Mezuzah: Difference between revisions
From Halachipedia
→Back Door to Backyard
No edit summary |
|||
| (307 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:mezuzah2.jpg|right|100px]] | [[Image:mezuzah2.jpg|right|100px]] | ||
There is a positive commandment to set up a mezuzah on every doorpost.<ref>Rambam Sefer HaMitzvot Positive Commandment 15, Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 423, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 11:1 from Devarim 6:9 and 11:20. Shulchan Aruch YD 285:1, Chayei Adam 15:13, Aruch Hashulchan 285:2 say that one should be very meticulous with this mitzva.</ref> A person who is careful with this mitzvah merits a long life and the house is protected.<ref>Tur YD 285 writes based on the pasuk that follows in Parashat Ekev, 11:21, that one who is meticulous in this mitzva merits long life. Bach YD 285 and Aruch Hashulchan YD 285:3 write that a house with a mezuzah has extra protection. Shabbat 23b states that someone who is careful with mezuzah merits to have a nice house.</ref> Even though the mezuzah affords a person protection he shouldn't put it up for that reason; he should do it because that is Hashem's will.<ref>Rosh end of Hilchot Mezuzah</ref> The details as to which doorways, how the mezuzah should be placed, and the bracha are described below. | |||
==How to Put Up a Mezuzah== | |||
===Preparing the Klaf=== | |||
#The klaf should be rolled from left to right. It should be rolled tightly so that the klaf almost but doesn't actually cover the word שדי on the outside of the klaf.<ref>Agur Bohalecha 1:8</ref> | |||
#The klaf should be wrapped well, usually with saran wrap or the like, so that it doesn't get ruined by the elements.<ref>Agur Bohalecha 1:10</ref> | |||
#It is proper that the klaf should be positions so that the שדי is facing outward towards the opposite doorpost.<ref>Agur Bohalecha 1:33</ref> | |||
See the [[Acquiring and Maintaining Stam] | |||
==Women== | ==Women== | ||
== | #Women are obligated in mezuzah. <ref>The Gemara Kiddushin 34a explains that since women can also use the reward of long life, written next to the parsha of mezuzah, the mitzvah of mezuzah also applies to them. The same appears in Yoma 11b. This is codified by the Rambam Hilchot Mezuzah 5:10, Shulchan Aruch YD 291:3, and Shach 291:4. </ref> | ||
<references/> | #There is a discussion among the poskim if women can ideally place the [[mezuzot]]. Many poskim write that it is even ideal for women to put up the [[mezuzot]]. <ref>[[Shevet Halevi]] 2:158:3, Kinyan Torah 2:58 and Chovat Hadar 9:3 write that women can put them up even ideally. Rav Hershel Schachter (Be'ikvei HaTzon p. 9) writes that the halacha follows the opinion that says women may put up [[mezuzot]]. Beer Moshe 2:100 and 6:79:5 as well as Teshuvot Vihanhagot 4:238:6 write that it is ideal for a man to put up the [[mezuzot]], however, if a women did put them up, it need not be removed. </ref> | ||
==Children== | |||
#Ideally, a child should not place the mezuzah on a doorpost. <ref>Tzitz Eliezer 14:75, Chanoch Lanaar 35:4 </ref> Sephardim hold that the child should put up the mezuzah for his doorway and when he becomes bar mitzvah'ed it should be taken down, checked, and put up again with a bracha.<ref>Yalkut Yosef YD 285:15</ref> | |||
#The doorway to a child's room should have a mezuzah for chinuch.<ref>Shulchan Aruch YD 291:3</ref> | |||
#In a room where the baby is changed if the mezuzah is on the inside of the door it should be covered.<ref>Yalkut Yosef (Sovah Semachot v. 1 ch. Mekomot Hachayvim Bmezuzah no. 39)</ref> | |||
#Even though it is technically permitted to have a child potty in a room with a mezuzah since the mezuzah is covered and above 10 tefachim it isn't proper to do so.<ref>Yalkut Yosef YD 285:7</ref> | |||
==Moving== | |||
