Mezuzah means “doorpost” in Hebrew and includes a scroll with two paragraphs from the biblical book of Deuteronomy. The parsha (Torah portion) that features these paragraphs is called Va’etchanan, meaning “I pleaded.”
A mezuzah scroll (klaf) must be written by hand on parchment, with a special feather quill, with the letters written in the order they are read. Mezuzah parchment is made from the skin of a kosher animal, and takes at least six months to prepare. The ink used to write a mezuzah scroll dries on top of the parchment, and is not absorbed like it would be in paper or other surfaces.
It takes a sofer or soferet (Jewish ritual scribe) between 2 and 3 hours to write a single mezuzah scroll (klaf). If a mistake is discovered, the scribe has to erase all their work back to the point of correction, and then write everything again to completion.
Generally, any room where you sleep, eat, or study need a mezuzah. Rooms smaller
than 6.3 feet by 6.3 feet (e.g., a closet), bathrooms, or rooms lacking a doorway with
two doorposts and a lintel do not need a mezuzah.
Position the mezuzah case on the inside of your doorframe on the right top-third of the frame.
The Ashkenazi custom is to tilt the top of the mezuzah to the left. The Sephardi custom is position the mezuzah straight.
According to the Talmud, the right side is considered the proper place for the
mezuzah because it is the side closest to the heart. This symbolizes the importance
of the mezuzah and the commandments contained within it as they are seen as being
at the center of a Jew’s life and being.
The purpose of the mezuzah is to serve as a reminder to those entering and leaving the room of the commandments of God and the obligation to lead a life of holiness and righteousness. Placing the mezuzah on the outside of the doorpost makes it visible to all who enter and exit the room, ensuring that the message of the mezuzah is seen and remembered.
You can use nails, screws, or double-sided tape. Velcro is to be avoided, since a
mezuzah should be put up to last, and velcro is usually temporary.
When you move into a home or apartment, you should affix the mezuzah (or mezuzot) with the blessing soon after moving in. If you don’t do it immediately, you should try to put up the mezuzah within the first thirty days.
The tradition is that, in addition to putting a mezuzah (or mezuzot) on your home, a mezuzah should be affixed on the doorposts of a dorm room, office, or store.
One tradition is when moving to another house or apartment and the next resident is Jewish, the mezuzot should not be removed, unless there is concern that if the mezuzot are left behind they would be discarded or defaced.
Another tradition is to remove them if our mezuzot have personal meaning to us. If you are renting your home, you do not need to leave the mezuzahs behind, even if the next occupant is Jewish.
Some folks will touch the mezuzah as they enter and exit a home, and then kiss the finger that touched the mezuzah.
Safrut is the Jewish scribal art, which has played a pivotal role in maintaining and transmitting the sacred texts of Judaism for millennia. Rooted in tradition and Jewish law, safrut encompasses Jewish philosophy and mysticism, and the meticulous skills and practices involved in writing, preserving, and restoring torah scrolls, mezuzot, and tefillin.
The crowns are called tagin.
Below are examples of what correct lettering looks like:
If the scribe makes an error that cannot be resolved, the mezuzah becomes pasul, or unfit for use in Jewish ritual according to Jewish law. Because mezuzot are holy objects that have Hashem’s name written on them, they must be disposed of in a way that honors their holiness. Pasul mezuzot should be properly buried in a Jewish cemetery. Most synagogues have resources to store pasul ritual objects until it is possible to bury them.
Mezuzah parchment is made of animal skin from animals that would be kosher for eating (except for fish). Unlike with food, their skin is kosher for a mezuzah even if they are not slaughtered in a kosher manner. For example, while it would not be kosher to eat a dead bird you found on the ground, if the bird itself would have been kosher if properly slaughtered, then you can make klaf from its skin.
Similar to the rules of the scribe, the person making the parchment, must dedicate and state their intention before processing the skin. To make the parchment, the animal skin is treated in lime, a chemical that helps remove the animal hair from the skin. After that, the skins are split and scraped to be prepared for writing.
The mezuzah must be written on the side of the parchment that did not have the animal’s hair on it.
The ink is generally made from gall nuts, gum arabic, and ferrous sulfate. The ink is extremely important because the letters must stay black for a long time. If a mezuzah has faded ink, it is not kosher. Also, if the ink cracks, the mezuzah is not kosher.
The quill that the mezuzah is written with is called a “kolmus.” The specifics of the quills vary depending on the traditions of the scribe. Many Ashkenazi scribes write with feathers with the shape of the pen tip cut into them, some add plastic tips to make the feathers to make writing smoother. Many Sephardi scribes write with bamboo reeds.