Browsing the archives for the mezuzah tag

How to dispose of a Mezuzah case

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4 Jan, 2010
Aaron
Learn about Mezuzahs

You probably already know that a Mezuzah scroll is holy and cannot just be discarded in the trash when it becomes unfit.  What is less known is that the Mezuzah case also takes on holiness since it was used for a Mitzvah.  Here is a question that I recently got by email:

Hi,
Recently we were trying to teach our young son to kiss the mezuzah, when he pulled it off and broke it.
The mezuzah case is now unable to be fixed. The parchment is fine and we can use this in a new case. Is there a custom in getting rid of the case? Are we allowed to just throw it away?
Thank you,
Stephanie

Here is what I answered:

Dear Stephanie,

Even though it is the scroll that is the mitzvah, the case also becomes holy because it is used for a Mitzvah. Therefore the case should be brought to a genizah – that is a place where holy items are brought to be buried in the Jewish cemetery. If you do not know where a genizah is, you should bring it to your local Orthodox synagogue where they will be able to help you.

I would also like to point out that according to custom, when a Mezuzah falls off of the door for any reason, we take it to a certified scribe to have it checked. The reasoning is that if something happened to the Mezuzah, it may be a sign from above that the Mezuzah needs to be tended to. In this matter as well, your local Orthodox synagogue should be able to help you.

With blessings,

Aaron Shaffier



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Where to put a Mezuzah on an arch

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Jan, 2010
Aaron
Archways

Here’s a question I recently got by email:

Shalom.
There is a wall with an arch that runs from one end of my house across to the other end with living areas on both sides. When going through the arch toward the back of the house I’m entering the den, kitchen, and breakfast area. When going through the arch toward the front of the house I’m entering a living room and dining room. Should I have mezuzahs at the right of the arch on both sides?
Debra

Here is what I answered:

Dear Debra,
You only put the Mezuzah on one side. The main way to determine which side is by assessing the natural flow of traffic through the house when entering from the front door. It sounds from your email like it is more common to go from the living/dining room to the den/kitchen first. If that is the case then you would put the Mezuzah on the right side as you enter the kitchen/den.

Blessings,

Aaron Shaffier



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Can a non-Jew put up a Mezuzah?

3 Comments
3 Mar, 2009
Aaron
Learn about Mezuzahs, Putting up your Mezuzah

I frequently get asked if Gentiles can affix Mezuzahs to their doors.  Here is what I answered recently to one such inquiry. 

Dear Friend,

This is a question that I get very frequently.  It always makes me so happy to hear from people who are not Jewish and want to put up a Mezuzah to honor God.  

Generally Judaism recognizes two systems of law for mankind.  The basic ‘7 laws of Noah‘ apply to all of mankind.  The Torah, with its 613 laws, is a special system that God has instituted for the nation of Israel who he chose to be a ‘nation of priests and a holy people’.  

Just like one would not expect the average person to live up to the same spiritual standards as a priest, so to God does not demand from most people to live up to the extra high standard that he demands from His ‘nation of priests’.

The Mezuzah is one of the 613 laws that are were given to the Jewish people in the Torah to help them live up to this standard.  Therefore, non-Jews are not in any way obligated to put up a Mezuzah.  

If a non Jew wants to voluntarily keep any of the Torah laws in order to attain a closer relationship with God, they are permitted to do so.  

In the case of the Mezuzah, the only concern is that you respect the holiness of this article that contains the original name of God in Hebrew.  It cannot ever be taken into an unclean place (such as a bathroom for example).  And if it ever becomes damaged and needs to be disposed of, it must be taken to a synagogue where they have a box for holy items that need to be disposed of.  It will then be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

For this reason, there are some Rabbis who discourage non-Jews from affixing a Mezuzah to their door.  But, if you wish to put up a Mezuzah, and you understand that you are taking responsibility to care for a holy object in the proper way, then there is no reason that you cannot purchase and put up a Mezuzah.

Whatever you decide, your desire to do something to come closer to God is certainly a sign that you are on the right track.  Keep up the good work.

God Bless,

Aaron Shaffier



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Mezuzah in Space

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28 Jan, 2009
Aaron
Mezuzahs in the News

Here’s an interesting article from Haaretz.com:

Who puts up a mezuzah in space? A Jewish astronaut

By Ofri Ilani, Haaretz Correspondent

If Dr. Garrett Reisman did not exist, then Mel Brooks or Woody Allen would have had to invent him. The veteran astronaut, who spent three straight months in space, looks like a character from a comedy about Jews in space: He is short, an engineer and full of self-deprecating humor that is often missing in astronauts.

Reisman, a native of New Jersey, is the first Jew to have lived in the International Space Station. 

“The mission went pretty well, I did not break anything that was too expensive,” he says. 
When he got to the space station, via the space shuttle Endeavor, he was quick to put up a mezuzah in the bunk where he slept. 

“I did not consult any rabbi, so I hope I did not get into any trouble,” he says. 

Reisman is in Israel for the fourth Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, which is organized by the Science Ministry and the Fisher Brothers Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies. 

The NASA delegation will make a presentation on progress in its most ambitious project: sending humans to Mars. Its schedule is for a manned mission to Mars by 2030. 

