How To Hang a Mezuzah

This post is done in conjunction with the mezuzah giveaway from Turtle Lane Pottery.

Let's talk mezuzahs. Deuteronomy 6:9 says that we should have the words of YHWH on the doorposts of our homes. A mezuzah is a case that holds a scroll of part of Scripture, usually the surrounding passage from Deuteronomy. Mezuzahs are one way to keep this commandment. Other ideas would be hanging a plaque on the door, writing a verse on the door frame, framing a verse for the entrance, or even painting or inscribing a verse on the door itself. Whichever you decide will serve as a reminder and encouragement when you go in and out.

Traditional Judaism has more than 2,000 laws on how to properly hang a mezuzah. If you are looking for those instructions, you will not find them here. The commandment that we have from YHWH regarding this is simply to do it, so I will be sharing one way of going about that.

When you purchase a mezuzah, what you are buying is the case. Typically it will not come with the scroll inside, though sometimes that is an option for an extra charge. Chances are, any sort of color or pattern you may be interested in is out there. You could also make your own using anything from clay to wood to Legos if you are so inclined. My Turtle Lane mezuzah did not come with a scroll so my first step in hanging it was to write out Scripture. Judaism teaches that this should be done by a qualified scribe who will hand write it, but I don't see that requirement in Scripture. In fact when Moses said, "You shall write this," he was speaking to all Israel, not just a group of qualified scribes. At our house we want to take responsibility for our faith so we wrote it ourselves instead of outsourcing that task.

We chose to write out Deuteronomy 6:4-6, which Yahusha of course described as the most important commandment. You could write more or less depending on what you feel is best. Feel free to write it in your native language; include Hebrew if you would like.

You will want to measure your mezuzah and trim down your paper as needed to fit.

Once your Scripture is written out, roll it tightly to fit into the mezuzah.

Turtle Lane Pottery's mezuzahs come with the two small screws you will need to affix this in your house. If you need to supply your own screws the ones we used were half an inch.

You will need to decide where your mezuzah is going. Inside or outside? Which side of the door? To the left or the right? On the door, the frame, or next to it? This really isn't complicated, though Judaism has rules for all these things. Pick what works best for the design of your home to showcase your mezuzah. If you would like to put one outside, be sure it can handle the elements.

If you are familiar with mezuzahs, chances are you have seen them at an angle. There's nothing wrong with this, but if you are going to do it you should learn the story behind it. Hundreds of years ago, in the 13th and 14th centuries there were conflicting opinions about how to hang a mezuzah. One school of thought was vertically, another was horizontally. In lieu of picking a side or letting homeowners make their own choice, rabbis began instructing that mezuzahs should be placed at a slant so that both sides would be placated. So there you have it.

When YHWH commanded us to have his words on the doorposts of our homes he was not very specific. He did not add, "at a 45° degree angle," or "in this font." It would be wrong to say otherwise. He gives us room for creativity. Make your own choice about this. We chose to hang ours vertically because we thought it looked the best. :)

With the scroll inside, use a drill to screw the mezuzah into your door/post/wall. Use a lighter hand when you drill as mezuzahs don't weigh much and you don't want to crack or break yours.

It is traditional to say a blessing when you hang the mezuzah. You could say, "Blessed are you YHWH our Eloheinu, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to have his words on our doorposts." You could also pray that your home would be a place where YHWH's commandments are kept and guarded, and that this mezuzah would be a reminder to turn to him each day.

There you have it: the mezuzah is up. This lovely thing has reminded me to say a quick prayer each time I see it. Who knew an object could help you to turn your heart to YHWH? I want to thank Corrine from Turtle Lane for this thoughtful gift. If you are in need of your own mezuzah be sure to head over to our giveaway post to win a set of your own!