Torat Chayim / Living Torah: Mezuzah - Making Sacred Space

(5) You shall love your God ה' with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. (7) Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. (8) Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; (9) inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

With regard to the two passages that are in the mezuza, which are the first (Deuteronomy 6:1–9) and second (Deuteronomy 11:13–21) paragraphs of Shema, the absence of each [paragraph] prevents fulfillment of the mitzvah with the other. Furthermore, the absence of even one letter prevents fulfillment of the mitzvah with the rest of them.

And he would make a space above and a space below the text and would prepare the passages of the mezuza in the open manner, i.e., he would begin the second passage on the line following the end of the first passage. I said to him: My teacher, for what reason do you prepare the passages in the open manner, when in a Torah scroll those same passages are written in the closed manner? He said to me: Since the passages are not adjacent to one another in the Torah, as the first passage is Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and the second is Deuteronomy 11:13–21, I prepare them as open passages.

The Gemara asks: What is the source for this requirement that the mezuza be affixed to the right side? As it is taught in a baraita: When the verse states: “And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house [beitekha]” (Deuteronomy 6:9), the word beitekha is interpreted as biatekha, your entry, i.e., the mezuza must be affixed to the side by which you enter, which is from the right. Do you say it is from the right, or is it only from the left? Therefore, the verse states: Your house [beitekha]. The Gemara asks: What is the biblical derivation here? Rabba says: The mezuza is affixed in the way that you enter the house, which is from the right, as when a person lifts his foot to begin walking, he lifts his right foot first. Therefore, the mezuza is affixed to the right side of the doorway.

The Sages taught in a baraita: The verse states: “And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:9). One might have thought that one writes a mezuza on the stones of the entrance. To counter this, an expression of writing is stated here, with regard to a mezuza, and an expression of writing is stated there. Just as there the mitzva of writing means on a book, i.e., parchment, so too, a mezuza must be written on a book.

Anyone who does not have a mezuza in his doorway violates two positive mitzvot, stated in the verses: “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:9), and: “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 11:20).

The reward and mitzva of mezuzah
It is a positive commandment to write the Shema, the Veyhaya Im-Shamoa, and to fix them on the side of one’s door, and one needs to be very careful in this, and all who are careful in this, their days will be lengthened, and the days of their children. And if one is not careful in this, his days will be shortened. Rama: And in any case, if it's "out of his reach" [i.e. he lacks the funds] to acquire [both] Tefillin and a Mezuzah, let him acquire Tefillin and not Mezuzah (Yerushalmi Megillah, end; O"C 38:12), as a mitzvah that is a bodily obligation is greater.

Its placement is in the outer tefach [closer to the outside than the inside]. Rama: There are those who say that when a person leaves their house, they put their hand on the Mezuzah there and says “God will guard my going, etc.” And so too when one enters a house, one puts their hand on the Mezuzah.

Places that require a mezuzah.
These are the places that require a Mezuzah, all the same:

• Whether the gates of the houses, or the gates of the courtyards, states and cities, [all are the same].
• The cowshed of cattle, and the pen, and the storehouses of wine and oil.
• A woman's house [or room] and the house of the Jewish housemates.

They are all obligated. (Rema: Specifically when the housemates are Jewish. But the house of a Jew and an idolator, is exempt from a Mezuzah (Mordekhai on Avodat Kokhavim ch. 1 end). Also the courtyards of cities where some idol worshippers live are exempt from Mezuzot (Chidushei Agudah on Yoma, ch. 1).

A house/room for straw, wood, livestock — require. But if women bathe there, since they stand there naked, it is not proper regard of Heaven for a mezuza to be there. (Rema: Only these specifically. But an actual [living] room, even if man and woman sleep and have relations there — requires mezuzah (in Responsa Maharil and the same wrote the BY) And some are lenient and say wherever women lie is exempt from mezuzah (BY in the name of Semak, the Kol Bo, and Mordekhai Hilkhot Mezuza end.) It seems to me wherever the door is from the [room's] inside and when people sleep there they close the door, and a doorpost is found outside it — it requires by all opinions. (ד"ע in Darkhei Moshe. And thus it seems in Teshuvat Maharil #98).

