I’ve been in my new house for about a month now and I keep forgetting to do something about a Mezuzah. Can my fellow Dopers fill in some details for me, such as where is a good place to find one? How many should I have? One for each entrance? I’ve already decided not to put one on every door inside the house. Do people put them on their garage doors? Are there any materials that are not suitable for a Mezuzah? How about hanging them? Don’t they have to be on a certain angle?
My sister had told me that I should consider calling the Lubavitch as they sell Mezuzah and scrolls (scrolls aren’t included?). Lubavitchers kinda scare me so I would rather avoid them if possibe.
As you can see I need lots of knowledge on this topic. Any help/advice will be appreciated.
You can buy them at any Jewish/Hebrew book store. If you have decided not to buy one for each door in the house, you should at least have them on the home entrances, and the bedrooms. They are hung about 3/4 of the way up on the right doorpost as you enter the room. They should be at a slight angle, with the top leaning towards the room.
Try here for a listing of cases and parchments. The parchment is purchased separately from the case.
The bare minimum for mounting mezuzahs on your house is to put one on your front door. Then on other public entrances, then on internal doors. (Not the door to the bathroom.)
The proper location to mount a mezuzah, IIRC, is on the right-hand doorpost as you go in the door, slanting inward, between 1/4 and 1/3 of the way down the door. For handicapped access to the mezuzah, a secondary mezuzah may be mounted about 1/3 of the way up the door. The mezuzah should be slanted inwards. (Why? Because R. Hillel said it should be vertical, R. Shammai said it should be horizontal, and the other Rabbis said, “Stop arguing all the time, you two! This time we’ll split the difference.”)
Try your synagogue’s gift shop, and area Judaica stores. Also search the web (buy Israel!) for religion - Jewish - shopping.
Make sure you get the scroll with the mezuzah (if you don’t already have a scroll), because the scroll is the important part, and the case is just a decorative housing.
The blessing to be recited upon mounting a mezuzah should be in any complete prayer book. ISTR it is “… and has commanded us to affix the mezuzah.”
Zev should be along shortly to catch anything that I missed.
We bought very plain cases for the outside doors. Unfortunately, we had one stolen, and the case won’t cost a great deal to replace. We have the fancier cases inside the house.
Scuba_Ben, (Ben Scuba?), oh…I always heard it was RAshii and his son that were arguing, and they compromised on 45 dgrs - you know, so as not to break up the family…oy, yoy, yoy…I should live so long to see the day you two would stop arguing!
Wow, thanks for the quick responses. I live in a pretty decent area (meaning no teenagers) so I hope that theft won’t be a problem. It is nice to know that I don’t need a rabbi to hang it either - that is right, isn’t it?
I don’t belong to a synagogue so I’ll have to settle for an online purchase. Why isn’t a scroll included? That is what you are wanting after all. So far I’ve seen them (the scrolls) for about $30, is that a standard price?
You are correct - you can hang them yourself. I guess that the scroll is not included because they must be written by hand. Also, (in the larger cities) there are different qualities of scroll and writing, so you have a choice how much you want to pay. If I remember correctly, the sofer (scribe) we bought our mezuzas from had 5 different types of scrolls, each one for a different price.
Make sure that you get scrolls that fit (lengthwise) into the cases you buy!
Gentile here–what’s the purpose/history of the mezuzah? I see a fair number of them here in NYC, but most of the residents of said bldgs./apts. are usu. non-devout Jews (or non-Jews, as many have been left in place by previous tenants). So I never got the scoop.
Jinx: Ben shel Scuba, b’vakasha.
Maybe it was Rashi, I’m not sure on the names. I believe I had the gist of the argument correct, yes?
KVS: I think you’re right, if you’re putting up several mezuzot in one session you need say the blessing only once. (But on this night we say it twice. ;j )
adam: Last I checked, a synagogue gift shop will sell to anybody with ready cash, whether or not you’re a member there. Also, hanging the mezuzah is a good time to dedicate your house, and hold the housewarming party.
toadspittle: The mezuzah’s purpose is to fulfill the commandment in Deut. 6:9, “And you shall write (these words) upon the doorposts of your homes and upon your gates.” The Hebrew word for “door post” is, of course, mezuzah. In ancient days they went out and wrote Deut. 6:4-9 (collectively, the “Shema”) on the city gates; now the same text is hand written on a little scroll and put in a case, and that’s what’s put on the doorpost.
added on preview: Thanks KVS for also posting the commandment. I got tripped up by the net hampsters.
Nope, I’ve moved to Austin. Of course that doesn’t mean I can’t check out the Austin JCC. I have also found some pretty cool mezuzahs on-line. I really like this one, even if it is a little spendy. The roots of the tree of life made me think of Cthulu on first glance.
I recently learned about mezuzot while debating whether I would affix one to my new home. (I am a Christian.) See Mezuzot on a Christian home.
adam yax, several questions that you ask–
–are the subject of long-running contention among Talmudic scholars. I found an excellent resource that sorts through these issues: Rabbi Yair Hoffman, Mezuzah: A Comprehensive Guide (Lakewood, N.J.: Israel Bookshop, 2002).
Interesting. Is there anything inherently wrong with merely writing that passage on the doorframe itself? (Rather than writing it on a teeny scroll, putting that in the case, angling diagonally, etc.)
brianmelendez, thanks for all the links. I never did see that thread in IMHO, I haven’t been there too often recently. I guess that I should offer congratulations on your house as well. Did you make the mezuzah ‘modifications’ that you had mentioned? Also, where did you buy your house? I used to live in Mpls.
Yes, the Opening ceremony was two weeks ago, and included affixing a plaque with the text of Deuteronomy 6.4-9. The plaque that I ordered was an engraved brass plaque, two inches wide by six tall, affixed to the right-side doorpost (just where a mezuzah case would go) with brass screws.
According to Jewish Law, you need one for each doorway in your house. Exclusions to this are doors to bathrooms and doors to closets.
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No. A mezzuzah is only required on a structure that is suitable (and designed for) human habitation. So, your garage does not need a mezuzah.
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A mezzuzah must be handwritten by a trained scribe on a parchment scroll made from a kosher animal. The text of a mezzuzah is Dueteronomy 6:4-9 followed by Dueteronomy 11:13-21. The scroll must be written in accordence with Jewish law, in order (i.e. the letters have to be written in order – one cannot skip a letter and then go back and fix it). Each letter must be completely surrounded by parchment (not attached to any other letters) and whole (not cracked).
Mezzuzos that are printed, or are on a material other than parchment made from a kosher animal are invalid.
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As has already been discussed in this thread, they are hung on an angle on the right hand side when you enter the room.
One topic that has not been brought up yet is one of maintenance. Over time, a mezzuzah can become invalid due to the ink drying and cracking or fading. This is especially true of mezzuzos that are exposed to the elements. The custom is to have them checked twice every seven years; however, some have the custom to check them every year during the month before Rosh HaShannah.
If you still need further information on getting a mezzuzah or need help with this task, please feel free to email me and I will do what I can to get you set up with proper mezzuzos.
