The other night I delivered a pizza to a house and noticed that they had this decoration on their doorway. I’d seen these at other times in my life, but this most recent one prompted me to ask.
Anyway, on the doorway was this metal half-cylinder with the Hebrew letter ayin on it.
I’m assuming it’s a blessing or a charm of some kind (sort of like hanging a horseshoe above your doorway for good luck), but IANAJew so I could be dead wrong.
What is it, and what does it mean?
Sounds like a mezuzah.
It probably wasn’t the ayin, but rather the shin.
The mezuzah generally has a Shin on it, to stand for the name “Shadai,” one fo the names of G-d in Jewish theology. It looks like an Ayin but with an extra branch. I can’t think of any significance an Ayin would have in such a situation.
What you saw, as others have explained, is a mezuzzah, or, more properly, a mezuzzah case. The mezuzzah is a parchment with two paragraphs from the Bible written on it. The two paragraphs are Dueteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. On the back of the parchment, the Divine name (as elucidated by Zahava is written. The parchment is then rolled up and put in the case. I personally prefer see-through cases so that the parchment itself can be seen, although this is not a requirement.
A mezuzzah is required for every room in the home except for the bathroom or small closets. It is placed on the right side of the doorway, about 2/3 of the way up, on a slant.
The mezuzzah is not a good luck charm or a blessing, but hung on the doorposts in fulfillment of the commandment to do so, as expressed in the paragraphs that are written on the mezuzzah.
If you have any other questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer them.
Zev Steinhardt
Is the mezzuzah the scroll, the container, or the whole assembly? Are they sold all-in-one, or do you have to buy them separately?
Finally: I want one. I think it’s a cool way to say “This is a home where God is worshipped.” Since Jews and Christians share the same God, I don’t see an issue here. Would this be offensive?
The Hebrew word mezuzzah really simply means “doorpost.” (See Exodus 12:22 where the word means “doorpost” and has nothing to do with the scroll.) We are really commanded to put this scroll on the mezuzzah (doorpost). However, through common usage, the term mezuzzah has come to mean the scroll itself, rather than the doorpost.
We enclose it the scroll in a case for it’s protection against the elements, etc.
Is it offensive? No. But probably inappropriate - as it is a commandment that God gave the Jews. I’m sure that there are plenty of ways that you can express the sentiment that you are looking to express in a purely Christian fashion.
Zev Steinhardt
In a wheelchair-accessable home, could it be mounted lower?
I asked about the location because I once was told that the mezuzzah is routinely touched while passing through the doorway.
Hey zev, I was reading this page about how mezuzot are made, and all those laws and requirements, such as:
…well, my none-too-observant family got a mezuzah case a while back and I was the one to write out the scroll. My atheism probably confers negative holiness, and needless to say not an official scribe or anything, so many rules were broken. Was this a desecration? 
shrug It’s our book too, I don’t see what the big deal would be.
I think the point is that Christians don’t follow the other commands from that time period as well (the extent of not working on the Sabbath - or the date thereof, the observation of the holy days, keeping kosher in what you eat), so picking out this one little thing would completely divorce it from its meaning. If you read Biffy’s link above, you would see who is qualified to write out the scroll, how it must be done, and what their beliefs about it would be. This is an item of importance, of… sacrament, practically. It’s not dissimilar to someone wearing a rosary as a necklace from the viewpoint of a devout Catholic.
it’s not only a God-thing, it’s also a cultural thing.
in the OP heyhomie, you said you were delivering a pizza. Was it a certified kosher pizza? A deeply religious and ritually-observant Jewish home would never order a non-kosher pizza. For them, the mezuzah really is a sign that this is a home where God is worshipped by Jews, and they have a lots of mezuzahs, on every door in the house.
But lots of other Jews who are hardly religious at all still keep up the tradition,( but usually only attach one mezuzah ,at the front door of the house.) It’s just a nice little thing people do (maybe to remind them of how their very religious grandparents lived), and doesnt really mean much.
I’m not certain if the mezuzzah is required to be 2/3 of the way up. It could just be that it’s put there because that’s a convenient place. If so, placing it down lower for someone who is short or wheelchair bound should not be a problem. However, I’d have to do more research to be sure.
Zev Steinhardt
I won’t say it was a desecration of any kind, but it would probably cast some doubts as to whether or not the mezuzzah you wrote is kosher or not. The laws of writing mezuzzos, tefillin and Torahs are very complex. One who has not studied them in some depth is bound to make an error that will invalidate the scroll that they are writing. So, while I wouldn’t say that you have descerated anything, I would probably venture that the mezuzzah is not kosher either.
Zev Steinhardt
I’ve always been a big believer in the fact that one should be proud of one’s cultural and/or religious heritage and be able to celebrate that without having to borrow from others.
That’s the reason that I get upset over Jews who have “Channukah bushes.” If HeyHomie wants his house to be one that gives off the message that “God (and I’m presuming he means the Christian God) is worshipped here,” then by all means he should do so, but do so in a way that is meaningful to your religion. The mezuzzah is little more than a historical relic to most Christians. He would probably do much better to put up a cross and/or crucifix, or some other Christian symbol.
Zev Steinhardt
Thanks zev, just wanted to know that I hadn’t done something too shockingly wrong. Shall have to look into replacing that scroll before my mother finds out…
Moving into IMHO territory here, but as well as gentiles who would put up mezuzos (and Jews who have “Hanukkah bushes”), there are also Christians who hold (necessarily Christianized) Seders (not sure how widespread this practice is). I assume they’re in the same category?
Well, as long as we’re headed into IMHO…
I don’t know enough about “Christian Seders” to say one way or the other. I would suppose that if it has a legitmate Christian meaning, then it’s fine. For example, Christians use palm fronds on Palm Sunday. Jews, however, have been waving palm branches on Succos since well before Jesus’ birth. But the Palm fronds on Palm Sunday have a genuinely Christian meaning, so I wouldn’t regard that as a case of “borrowing” or “co-opting” the rituals of another religion.
Zev Steinhardt
A lot of times, Christians doing Seders are a way to understand what the last supper was about other than it being the night before Jesus being crucified. I’ve never participated, but I recall my mother (Catholic) attending one which was performed by someone of Jewish heritage. She said it gave everyone a better understanding of the meaning of Passover itself. It’s also done in the context of serious religious learning, rather than doing it because it’s “cool”.
There’s a mezuzah at the front entrance to my parents’ house. Dad is a Conservative Jew, but not very religious. Still, though, he likes to have some reminders of his heritage around; the mezuzah, a hannukia in the family room, and lit candles for the anniversary of the death of a close family member.
When they moved from their old house, they left a mezuzah behind. Is that a bad idea, considering that it might be removed and disposed of improperly?
The house I recently bought was previously owned by a Jewish family. No mezuzah, nor any evidence of one. The rental house I had before, though, had a mezuzah.