#If a person is moving and another Jew is moving in one must leave them your mezuzot.<ref>Bava Metsia 101b-102a, Rambam Tefillin 5:11, Shulchan Aruch YD 291:2.</ref> The reasoning is that you shouldn't remove mezuzot is because they are used to serve to protect the house from harm and taking them indicates that you don't care about those moving in<ref>Tosfot Shabbat 22a s.v. rav. The Rishon Letzion 291:1 explains that whenever one leaves a house that was obligated in mezuzah, the demons move in and will damage the next tenant. Even though the next tenant will put up his own mezuzah, that doesn't remove the demons sufficiently. However, before anyone ever lived in the house, the demons don't enter.</ref> or that mezuzot represent that the divine presence resides in the home and that isn't something one should remove.<ref>Ritva Bava Metsia 102a s.v. lo</ref> | |||
#The one moving can charge the next tenant to pay for the mezuzot<ref>Rama Y.D. 291:2. Birkei Yosef 291:4 notes that the Rabbenu Manoach, the source for the Rama, wrote that it is good for the new tenant to pay for the mezuzot but they don't have to. However, the language of the Rama 291:2 is that it is required. He notes, though, that the Ritva and Rabbenu Yonatan (Shita Mikubeset b"m 102a) who write the next tenant owes the money and in fact the Ritva meyuchasot holds that if the new tenant doesn't want to pay the previous tenant can take his mezuzot with him.</ref>, but even if he isn't willing to pay one still shouldn't take down the mezuzot.<ref>Aruch Hashulchan YD 291:3, Igrot Moshe YD 4:44, Igrot Vreishmot Hakehilat Yakov v. 5 p. 287. Agur Bohalecha is lenient. Ritva meyuchasot b"m 102a writes that if the new tenant doesn't want to pay he can take the mezuzot with him, but according to Rabbenu Manoach the new tenant doesn't actually have to pay but it is good for him to pay.</ref> | |||
#It is permitted to switch more mehudar mezuzot with less kosher mezuzot. It is better to have them checked before switching them.<ref>[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=37191&st=&pgnum=32 Daat Kedoshim 291:2]. Yabia Omer YD 3:18 and Hamezuzah VeHilchata p. 127 hold like the Daat Kedoshim. See Igrot Moshe YD 4:44 who doesn’t offer this solution. Teshuvot Vehanahgot 1:549 isn't sure if it is permitted. He quotes from the Chazon Ish who advised not switching more mehudar mezuzot for less mehudar mezuzot when leaving a house. He is lenient, however, to switch the mezuzot after leaving and the new tenant moved in. Then one can offer the tenant to either pay for the more mehudar mezuzot or to just pay for the less mehudar mezuzot and switch the mezuzot.</ref> | |||
#There is an opinion that you may take down the mezuzot if you're going to put them up in another house, however, that opinion isn't accepted as the halacha.<ref>Chida in Birkei Yosef YD 291:2 writes that according to one answer of Tosfot one can take the mezuzot with you if you'll put it up right away, but according to the Ritva you can't. He says that we hold that one shouldn't take them down even if you'll put them up in another house right away, yet in an extenuating circumstance where you can't find mezuzot to buy for the new house you can take down the mezuzot. Aruch Hashulchan 291:3 cites this but is hesitant about it.</ref> | |||
#There is what to rely upon to take down the mezuzah if it is going to be painted before the next tenant moves in so that they don’t get ruined.<ref>Igrot Moshe YD 4:44 quoting Rav Henkin. See Agur Bohalecha 40:12 who seems to disagree and establishes says that after painting one has to put up the mezuzot again.</ref> | |||
#If the house is going to be closed up and no one is going to move in afterwards for the foreseeable future one can take one's mezuzot.<ref>Pri Megadim M"Z 15:2</ref> | |||
#If someone has a door which he used to use and decides never to use that door again, some hold it is exempt,<ref>Agur Bohalecha 24:14</ref> while most hold it is obligated.<ref>Aruch Hashulchan 286:38, Igrot Moshe YD 1:177</ref> If that room has another door and one decides not to use one of the doors ever again, some of the poskim who are strict in the first case agree here that it is exempt.<ref>Rav Moshe Feinstein in Igrot Moshe YD 1:177</ref> | |||
==Links== | |||
*[http://www.aish.com/jl/m/48948731.html Mezuzah] on aish.com | |||
*[https://www.vaadmhk.org/topics/mezuzah/ Halachos of Mezuzah] on www.vaadmhk.org | |||
==Sources== | |||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Ritual Practices]] | |||
[[Category:Safrut]] | |||
