Mezuzah

A parchment scroll of the Shema affixed to the doorpost, fulfilling the command to write God’s words “on the doorposts of your house.”

By The EditorsEssential

Jewish Living · 2 minute read

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Summary. The mezuzah is a small parchment scroll (klaf) containing the first two paragraphs of the Shema (Devarim 6:4–9, 11:13–21), affixed to the doorposts of a Jewish home. The text is from the V’ahavta itself, which commands “u’ch’tavtam al mezuzot beitecha u’vish’arecha — and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Devarim 6:9). The klaf is placed in a decorative case and affixed to the right doorpost as one enters, at an angle in Ashkenazi custom (vertically in Sephardic custom).

What Goes Inside

The parchment must be kosher — that is, hand-written by a sofer on parchment from a kosher animal, in STaM script (the same script as Torah scrolls and tefillin). The text comprises the V’ahavta (Devarim 6:4–9) and V’haya im shamoa (Devarim 11:13–21). Cheap printed-paper imitations are not kosher and do not fulfill the mitzvah. A kosher mezuzah scroll in 2026 costs $35–$150 depending on size and quality; large or particularly elegant scrolls can cost more.

Where to Affix It

On the right doorpost as one enters, in the upper third of the doorpost (often roughly at shoulder height). Every door requires a mezuzah except bathrooms, very small rooms (less than 4 cubits × 4 cubits, roughly 6 feet × 6 feet), and certain specialized rooms. The front door is the priority for a new mezuzah; other doors can follow.

Ashkenazi vs. Sephardi Placement

Ashkenazi custom (following the Tur) is to affix the mezuzah at an angle, with the top toward the inside of the room — a compromise between Rashi (who held it should be vertical) and Rabbeinu Tam (who held horizontal). Sephardi custom is to affix vertically, following Rashi’s view as ruled by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the Shulchan Aruch.

The Blessing on Affixing

When affixing a new mezuzah: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu likboa mezuzah. (“Blessed are You, Hashem our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah.”) Multiple mezuzot can be affixed with a single blessing, provided one had them all in mind.

Inspection

Mezuzot should be inspected periodically — twice in seven years according to the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 291:1) — to confirm that the parchment has not been damaged. A sofer can inspect them; many communities organize community-wide inspections.

Where Denominations Diverge

Universal across all denominations; the mezuzah is one of the most widely observed Jewish practices, even among otherwise non-observant Jews. Reform Judaism considers an inkjet-printed scroll acceptable (a position not shared by Orthodox or Conservative). Hasidic and Sephardic communities sometimes affix mezuzot on internal doors more universally than Modern Orthodox American practice does.