In October 2007, I wrote about Florida Governor Charlie Crist having a mezuzah affixed to his office in the Capitol. As you may have guessed, Crist is not Jewish, and some readers were in favor of it while others had mixed feelings.

Well, it seems that some of the Jewish members of Florida’s government may have felt funny that the governor had a mezuzah on his office door and they did not.

According to the original Lubavitch.com report, House Majority Leader Adam Hasner invited Rabbi Shneur Oirechman of Chabad of Tallahassee to put up a mezuzah on his office door. Soon after, House Minority Leader Dan Gelber also had a mezuzah placed on his office door.

You can read the original story from Lubavitch.com here: Chabad Places Mezuzahs on Doors of House Majority and Minority Leaders.

What I still like about this story is that it shows how visible and meaningful the mitzvah of mezuzah can be, even in a government office. A mezuzah is small, but it says something powerful. It marks a doorway with Jewish identity, Torah, and the presence of the Shema inside the scroll.

Of course, the case on the outside is only part of the mitzvah. The real holiness comes from the kosher mezuzah scroll inside, handwritten on klaf (קְלָף, parchment) by a qualified sofer STaM (סוֹפֵר סת״ם, Jewish scribe). If you want to understand what makes the scroll valid, our guide on what makes a kosher mezuzah explains the basics.

For anyone placing a mezuzah on an office doorway, home doorway, or any other entrance, the details still matter. The mezuzah should be placed on the correct side, at the proper height, and with the right blessing when a bracha is required. Our guides on which side of the door the mezuzah goes on, how high the mezuzah should be, and what blessing to say on the mezuzah can help with the practical side.

I wonder if we will ever see a day when there are mezuzahs on the White House and in Congress.