Questions tagged [mezuzah]

A scroll with two paragraphs of the Torah written on it. It is affixed to the doorposts in Jewish homes.

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58 views

Can left handed people place a mezuzah on left side of doors

The basic halacha is that a mezuzah should be placed on the right side of the door. My question is, if a person is left handed is it permissible for them to attach it to the left side of the door? Or ...
2 votes
1 answer
56 views

Minimum size for door to be obligated in mezuzah

According to Halacha, what is the minimum width and/or height for a door to obligated in a mezuzah? Is it any door, or does it have to be a specific size? And if it has to be a minimum size, what is ...
3 votes
1 answer
309 views

Is replacing a jamb that had a mezuzah obligates to bless again for the mezuzah

A person that replaces jambs with new ones. On the old one there was a mezuzah that many years ago he blessed for putting the mezuzah. When placing the mezuzah back on the new jamb should he bless ...
2 votes
1 answer
102 views

Mezuzah on a store door?

If a Jewish person owned a store as a small business, do they have to put a mezuzah on their store doors? Or would this not be considered a “dwelling place” which requires a mezuzah? This is all of ...
1 vote
1 answer
117 views

Why are mezuzot always mounted on the right side of the doorway?

I have read plenty regarding the debate on what direction and angle the mezuzah should be mounted. That said, I have never heard a clear explanation as to why we always mount them on the right side of ...
1 vote
1 answer
105 views

Why mezuzah is spelled without the first vav

Why in the first paragraph of Shma (in Devarim 6:9) it says mezuzos (מזזות) without the first vav (the discussion in Rashi here and Menachos 34a seems to be about the second vav which we have, but we ...
0 votes
0 answers
141 views

Would either of these scenarios make it acceptable to gift a mezuzah to a non-Jewish friend?

Non-Jews aren't meant to have mezuzot. You are forbidden from gifting one to a non-Jewish friend for this reason. My question is regarding two scenarios and whether either of these scenarios would ...
1 vote
0 answers
54 views

The mitzvah of mezuzah doesn't commemorate the Korban Pesach?

It is very hard to miss the obvious connection between the mitzvah of mezuzah and the blood of the Korban Pesach. Yet, I am not aware of any major sources directly connecting the two. In contrast, ...
2 votes
0 answers
143 views

(Not) kissing the mezuzah

Kissing one’s mezuzah seems to be an almost universally accepted custom nowadays, at least among Ashkenazim. However, I once heard it was the minhag of R. Hirsch to simply look at it and meditate on ...
-1 votes
3 answers
3k views

What justifies the rules for a mezuzah to be kosher?

Why is a non-kosher scroll (e.g. a photocopy of a kosher one) invalid, especially if the text is correct and looks right? Doesn't such a scroll still fulfil the purposes of serving as a reminder? And ...
2 votes
1 answer
44 views

New Beracha on Mezuzah After Summer Vacation?

The Pischei Teshuva YD (291:4) seems to say that one might need to make a new beracha on the home mezuzah after returning from a vacation. ועוד נ"ל דגם ההולך מביתו על איזה ימים דלכאורה הדין ...
3 votes
3 answers
231 views

What qualities are necessary in a halachic wrapping?

There are occasions, e.g. a mezuza in a sometimes-unbecoming environment, in which we're required to cover a holy object with one or two wrappings to separate it from various environmental elements. ...
0 votes
0 answers
66 views

Kashrut of a scroll sealed in a mezuzah

Is it OK to seal a kosher scroll in a mezuzah, so it cannot be taken out? If you did that, would the scroll remain kosher indefinitely? If not, about how long would it last?
1 vote
0 answers
92 views

Mezuzah for windows that look like doors?

I have 2 windows in my new apartment that look like french doors but you can't walk through them.... They are 20' in the air. Right up to them having french doors, I'd say it's a window and doesn't ...
1 vote
0 answers
139 views

Can you put a mezuzah on your office door after 30 days? [closed]

When working as an employee outside Israel for a non-Jewish boss, is it possible to put up a mezuzah even after the initial 30 days of your job if you didn’t have the chance to do so because of your ...
7 votes
2 answers
380 views

Does a storage room require a mezuzah?