With what, and how, it is written.
How is the mezuzah written? He writes two sections on one pane (daf) in a single sheet (yeri`ah): Shema` and Wehayah im-shamo`a. He leaves a space below and above, approx. half a pinky-fingernail-width (tziporen). When beginning he should measure in order [to leave a top margin] to enable unrolling it after it's rolled. Rem"a: At the bottom he needn't leave any margin. (Tur)

It is rolled from end to beginning, from Echad to Shema`.

It is forbidden to add anything to it, except on the back side we write ShaDaY opposite the word Vehayah on the front.
Rem"a: Some say opposite the space between the paragraphs (Tur in the name of RO"Sh, and the Short Mordekhai and Rambam and HGH"M [Hagahot Mordekhai] in the name of SH"T [Sefer haTerumot]). And that is the custom. And we leave a window in the case opposite the name ShDY so that it's visible from outside (there, in Mordekhai and [Hagahot Maimoniyot]). We also have the custom to write on the outside KUZU BMUKS"Z opposite H' Eloheinu H', and write these letters upside-down versus the mezuzah writing, so that each letter touches opposite its replacement letter in the Alef-Bet). But inside, add nothing at all besides the two paragraphs. (TUR and RAMBAM).

Where to affix it, how to affix, and its benediction.
One who is coming to affix [a mezuzah] should place it in a reed or other type of tube and they should affix it in its place and say the blessing “who sanctified us with God's commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah” and one should not make a blessing when the mezuzah is being written. Rema: One who is affixing two or three mezuzot should make one blessing for all of them.

Where is the proper place for affixing [the mezuzah]? In the empty space of the doorway [on the inside of the doorway] within the tefach that is closest to the outside, Rema: And if they change [and places it somewhere else] it does not prevent [the fulfillment of the mitzvah] so long as he places it on the doorpost itself. [Place it] at the start of the upper third of the height of the entryway; and if they attached it higher than this it is valid, so long as it is at least a tefach way from the lintel, and one should attach it on the right side [of the doorway from the point of view] of entering. Rema: and there is no difference whether the person is left-handed or not. And if they placed it on the left side [of the doorway from the point of view of one entering] then it is invalid.

The mezuzah should be erect lengthwise on the length of the doorpost of the doorway, and one should intend that the [word] Shema that is at the end of the scroll should be [facing] the outside. Rema: And that is how they practice, but there are those who say that [the mezuzah] is invalid erect, rather its length needs to be inclined towards the width of the doorpost of the doorway [that is to say, horizontally]. And those who are scrupulous fulfill both [opinions] and place the mezuzah at an incline, at a diagonal. And this is how it is proper to practice, and this is how we practice in these places, and one should intend that the top of the mezuzah, where the [word] Shema is, should be towards the inside and the last line should be facing outside.

Mezuzah -- when to check it and who requires one?
An individual’s mezuzah is [required to be] checked twice [every] seven years. But a public/community mezuzah is [only required to be] checked twice [every] fifty years.

All are obligated in [the performance of the mitzvah of] mezuzah, even women and slaves. And we teach children to perform [the mitzvah of] mezuzah for their doorways.

A person must show great care in [the observance of the mitzvah of] mezuzah, because it is an obligation which is constantly incumbent upon everyone. Whenever a person enters or leaves [the house], they will encounter the unity of the name of the Holy Bountiful One, and remember their love for God. Thus, they will awake from their sleep and their obsession with the vanities of time, and recognize that there is nothing which lasts for eternity except the knowledge of the Creator of the world. This will motivate them to regain full awareness and follow the paths of the upright.

The early Sages said: Whoever wears tefillin on their head and arm, wears tzitzit on their [four cornered] garment, and has a mezuzah on their entrance, can be assured that they will not sin, because they have many who will remind them. These are the angels, who will prevent him from sinning, as [Psalms 34:8] states: "The angel of God camps around those who are in awe of God and protects them."

Blessed be God who offers assistance.

(10) Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. (11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. (12) He had a dream; a stairway*stairway Or “ramp”; others “ladder.” Heb. sullam. was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it. (13) And standing beside him was ה', who said, “I am ה', the God of your father Abraham’s [house] and the God of Isaac’s [house]: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring. (14) Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. (15) Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (16) Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely ה' is present in this place, and I did not know it!” (17) Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.”