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Today I walked into a building and discovered that someone had taped a mezuza onto the "doorpost" of the elevator. The elevator is about 1m x 1m square - way too small for a room to justify having a mezuza - and besides which, even if the elevator were 4x4 amos (minimum measure for a "room"), would the elevator require a mezuza, bearing in mind that the "room" keeps moving, and most of the time the mezuza is simply "guarding" an open shaft?

Is there even a documented chumra of putting a mezuza in such a position? Or this just a bizayon (disgrace) of the mitzva, and should I protest about it?

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  • What kind of building was it? Who owns it?
    – SLaks
    May 17, 2011 at 13:37
  • @Slaks - residential building. Don't understand your 2nd question... who said anything about a closet?
    – Shaul Behr
    May 17, 2011 at 13:47
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    Including in your question a source for the assertion that four by four amos is the minimum size for a room that gets a m'zuza would be nice.
    – msh210 ♦
    May 17, 2011 at 15:00
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    Was it on the right (implying the elevator is a subordinate storage room) or the left (implying a corridor to the next room)?
    – WAF
    May 17, 2011 at 18:35
  • Maybe a shaar to enter the house
    – kouty
    Jun 10, 2021 at 5:41

3 Answers 3

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It is discussed by R' Yitzchak Weiss here, and see a brief summary in English here.

R' Weiss identifies one Acharon that would logically require a mezuza on an elevator door (the inner door to the elevator itself) even if the elevator is less that 4x4 amos. He rules, therefore, that one should affix a mezuza to an elevator without a b'racha. He acknowledges, though, that those that do not wish to have a mezuza on their elevator door have whom to rely on halachically. The "outer" door to the elevator shaft, however, would definitely not require a mezuza.

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The owner is probably not aware of the halachos, but how about this for limud z'chus:

We are machmir to put mezuzos even on a bais shaar- meaning any corridor which will eventually, even if not immediately, lead to a 4x4 utilized room (Shulchan Aruch YD 286:7 like the yesh omrim). This elevator corridor does that, it's just a little mobile. Then you would need another one on the right as you exit the elevator on the 2nd floor.

I don't know if the above idea has any validity, just an idea.

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See the article "Does an Elevator Require a Mezuzah?" by R' Yirmiyohu Kaganoff.

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  • The answer would be better had you summarized the article and the rabbi's conclusions.
    – Bruce James
    Feb 4, 2016 at 17:45

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