January 9th, 2009
In the Torah (Devarim- Deuteronomy 6:9), every Jew is commanded, “Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” This commandment means that a Jew must install a mezuzah on every doorpost in their home , whether owned or rented.
Every room that has doorposts in which a Jew lives , other than the bathroom must have a mezuzah. Therefore, a Jewish home typically has numerous mezuzot in order that the house, porch, bedrooms, living room, play room, garage (if it’s used for storage and not just cars), laundry room, etc. all are properly set aside for Jewish living. Closets, and other small spaces, that are not large enough to be used (or are indeed not used) for normal living also do not have a mezuzah. The mezuzah is installed on the right doorpost as you enter the room, about 2/3 of the way up the door post. Ashkenazi Jews install it with the top tilted in to the room. Sephardic Jews have it going straight up and down.
One only says ONE blessing for all the mezuzot being put up at one time.
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January 8th, 2009
A mezuzah is a special parchment that has hand written on it the first two paragraphs of Kriat Shema, Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. The parchment, known in Hebrew as Klaf, is prepared from the skin of a kosher animal. A specially trained scribe, known as a Sofer, carefully writes the words using special black ink and a quill pen. The letters must be written in the manner indicated by halacha (Jewish Law), and every letter and word must be correct. Any mistakes or missing letters invalidates the entire parchment. It is very important to remember that a photocopied scroll, or a scroll written by someone who is not a qualified scribe, is invalid and doesn’t fulfill the commandment.
The parchment is then rolled so that letters are facing the inside. The letter Shin (the first letter of Shaddai- on of the Holy Names of G-d) is on the outside. The parchment is normally then inserted into a protective case or covering . Some times people refer to the case as the mezuzah, but this is incorrect. The mezuzah is then ready to be installed “on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
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January 5th, 2009
About the mezuzah , installation
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