Should You Have a Mezuzah?

Deuteronomy consists mostly of three sermons or discourses that Moses delivered to Israel while they were camped in Moab, just across the Jordan River from the Promised Land. These are the last words of Moses for the people with whom he has spent 40 years in the wilderness.

One of the major themes of Moses' counsel is that Israel needs to remember God's commandments and their covenants with Him. The instructions that Moses gave to Israel continue to be reflected in the daily lives of observant Jews.

The Shema (click Here for pronunciation) is the morning and evening prayer recited by Jews practicing their religion. It consists of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41 (in that order). The prayer is recited often and taught to Jewish children, beginning when they are very small, so that the words will be constantly in their hearts, because of the following words of Moses:

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

Continuing to speak of his words, Moses says "And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deuteronomy 6:9) This is the origin of the mezuzah (Hebrew for doorpost, click Here for pronunciation). A mezuzah is a small parchment scroll inscribed with Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 that is rolled into a small decorative case affixed to the doorframe of the homes of most observant Jews. There is always a mezuzah at the main entry and sometimes there are mezuzahs on frames of doors inside the home as well.

Here is what the scroll looks like:


And here are a couple of examples of mezuzah cases. They come in a wide variety of styles. Typically, when you speak of a mezuzah, you're talking about the case with the scroll inside.





It has become customary for many Jews to touch or kiss the mezuzah each time they leave or enter their home. GG became friends with a Jewish convert when we lived in California and this woman gave us a mezuzah that we placed next to our front door. I have heard Senator Orrin Hatch say that he has a mezuzah near his front door as well.

Deuteronomy 6:8, speaking of the words of Moses – "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes" – gives rise to the use of phylacteries, called tefillin in Hebrew (click Here for pronunciation). These are small leather boxes with straps that, like the mezuzah, contain scriptures from Exodus and Deuteronomy.


One of the tefillin is attached to the forehead and the other to the inside of the left arm. These locations symbolize obedience to the law with both mind and heart.

See the photos below showing how the tefillin are worn. The wearing of tefillin is proper only during the day. Observant Orthodox Jews usually wear them only during worship services or prayers. Various Jewish sects have developed detailed rules concerning how tefillin are worn.



I'm not sure how Moses would feel about it, but you can purchase a mezuzah or tefillin on Amazon.