Tell me more ×
Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 6 down vote favorite

What should be done about the mezuzot (internal and external) when selling one's house...

  • to a non-Jew?
  • to a non-observant Jew?
  • to an observant Jew?
share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

To a non-Jew: take them down.

To a Jew: you're supposed to leave them up, and you can charge him for the cost. (If the buyer refuses to pay for them, you can take them down.) There are differing opinions whether, if you have super-special mezuzas up there, you can replace them with ordinary mezuzahs; what I've heard is mostly that it's permissible.

share|improve this answer
I understand this to be the halacha also, but a source would be nice. – msh210♦ Aug 8 '11 at 4:09
@msh210: I don't have access to my references right now. Hopefully coming soon. – Shalom Aug 8 '11 at 13:05
How about now (access to the sources)? – Seth J Mar 25 '12 at 2:45
@msh210 its a gemara in the end of bava metzia and is quoted lehalacha by the shulchan aruch. end of hasocher if i remember correctly. – Hahu Gavra Apr 26 '12 at 4:06
up vote -5 down vote

I recently read and liked this little essay on the topic, written by Rabbi Joan Glazer Farber and published by the Union for Reform Judaism.

share|improve this answer
1  
But readers should note that it has several errors in it. The first one is in the very first paragraph of the answer, which claims that the question of whether to remove the m'zuza depends on why the seller wants to do so. Other errors follow in close succession. – msh210♦ Aug 8 '11 at 3:54
1  
@Mordechai, by "from a non-orthodox perspective", do you mean that I should assume non-orthodox postulates/axioms and, with those assumptions, point out errors? No can do: I don't know what postulates I should assume, and likely there are no errors with such postulates. EDIT: That last part should read "...and likely there are no errors in the essay if one assumes such postulates.". – msh210♦ Aug 8 '11 at 18:48
1  
@msh210: that being the case, I don't think the downvotes are deserved (your edit is useful, though). I would like to see Judaism.SE evolve as a multi-denomination, open site where we can learn from different sources, and that requires allowing different points of view, even if you structurally disagree with them (BTW, I did mark the more halachic answer as accepted as it's more normative, but this one was also useful) – Mordechai Ben Daniel Aug 8 '11 at 19:56
1  
See this discussion on meta: meta.judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/292/… . This answer was my little attempt to "be the change you want to see in the world." I guess I give up. – Ernest Friedman-Hill Aug 8 '11 at 20:46
1  
@Mordechai: If the answer was useful to you, I suggest that you upvote it. Others who agree should do the same. A tally of votes placed is next to the answer, and indicates "the currently accepted view on the site" (with respect to this answer in particular) far more than my own views do, even if I am currently a moderator. – msh210♦ Aug 8 '11 at 21:42
show 5 more comments

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.