Why is the mezuzah on the right side

Therefore, if the entryway has a very wide doorpost, the mezuzah does not get centered, but rather should be placed on the doorpost as close as possible to the outside of the room. There are some special cases to pay attention to:. In such a case most authorities advise placing the mezuzah on the door frame itself and not on the entranceway Sefer Hamezuzah This is very common in office buildings where there are glass doors and walls separating office spaces.

In such a situation the mezuzah is placed on the outside glass of the wall as close to the door as possible. The issue of mezuzahs in offices is complex and will be addressed in a future article. How high should a mezuzah be hung?

The Talmud Menachos 33a explains that the mezuzah must be placed on the top third of the doorpost at least a tefach 4 inches from the top. There are those who maintain that it should be hung at the bottom of the top third Shulchan Aruch YD , and we should try to accommodate that opinion when possible.

When a family moves it should not remove its mezuzot from the doorpost if its knows that another Jewish family will be moving in subsequently.

If the case is a valuable one, one can substitute another case, but the klaf should remain. If one knows that a Gentile family is to follow in that place of abode, the mezuzot should be removed, lest they be considered useless and thrown away. In the Land of Israel, the day rule for affixing a mezuzah does not apply. There, one should affix a mezuzah to the door when moving in. The mezuzah is affixed to the right side of the door as one enters a room. In other words, if your door swings open from hallway into bedroom, the mezuzah would be nailed to the right-hand doorpost as your face the bedroom from the hall.

This is so no matter whether the doorknob is on the right- or left-hand side. It should be placed at the lower part of the top third of the doorpost, which is generally about eyeball height for a six-foot-tall person. It is affixed at a slant , with the lower part of the container toward you as you face the right doorpost. The case must be securely attached at top and bottom rather than hanging by a nail from the top of the mezuzah. If the doorpost is too narrow to affix the mezuzah on a slant, it can be attached vertically, but still must be nailed or glued at top and bottom.

The ritual for affixing a mezuzah is very brief and very simple, especially so considering its enduring nature. What makes it important is the concept that the doorpost is the dividing line between the swirl of the outside world and the sanctity and safe haven of the home.

Contained in the mezuzah is a tightly rolled piece of parchment made from the skin of a ritually clean animal on which are handwritten, traditionally in twenty-two lines, words from Deuteronomy, the fifth of the Five Books of Moses. On the back of the parchment is the Hebrew word shaddai , one of the mystical names for the Almighty. The mezuzah case should have an opening through which the word shaddai is visible. If the casing is made of a material that does not allow for a window, such as stone, then some feel the word shaddai , or the Hebrew letter shin must appear on the face of the mezuzah.

The parchment must be checked twice every seven years. Yes, providing that as part of the terms of her employment you have retained the right to change her room to another location in the house, at any given time and upon your discretion.

A mezuzah is required, providing that the washing room is at least 41 square feet and that there is another door separating the lavatory from the washing area. If you are actually living in both homes, or storing items in both homes, then you are obligated to have mezuzahs in both homes.

We will be happy to rent mezuzahs to you until you sell or rent your existing home. For more information, please call the CMC. When moving to another house or apartment, mezuzahs should not be removed from the old home. The only exception to this rule is when either of the two following circumstances apply:. It is preferable that the new tenant or owner should remove your mezuzahs, or he should at least instruct you to remove your mezuzahs.

This halacha is a very serious matter and should not be treated lightly. Rather, an observant Rabbi should instruct you what to do.

The mezuzah cases may certainly be exchanged for the least expensive mezuzah covers. You may also demand that the new owner or tenant pay you for the mezuzahs that you are leaving behind.

He will then be obligated to compensate you for those mezuzahs at fair market value. If he refuses to pay for them, an observant Rabbi should be contacted. This halacha is a very serious matter. If the second home is a rental, mezuzahs are required only if living there for more than thirty days. For more information, please contact the CMC. If you are renting them outside of the land of Israel, then you have the standard grace period of thirty days, whereas if they were purchased or if the rental is in Israel , then mezuzahs should be affixed immediately following the sale.

In any case, a blessing should not be recited when affixing these mezuzahs. Cars and trucks are exempt from mezuzahs. It is permissible to do so, but one should be aware that this is neither a Torah nor a Rabbinical obligation. Prior to affixing a mezuzah upon a doorpost that has a door , the following blessing should be recited:. Translation: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah.

If the entire building belongs to one person, then only one blessing is recited when multiple mezuzahs are being affixed in the building at one time. After reciting the blessing, one should refrain from talking until all the mezuzahs are mounted. However, if you will mount the mezuzahs on separate days, then a separate blessing should be recited each day before affixing the first mezuzah being mounted on that day.

In all of the aforementioned cases, one should try to affix mezuzahs to these entrances that do not require a blessing only after [reciting a blessing and] affixing a mezuzah to an entrance that does require a blessing. Recite the blessing only if the mezuzahs were off the doorposts for at least one night.

One who drops a mezuzah, G-d forbid, is not obligated to fast as in the case of a dropped Sefer Torah. It should be noted that there are a number of opinions regarding how to convert halachic measurements from their original form into modern-day equivalents. According to other opinions the measurements are longer and will therefore be a more lenient opinion in regards to the size of a room that requires a mezuzah.

However, it should be emphasized that according to all opinions there are many varieties of halachically stringent or lenient circumstances under which it is considered appropriate to calculate measurements using a somewhat more stringent or more lenient as the case may call for methodology. While the complexities of these details are beyond the scope of this publication, we hereby take the opportunity to point out that all the measurement values given herein are to be taken as approximate, not exact.

Scribal Art. Are mezuzahs or tefillin still kosher if those crowns have been omitted? Mezuzah Checking and Computer Scanning. What is the purpose of checking mezuzahs, and how often must it be done? Why do so many scribes and rabbanim encourage computer scanning of tefillin and mezuzahs? Affixing Mezuzahs. Where, exactly, is the mezuzah to be mounted?

What if my doorpost is very high? Can I mount the mezuzah lower than the upper third of the doorpost, in order to enable my children to reach and kiss the mezuzah?

If a doorway can be utilized as an entrance from either side, how do I then determine what is considered the right as opposed to left side? If there is a stationary cabinet or the like in the doorway on the right side, where should the mezuzah be affixed? Since the right side of this double-door is stationary, the Mezuzah is affixed on the end of the stationary door as shown, NOT on the doorpost all the way to the right.

Should I always affix my mezuzah at the horizontal center of my doorpost? Am I obligated to use nails or screws to mount the mezuzahs? What must I do with old mezuzah cases, old mezuzah wrappings or nails previously used for mezuzahs?