Ever wondered what are those beautiful cases on the doors of Jewish homes? A lot of us who are not familiar with the Jewish religion often don’t know what that is. Well, that’s called Mezuzah and it has its significance.
This post will tell you more about what it is and how it is used.
Also, see: Family Day Messages
What is Mezuzah?
The word ‘Mezuzah’ is derived from the Hebrew language and it means a doorpost.
Mezuzah comprises of Klaf that has two passages from the Bible written on it. The two Deuteronomies;
6:4-9 and 11:13-21 are quoted below.
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel! The Eternal is our God, the Eternal alone. You shall love the Eternal your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. 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. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
- Deuteronomy 11:13–21
“If, then, you obey the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day, loving the Eternal your God and serving [God] with all your heart and soul, I will grant the rain for your land in season, the early rain and the late. You shall gather in your new grain and wine and oil—I will also provide grass in the fields for your cattle—and thus you shall eat your fill. Take care not to be lured away to serve other gods and bow to them. For the Eternal’s anger will flare up against you, shutting up the skies so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its produce; and you will soon perish from the good land that the Eternal is assigning to you. Therefore impress these My words upon your very heart: bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead, and teach them to your children—reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up; and inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates—to the end that you and your children may endure, in the land that the Eternal swore to your fathers to assign to them, as long as there is a heaven over the earth.”
Jews attach Mezuzah at every door in their homes. The commandment mitzvah, encourages the words of God on the doorposts of houses. Jews do so to follow this commandment.
People get all sorts of attractive cases for these parchments. While these cases are available widely at numerous shops, the parchments are usually available at churches and stores that have religious materials with them. Using handwritten Ashkenazi Mezuzah Scroll is pretty common among people.
How to Use Mezuzah?
There is a small ceremony that goes with affixing Mezuzah on the doorposts. All the family members are present at this occasion while the affixing takes place. Before attaching it to the doorpost, the members of the house ask for the blessings of God. Later it is affixed on the right side, usually in the upright position. It is used on all entrances, except for the bathrooms.