Mezuzah
Mezuzah ( Hebrew מזוזה, also Mezuzah or Mesusah , plural: Mezuzot ) means door post and denotes a written capsule on the door post, which has meaning and is used in Judaism , as well as the inscribed parchment it contains . The mezuzah is also known as the Shema and goes back to several passages in the Torah :
"You shall write [these words] on the doorposts of your house and your city gates."
Accordingly, the corresponding two sections from the Schma are written by a specially trained scribe ( Sofer ) with a non-metallic writing implement ( quill pen ) on a parchment (Klaf), on the back the word Schaddaj ( Hebrew שדי, the letter sequence schin-dalet- jud stands for schomer daltot Yisrael , German guardian of the gates of Israel ), and rolled up in a small container attached to the door post. The ink used for writing is usually made by the Sofer himself from gall apple , copper or iron sulfate and gum arabic . The container can be made of metal, ceramic, wood, glass, stone or plastic. Many mezuzot are inscribed with the Hebrew letter ש ( shin ). This also stands for Schaddaj . The Klaf is checked regularly and replaced if damaged or discolored.
Seldom today is the medieval use of the three cryptograms kosu bemuchsas kosu (no Hebrew) under the inscription Schaddaj . They stand for Hebrew Adonai elohenu Adonai (dt. The Eternal our God is the Lord ). This mystical practice was understood by Kabbalists as the bearer of a secret magical meaning. Jewish scholars such as Maimonides rejected such additions on the parchment.
In a traditional Jewish household, there is a mezuzah on every door frame (except on the bathroom or toilet or on cellar doors and storage rooms). The mezuzot attached to the door frame allow meals to be taken in these rooms. In addition, all rooms require a mezuzah in which one sleeps. On the other hand, no mezuzah need be attached to cars, ships and tents or to a leaf hut , even if one eats and sleeps in them. If a door does not lead directly into a living room, for example the front door of an apartment building, no mezuzah is actually necessary either, but mezuzah is often also there, as well as at the entrance to synagogues . It is customary not to remove the mezuzot when moving house if the buyer or new tenant is Jewish or could be offended by their removal. On the other hand, all mezuzot must be removed if it is feared that they could be desecrated by the successors, which would also include their disposal in the household waste, since the parchment, like the Sefer Torah , has a ritual burial. Jewish organizations such as Chabad offer a mezuzah service for the quick installation of the mezuzah in newly occupied living quarters. When attaching the mezuzah, a dedicated prayer is said.
The mezuzah is inclined within arm's reach in the upper third of the right door post (seen from the outside), in such a way that the upper end faces the room. This arose from a discussion among Jewish scholars as to whether the mezuzah should be attached vertically (opinion of Rashi ) or horizontally (opinion of Rabbenu Tam ); as a compromise solution, they agreed on the inclined position.
According to another explanation, the mezuzah hangs at an angle to express that only God can make things perfectly right, but not people, whose actions always remain incomplete (crooked). There is also the idea that the mezuzah imitates the inclination of the upper body when entering the room by the direction of the upper end towards the room.
Some devout Jews kiss the mezuzah as they enter a room by bringing the fingertips of their right hand to the mezuzah and then to their mouth.
Secular traditions have also developed from the Mitzvah of the Mezuzah . For example, it is common for the mezuzot to be attached to a home opening ceremony. Particularly beautifully designed mezuzah are also popular gifts. In addition, there are now all kinds of mezuzot that can be worn as jewelry .
Web links
- Mezuzah Declaration from a Jewish Orthodox Perspective - Judaism Online
- How to attach a mezuzah - instructions
- Mezuzah instructions
- www.bibelwissenschaft.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Alfred J. Kolatch: Understanding the Jewish World - six hundred questions and answers . 3. Edition. Fourier Verlag, Wiesbaden 1997, ISBN 3-925037-68-3 , p. 130 f .