Does a storage room require a mezuzah? For example, if someone has a storage unit detached from their house where they store tools and/or Passover utensils, would it require a mezuzah? And furthermore,...
1 vote
0 answers
30 views

Does a large storeroom require a mezuza according to the Sefardi/Mizrachi ruling? [duplicate]

Question relates to apartment in Israel with maksan - מחסן (store room) on a different floor than the apartment.
8 votes
3 answers
341 views

May one use mezuzot with different scripts in the same house?

May one use mezuzot with different scripts in the same house? For example can the mezuzah in one room be ashkenaz (beit yosef) and in another be sefardi (vellish)?
2 votes
1 answer
166 views

An Ashkenaz-Sefaradi couple is getting married, can they reuse their mezuzot?

An Ashkenazi and Sefaradi (Edot Hamizrach) are getting married. They each have available mezuzot from previous houses they lived in, written in Ashkenazi (Beit Yosef) or Sefaradi (Vellish) script. Are ...
0 votes
0 answers
83 views

Can a paper crease be a sirtut?

When writing books of Tanakh, we need a sirtut, a horizontal line that helps align the text. Indeed, it is forbidden to write any three words of a verse in k'tav Ashurit without a sirtut. See, for ...
2 votes
1 answer
279 views

Mezuzah on indoor and outdoor archways

A mezuzah must be attached on the upper third of the doorway. How does one determine the height of the doorway when affixing a mezuzah on an archway? Till the very top, or only till the end of the ...
3 votes
1 answer
207 views

If a renter is leaving their apartment and does not know who will be renting it after they leave, can they take their mezuzot?

If a renter is leaving their apartment (owned by a non-Jew) and does not know who will be renting it after they leave, can they take their mezuzot? I have only found discussions when it is known who ...
0 votes
1 answer
52 views

Based on mitzvot in Exodus 12:22 and Deuteronomy 6:9 - Was HaDam sprinkled on Mezuzot inscriptions?

Based on mitzvot in Exodus 12:22 and Deuteronomy 6:9 - Was HaDam sprinkled on Mezuzot inscriptions? Exodus 12:22 "Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some ...
5 votes
1 answer
232 views

Extra "taggin" on my Mezuza

Here is one of my mezuzas: The mezuzah, I was told, is of the highest quality, purchased from a wholesaler in Jerusalem. The scan I did did not come out very good however (click it to see it larger). ...
0 votes
0 answers
31 views

Mezuzahs on home in probate

If a Jewish person passes away intestate. Do the most probable heirs have an obligation to put up mezuzahs while the home is in probate?
3 votes
1 answer
255 views

Voodoo and benefiting from idol worship

In the apartment complex of someone I know, there is a voodoo witch who sprinkles oil on the doors, gates, and walkways of the complex to ward off evil spirits. In order to not benefit from this ...
6 votes
5 answers
2k views

Why is there a Mezuzah in Shul

Why do Shuls have Mezuzahs if they don't need them?
7 votes
1 answer
384 views

Thickening letters for tefillin and mezuzos

The poskim in Orach Chaim 32 talk about the requirement that the letters for tefillin and mezuzos be written כסדרן, in order. As a result (32(23)), if a letter is missing there is no way to fix it ...
11 votes
4 answers
2k views

What is the meaning of the inscription on the back of a m'zuza?

The string "כוזו במוכסז כוזו" is written on the back side of the parchment in many a doorpost scripture. According to the Ra"sh (hilchos m'zuza 18) וכן נהגו לכתוב באשכנז ובצרפת כנגד ה' ...
4 votes
0 answers
79 views

Mezuzah - Copying from memory

The gemara Menachos 32b says that even though a Sefer Torah may not be written except "מן הכתב", copied from another text, tefillin and mezuzah don't have that requirement and may be written ...
2 votes
1 answer
167 views

Mezuzah on attic door

Assuming an attic large enough to require a mezuzah (see Yoreh Deah 286:13), is it necessary to put a mezuzah on a horizontal attic door? Does it qualify as a lintel? Should the thickness of the ...
1 vote
0 answers
109 views

Can one write sta"m via a stencil?

Say you wanted to write a tefillin, mezuzah, Torah, or any other sta"m venture. To make it easier for you, you created a stencil of the text that you can overlay on the klaf and fill in. You hope ...
1 vote
1 answer
99 views

Is a Mezuzah an Angel?

While reading Tehillim 119:164 commentary on " שֶׁ֣בַע בַּ֖יּוֹם הִלַּלְתִּ֑יךָ ", the interlinear Schottenstein Edition stated : Midrashically this also refers to seven mitzvos with which ...
1 vote
1 answer
157 views

May a mezuza be attached with screws rather than nails?

