A mezuzah is a small scroll in a case that is attached to the doorways in Jewish homes.
The scroll includes two sections from Deuteronomy that include references to the mitzvah of mezuzah. The text reads in both places, “inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21.
A kosher scroll written by a sofer or soferet, a scribe, is required.
Where do I place a Mezuzah on the doorpost?
Once in hand, the mezuzah is affixed to the doorpost on the right side of the doorway as you enter. It should be placed anywhere on the top third of the doorway as long as it is at least a handsbreadth away from the top of the doorway (Menachot 33a:7 and SA Yoreh Deah 289:2).
The most common way is to place the mezuzah on a diagonal, with its top facing into the home. This is a compromise between two rabbinic positions that suggest it should be vertical or horizontal. By putting it up at an angle, we are able to fulfill both positions simultaneously (SA Yoreh Deah 289:6).
At the moment of affixing the mezuzah, one recites the following blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לִקְבֹּעַ מְזוּזָה:
Barukh atah Adonai eloheinu melekh haolam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu, likboa’ mezuzah.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who makes us holy and commands us with the mitzvot to affix the mezuzah.
If one is putting up multiple mezuzot, one after another, you only have to recite the blessing the first time.
Which rooms require a Mezuzah?
Rooms that are smaller than four by four amot (arm lengths, roughly eighteen inches each) are exempt.
When do you need to put up a Mezuzah?
According to the sources, there is a distinction between when one is renting their dwelling or have purchased it as a permanent residence. (SA Yoreh Deah 286:22)
If one purchases a home, a person is obligated immediately.
If one is renting in the Diaspora, a person is exempt from the obligation of mezuzah for thirty days.
If one is renting in Israel, a person is obligated immediately.
