Why mezuzah

Symbols are used within religions to point to or explain something more clearly. Symbols will usually have a deeper meaning. They are often displayed in places of worship or in the home, and are used as a focus during worship. The mezuzah can be found on the door frames of many Jewish homes. It is placed on a slight angle on the right-hand side of every door frame in the house.

The only door frame in the house that it is not placed on is the bathroom door. The mezuzah is a piece of parchment scroll with the Shema prayer inscribed on it which is kept in a small case. The Shema prayer is important to Jews because the words describe God asking Jews to remember his commands in both their heads and hearts. The words will have been written by a sofer , who is a person who is trained to write the Torah.

Contained in the mezuzah is a tightly rolled piece of parchment made from the skin of a ritually clean animal on which are handwritten, traditionally in twenty-two lines, words from Deuteronomy, the fifth of the Five Books of Moses.

On the back of the parchment is the Hebrew word shaddai , one of the mystical names for the Almighty. The mezuzah case should have an opening through which the word shaddai is visible. If the casing is made of a material that does not allow for a window, such as stone, then some feel the word shaddai , or the Hebrew letter shin must appear on the face of the mezuzah.

The parchment must be checked twice every seven years. A mezuzah must be attached on the upper third of the right-hand side of the doorway as one enters, no less than one hand-breadth from the top. A blessing precedes the hanging. A building not used as a permanent residence, such as a sukkah , does not need a mezuzah.

The mezuzah is affixed to the right side of the door as one enters a room. In other words, if your door swings open from hallway into bedroom, the mezuzah would be nailed to the right-hand doorpost as your face the bedroom from the hall. This is so no matter whether the doorknob is on the right- or left-hand side. It should be placed at the lower part of the top third of the doorpost, which is generally about eyeball height for a six-foot-tall person.

It is affixed at a slant , with the lower part of the container toward you as you face the right doorpost. The case must be securely attached at top and bottom rather than hanging by a nail from the top of the mezuzah. If the doorpost is too narrow to affix the mezuzah on a slant, it can be attached vertically, but still must be nailed or glued at top and bottom.

The ritual for affixing a mezuzah is very brief and very simple, especially so considering its enduring nature. Mezuzah in one hand, one recites this blessing. Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, asher kiddeshanu be-mitzvotav ve-tzivvanu likboa mezuzah. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah.

One final word about the symbolic status of a mezuzah. The parchment is inscribed on only one side. On its reverse side, only one word appears: Shaddai, one of the names used for God. Partly as a result of this lettering, partly because some people naturally tend toward superstition, the mezuzah sometimes has been accorded the status of amulet, a magical charm.

Not only in medieval cultures but even in our day, some would attribute or explain misfortune as linked to the lack of kosher mezuzot. A mezuzah is not meant to be a protective device, nor lack thereof a source of direct punishment. A mezuzah is a sign and reminder of the Covenant, of our love and commitment and our willingness to create a Jewish household.