Mezuzah
A Mezuzah, or (plural) Mezuzot, are the parchment scrolls which Jews attach to the right doorposts
of their homes to fulfill what is written in the Torah as understood by our Sages: "and you shall
write them on the doorposts (mezuzot) of your house and upon your gates." The two sections of the
Torah in which this verse appears (the first two paragraphs of the Shema prayer) are written on
parchment, rolled up and attached to the upper third of the doorpost, usually enclosed inside a
decorative container.
Mezuzot are written in the three basic Hebrew Scripts used today:
- Beit Yoseph is the script generally used by Ashkenazi Jews;
- Ari is the script generally used by Jews of Chassidic descent or influence;
- Vellish, is the script generally used by Sephardi Jews.
Today Mezuzot are generally written in the standard sizes:
- 6 cm (about 2.5").
- 7 cm (about 2.75").
- 10 cm (4").
- 12 cm (about 5").
- and 15 cm (6").
As you might imagine, it is quite difficult to write 22
lines of script in 2.5". Thus, even though they are smaller, good little Mezuzot often are more
expensive than the cheaper larger ones. More..
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