However, at this stage, there are still problems to be resolved. The round trip is expected to last at least three years and will require enormous amounts of food, water and fuel. 

No less troubling is how best to assure the health of the crew while millions of kilometers from earth. 

Dr. Johnston Smith, a medical officer at NASA, who is also visiting Israel, is one of those dealing with this challenge. “If someone experiences a standard medical problem, like appendicitis,” he says, “a decision will need to be made on what to do. Therefore, on the voyage to Mars one of the crew will be a doctor and will have the means to undertake simple surgery.” 

Those traveling to Mars will also be away from family and friends for years. According to Johnston, the missions to the International Space Station are meant to build up experience in dealing with psychological dilemmas. Thus, for example, a year ago, NASA had to inform astronaut Daniel Tani, who was at the space station, that his mother had died in an accident. 

“Every astronaut decides before a mission whether they want to know [such news] immediately or not. But on a voyage to Mars these questions will be more significant, and we need to think about how to deal with them,” Johnston says. 



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This guy sold a passul Mezuzah in NY state.

1 Comment
24 Dec, 2008
Aaron
Mezuzahs in the News

It seems that NY state has a whole section of business law that protects the consumer from being sold non-kosher Mezuzahs and Tefillin.  

Here is a link to the section  Just type Mezuzah in the search box and it will come up.

Pretty amazing huh?

Thanks to xerpentine for the tip.



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Replacing Mezuzah After Checking

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22 Dec, 2008
Aaron
Mezuzah and Tefilliin Checking, Putting up your Mezuzah

I recently got this question in the email:

If I take down multiple Mezuzot for checking, do I make a Brocha when replacing them.  I will not be placing them on the same door as they were taken down from as they were not marked to ensure this.  What happens if one has be replaced due to its being possul?

This issue always comes up when people have their Mezuzah checked.  The problem is that the answer is not so simple because there are several issues here, with multiple opinions involved.

Lets first deal with some more simple issues one by one and at the end I will suggest an answer to the emailer’s question.

1. Do you have to say a blessing when reaffixing a Mezuzah to the same door after having it checked?

There are several opinions regarding this.  Some say that you would say a blessing if the Mezuzah was down for 24 hours others say you say a blessing only if it was down for 30 days.  In this case, one should check with their local Rabbi to find out which custom they should observe.  In a case where this is not possible, the rule is that we are always conservative about saying a blessing in a case of doubt.  Therefore one would refrain from saying a blessing if the Mezuzah was down for less than 30 days.

2. Do you say a blessing when switching a Mezuzah from one door to another?

Yes.  Assuming that the new door is obligated in a Mezuzah according to all opinions.  That is to say it has an actual door that opens and closes and that doorway leads to a room that has more that 36 square feet and is used as a living space.

3.  If the scribe finds something Passul (not kosher) in the Mezuzah and fixes it, do you say a blessing when re-affixing the Mezuzah to the same door?

First see answer to #1 regarding how long the Mezuzah was down.   If the Mezuzah was down long enough it will require a new blessing in any case and this question becomes irrelevant.

Let’s assume though that you took the Mezuzah down and brought it straight to the sofer and he found something passul, fixed it and now you are ready to put it up on the same day.  In this case, you must ask the sofer if the problem that he found was definitely passul according to all opinions or if he was just fixing something to make it better or to make it Kosher according to more opinions.  If the sofer says that it was definately passul, you would make a blessing.

Based on all of the above:

In a case like the one described in the email the best thing to do would be to take one Mezuzah that you know was not on the front door and affix it to the front door saying a blessing.  When you say the blessing, have in mind that it should exempt all of the other Mezuzahs.  Then without interrupting, proceed to affix the rest of the Mezuzahs.

 

 



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Mezuzah on a Horizontal Door?

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Dec, 2008
Aaron
Learn about Mezuzahs, Putting up your Mezuzah

Here is a question that I got recently in the email:

My first floor ceiling now has a horizontal opening say .8 metres by .8
metres with a hatch bordered by a frame. When the hatch is opened you can
grab the loft ladder and access the loft. Does the hatch need a mezuzzah.
Can you place a mezuzah on the horizontal.

Here’s my answer:

Dear Sir,

Any door that is horizontal is exempt from a Mezuzah.  In fact I have the same kind of hatch in my home here in Israel.

Be well,

Aaron Shaffier
MezuzahStore.com



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Funny Mezuzah Video

1 Comment
21 Dec, 2008
Aaron
General



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Mezuzah at Google Tel Aviv

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4 Oct, 2008
Aaron
General, Mezuzahs in the News

Google Mezuzah

Thanks to The Lansey Brothers’ Blog



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Mezuzahs at the Olympics

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6 Aug, 2008
Aaron
Mezuzahs in the News

You will be happy to hear that the Israeli athletes at the Olympic village will have Mezuzahs on their door.  Rabbi Freundlach of Chabad-Beijing affixed them this week.  The Rabbi also is making sure that there will be kosher food available at all times at Dini’s Kosher Restaurant, situated near the American Embassy.

You can read the full story here.

I am gonna go ahead now and take the liberty of posting it on Mezuzah Planet.  (But it won’t qualify for the $108 gift certificate.)

I wonder how the sweet and sour chicken is at Dini’s?



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