Mezuzah Guide

Kosher Mezuzah

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Kosher is important, no doubt about it. Almost Every product needs to be kosher and Mezuzah is no different. All of the time people are asking us "what does it mean for a Mezuzah to be Kosher?". Isnt it something that relates to food only?

"Kosher" actually means "proper" and with this translation we can see that it can really be applied to anything. A toothpaste can be Kosher. A service could be a Kosher service etc. A Kosher Mezuzah is one which has been written on parchment, by an expert scribe, according to every single detail in the Code of Jewish Law named Shulhan Aruch.

A Kosher Mezuzah is one that the Torah is referring to when saying, “You shall inscribe them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.”

Keeping Kosher is something that is sometimes hard to keep. It is understandable if a person doesn't feel ready to keep up with all the commitments. The Mezuzah commitment is a simple one to follow since you only need to purchase it once. On the outside there is no big difference between a "Mezuzah" that isn't kosher to a Mezuzah which is . But if you are into this "Mitzva" what's the use of buing a fake one? This is an investment that you make once in a lifetime while the benefits are shown for many years.

Every Jew knows that a Kosher Mezuzah will protect his home and family. Why would anyone give up this opportunity.

When you do get Mezuzahs for your house, make sure to purchase them only from a place you can trust. Don’t get into every Judaica store and buy the cheapest one they have. Get your Mezuzah from a certified scribe. Someone that can assure you that it conforms to the way a real mezuzah should be. This way the Mezuzah will realy bring protection and blessing to your house and its habitant.

Rooms That DO NEED a Mezuzah

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You might think that they don't but there are certain rooms around the house that do need a Mezuzah. We wrote about these places Just in case you would like to know better and check yourself.

These places are:

Closet Rooms (if bigger then 36 sq feet).
Garages. Sometimes they even need more then one Mezuzah - It depend if they have inner doors or/and doors that connects the garage with the house. At least one should be placed on it's door.
Sliding glass doors
French doors inside the living room or the dining room - each one of them require a Mezuzah even if there are few in a row.

Feel free to ask for more if unsure.

Rooms that doesnt need a Mezuzah

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There are rooms that doesn't need a Mezuzah even that the basic rule only speaks of bathrooms.

The places where you don't need to place a Mezuzah is where:

The room is smaller then 36 sq feet.
If the room doesn't have a door.
If the door is not shaped in such a way that enable us to put a mezuzah placement.
A room which is not appropriate for laying a mezuzah - The dressing room is an example of such.

Use this information when checking your house for the rooms that needs mezuzah before moving in.

The Origin of the Mezuzah

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The origin of Mezuzah comes from the Bible. In the book of Devarim-Deuteronomy 6:9 it is written :"Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates".

This commandment asks every Jew to place a Mezuzah on each and every doorstep. In every room except for the bathrooms and toilets.
The reazon of placing a Mezuzah is based upon the Jewish tradition that the Mezuzah take care for the home and the people inside it.
It is important to check the Mezuzah if there is a reason to believe that a problem resides in the house. We check the Mezuzah in order to see if it's not defected.

According to the Halacha one needs to check the Mezuzah every couple of years; For that same reason - it is important to buy Mezuzah parchments that have gone through a specialists that checks the parchment for defects.

The Mezuzah has two Parshiot written on it: Shma Israel and Ve-Haya im Shamoa tishmeu. It is Written over 22 lines on a small parchment. Since the writting is small and is layed outside the house it is common that defects are found and the parchment needs to be replaced.