase shomer
daltot Yisrael, "protector of the doors of Israel."
The mezuzah scroll is placed in the case so that the shin of
Shaddai shows through a small window, or, more commonly,
the shin is engraved on the case itself (see photo, left).
It is also customary to inscribe the words kozu bemuchsaz
kozu on the bottom of the back side of the mezuzah scroll.
These are cryptic, magical words that were added in the
mystically-inclined Middle Ages.
The three mystical words are formed by replacing each
Hebrew letter in the phrase Adonoy Elohaynu Adonoy ("the
Lord our God is the Lord") with the letter that follows it in the
Hebrew alphabet. Jewish scholars, including Maimonides,
opposed this practice as sheer superstition, but the custom
continues today.
The Mezuzah Case
In order to protect the mezuzah scroll, it became customary to
roll it up and place in a small case that could be affixed to the
doorway. Except for the custom of including the Hebrew letter
shin near the top (see above), there are no special rules for the
mezuzah case and there are a wide variety of styles available
today. Many mezuzah cases are beautiful works of Jewish art.
Some examples are shown below.
Where to Hang a Mezuzah
A mezuzah must be affixed to the doorways of all permanent
dwellings, which is generally defined as buildings in which
people eat and sleep. The most common place to hang a
mezuzah is on the doorway to one's home, but Jewish
authorities generally teach it ought to be placed on all
doorways of buildings (e.g. synagogues, schools) and rooms
within buildings (e.g., the living room, dining room, bedroom;
not bathroom, closet, utility room) where people eat or sleep.
Mezuzot are not affixed to the sukkkot, or booths, as these are
only temporary dwellings. In Israel, it has become customary
to affix mezuzot to the entrances of all public buildings, since
parties and celebrations are often held there.
In addition to placing them on doorposts, many modern Jews
also wear miniature mezuzot on necklaces, tie bars and cuff
links. The mezuzah has become one of the primary symbols of
Judaism, so this practice might be compared to the common
Christian practice of wearing cross necklaces or other jewelry
as a symbol of their faith. In addition, as indicated above,
many Jews regard the mezuzah as a protective amulet or lucky
charm.
Rituals and Practices Associated with the
Mezuzah
A mezuzah is to be placed on the right side of a doorpost at or
above eye level (defined as the upper one-third), which reflects
its purpose of reminding Jews to remember and reach towards
God. The mezuzah is hung in a slanting position (30°) with the
top pointing towards the inside of the home or room. The
general explanation for the slant is that there was a
disagreement among rabbis as to whether it should be hung
vertically or horizontally, which was resolved by placing it
diagonally.
As with any Jewish ritual activity, there is a short prayer that
should be said when affixing the mezuzah: "Blessed are you,
Lord, our God, king of the universe, who has sanctified us with
His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah."
A mezuzah can become invalid or nonkosher if it becomes
cracked or faded, so Jewish families usually have a scribe
check the mezuzah once every few years.
It is a general Jewish custom to kiss holy objects as a gesture
of reverence, and this extends to the mezuzah. Commonly, a
Jew entering her home or synagogue will touch the mezuzah
with the fingertips and kiss the fingertips that touched it. This
is often accompanied by the prayer, "May God protect my
going out and coming in, now and forever."
Mezuzot are almost always removed when a home is sold to
ensure the sacred objects are not desecrated. However, if the
home is being sold to another observant Jewish family, the
mezuzot are left up so that the new owners will not have
mezuzah-less doorways before they have a chance to buy their
own.