Although it is typical to use nails to secure a mezuza (e.g., How strongly must a Mezuza be attached), are screws acceptable?
2 votes
0 answers
296 views

How long without a mezuza when painting a house?

Assume that you are painting your house, that you live in, and that will involve taking down all the mezuzot. Assume the painting will take 2 weeks, to paint all the rooms. Assume that painting any ...
3 votes
1 answer
307 views

Must One Remove the Mezuzot from a House Rented to Gentiles?

Is there any obligation to take down your mezuzot if a house you own (and live in some of the time) is rented to Gentiles for an extended period of time (e.g. over 30 days)? I ask because I recently ...
1 vote
1 answer
206 views

Does a tent require a Mezuza?

My previous question "walls for Mezuza" didn't receive many responses, so I'd break it into small ones: Our forefathers lived in big fixed tents (like nomads) and so did the Israelites in the ...
0 votes
0 answers
57 views

What walls and roof are Kosher for a place to be obligated in Mezuza?

For a place 4x4 Ama, what should the walls of a dwelling be to obligate the place in Mezuzah: How many walls are required? Can they be partially or completely transparent? What height should they be? ...
2 votes
0 answers
548 views

Can a security camera be placed in a Mezuzah?

I saw this question posted on another forum and I didn't see any valid answers or conclusions. If a person had a Mezuzah case which was fitted with a hidden security camera, would that impact the ...
0 votes
0 answers
32 views

When must a mezuzah be affixed? [duplicate]

(1) In Tractate Mezuzah, we learn that you must put a mezuzah on a new house as soon as construction is finished, whether or not the house is occupied. [Mezuzah 2:11] (2) However, this quotes the ...
3 votes
0 answers
27 views

Is a courtyard for ma'aser also obligated in mezuza?

There are some similarities between the laws of a house that obligates produce in ma'aser, and a house that is obligated to have a mezuza. Produce becomes obligated in ma'aser once it enters a house. ...
3 votes
1 answer
44 views

Re Mezuzah: What is the definition of a Pundak and when does it apply?

We learn in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 286:22 - סימן רפו - מקומות החיבים במזוזה - that if you rent a house in Eretz Yisrael you have to affix a Mezuza immediately. However, if you live in a פֻנְדָּק ...
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

Mezuzah in the work place

If a Jewish person works in a 'non-Jewish' workplace (that he does not own) to what extent does he need to place a mezuzah on the doorposts of his personal/shared office and other building entrances? ...
-1 votes
1 answer
66 views

Source of the idea of "enough to square" - "כדי לרבע"

IIRC the idea of "to square" addresses two main issues - measuring a minimal Succah and a minimal house for Mezzuzah (I'll focus on the first but the discussion on the later is similar). IIRC the ...
17 votes
1 answer
533 views

Would the President of the United States have to put mezuzot on the doors of the White House?

If a Jew were elected president of the United States, would he/she be required to put a mezuzah on all of the doors of the White House? I can think of many arguments for each side. The house does not ...
3 votes
1 answer
161 views

Does the writing on a mezuzah have to be totally straight?

I saw a mezuzah parchment where it seems that the while the letters where all in a line, in the sense that they did not collide with the rows above or below them, but within the row, the letters were ...
10 votes
4 answers
672 views

Does a jail-cell need a mezuzah?

Does one in jail need to put a mezuzah on his cell? Assuming this is a standard American jail. If it is a jail owned by a Jew, is there an obligation on the inmate or the owner?
3 votes
1 answer
151 views

What is the purpose of the mezuzah on the entrance to Sha'ar Tziyon?

It's been a while since I visited the Old City in Jerusalem. I recall that there is a giant mezuzah on the sidewall of the Zion Gate. I don't recall if all the Jerusalem gates have a mezuzah. I'm ...
2 votes
1 answer
504 views

A non jew put a mezuzah back up, now what [duplicate]

If a mezzuzah fell and a non Jewish employee put it back up Theoretically is there an obligation to take it down and put it up by a Jew? (With a bracha?) Or is it kosher the way it is?
3 votes
2 answers
216 views

Will a mezuzah be kosher if installed by a non-Jew?

I'm wondering if a non-Jew simply does the hammering, whether the mezuzah will still be considered kosher so long as the proper blessing is said.