page_title: Mezuzah
hierarchical_section_title: Mezuzah
caption_attribution_description: English: A mezuzah from Macedonia
context_page_description: A mezuzah is a piece of parchment called a klaf contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah. These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One". In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a mezuzah is affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah to "write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house". Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah in every doorway in the home except bathrooms, laundry rooms and closets, if they are too small to qualify as rooms. The klaf parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe who has undergone training, both in studying the relevant religious laws, and in the more practical parts i.e. carving the quill and practising writing. The verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen made either from a feather or, in what are now rare cases, a reed. The parchment is then rolled up and placed inside the case.
context_section_description: A mezuzah (Hebrew: מְזוּזָה‎ "doorpost"; plural: מְזוּזוֹת‎ mezuzot) is a piece of parchment called a klaf contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21). These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord (is) our God, the Lord is One". In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a mezuzah is affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to "write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9). Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah in every doorway in the home except bathrooms (which are not a living space), laundry rooms and closets, if they are too small to qualify as rooms. The klaf parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe ("sofer stam") who has undergone training, both in studying the relevant religious laws, and in the more practical parts i.e. carving the quill and practising writing. The verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen made either from a feather or, in what are now rare cases, a reed. The parchment is then rolled up and placed inside the case.
caption: A Sephardic mezuzah from Greece, as accepted in Rabbinical Judaism; the mezuzah case is vertical and features the Hebrew letter ש‎ (Shin)
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