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In the Torah, God commands the Jewish people to hang mezuzot on their doorposts. Two Torah portions, Shema and Vehaya, include the verse: "And you shall inscribe these words upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates."
The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) begins with "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." The Shema reminds us that God is always present in our lives, and that we should keep God's words constantly in our minds and in our hearts. The Shema tells us that one way to do this is by writing them on the doorposts of our house. Vehaya (Deuteronomy 11:13-21) assures us of God's compensation if we fulfill his commandments (mitzvot).
It is a Torah commandment to hang mezuzot on our doorposts. Mezuzot, in turn, remind of God's presence and of our duty to fulfill God's commandments.
What else can I help you with?
What is the purpose of a mezuzah?
The origin of the mezuzah is from the "Shema" in which is mentioned the core beliefs of Judaism and its teachings. Therefore, the "purpose" of the mezuzah is as a reminder, when entering and leaving the home, of the mezuzah's message. The mezuzah contains a parchment inscribed with a passage from the Torah (from Deuteronomy ch.6 and ch.11), placed on Jewish doorposts.
What is a mezuzah case?
A Mezuzah case, is the protective and/or decorative case used to cover the Mezuzah Scroll. The Mezuzah scroll is a small parchment scroll that contains biblical passages, which is then place on the door post of homes according to Jewish Tradition. I'll attached a link of some cases so you can see what they look like.
What can the mezuzah be made of?
There are two parts of the Mezuzah, The Mezuzah Scroll itself and the Mezuzah Case. The Mezuzah Scroll is made with ink on parchment of a Kosher animal. The case can be made of almost any material as its purpose is to protect the scroll. Most common materials for the mezuzah case are metal, stone, wood and glass.
How big can a mezuzah be?
There is no limit to the size of a Mezuzah. Attached is a video of the largest known mezuzah recently installed at Ben Gurion Airport.
What language is used in the mezuzah?
The scroll inside the mezuzah is written in Hebrew.
When was the first mezuzah made?
The Mezuzah was not "found". The Mezuzah is a Jewish ritual object whose origin is from the Torah, which dates back to 1313 BCE. I guess you could say it was found then.
Must there be certain symbols on a mezuzah?
The significance of the mezuzah is all in the mezuzah scroll itself and therefore, when you hang a visible mezuzah scroll, there is no need for any symbolism. However, when you hang a mezuzah scroll in a protective case through which the scroll is not visible, it should have a letter "shin" (looks like this "\|/" ) on the front to indicate that there is mezuzah scroll inside and it is not just a nice case. The Shin is the first letter of the biblical paragraph written within the scroll as well as the name of g d Sha-dai. Having said that, there are many who choose to have various judaic symbols depicted on their mezuzah cases such as the Jewish star, hamsa, tree of life or other as shown in the attached link.
How long has the Mezuzah been in the religon?
The Mezuzah is Mentioned in the Torah so it would make sense that the Mezuzah's been around for as long as the Torah has. Considering the books that refer to the Torah bring you back till the time of the Torah such as Maimonides - 12th century Talmud - 5th century Mishna - 2nd Psalms - 10 BCE That would make the Torah 3322 years old.
What does mezuzah remind Jews about?
The mezuzah is not a reminder, but the fulfillment of a commandment or mitzvah - that found in Deuteronomy 6:9, which tell us to inscribe the words of the Sh'ma blessing upon the doorposts of our houses.
What is a mezuzah made of?
There are two parts of the Mezuzah, The Mezuzah Scroll itself and the Mezuzah Case. The Mezuzah Scroll is made with ink on the parchment of a Kosher animal. The case can be made of almost any material as its' purpose is to protect the scroll. Most common materials for the mezuzah case is Metal, stone, wood and glass. I attached a link with showing mezuzah cases in different materials.
Is it OK to remove mezuzah when selling home?
No
What are the Jewish people to do when they walk through a door with a mezuzah?
When Jewish people walk through a door with a mezuzah, they typically touch or kiss the mezuzah as a sign of respect and acknowledgment of the commandments. They may also recite a brief prayer or blessing, expressing their connection to God and the spiritual significance of the mitzvah. The mezuzah itself, containing a scroll with biblical verses, serves as a reminder of faith and the importance of God’s presence in their home.
