DoorPosts - Flipbook - Page 10
Every mezuzah contains the same text – two excerpts
from the Book of Deuteronomy: Chapter 6, verses 4-9
and Chapter 11, verses 13-21. These words form the first
two paragraphs of the Shema prayer – perhaps the
most universally known prayer throughout the Jewish
world. The first paragraph describes that there is only
one God; the second is about cause and effect, both for
individuals and the Jewish nation. The mezuzah itself
recalls the Exodus from Egypt when lamb’s blood was
smeared on the doorposts and saved the Jewish people
during the plague of the death of the firstborn.
On the reverse side of the parchment, the scribe writes
the word Sha-dai in the space opposite the gap between
the two paragraphs. This word is one of the Hebrew
names for God, but the letters also form an acronym for
Guardian of the Doors of Israel. The first letter, shin ()ש,
is often placed on the casing, as seen in some examples
in this book.
Different materials may be used to make the case,
but the parchment must come from a kosher animal.
All 713 letters must be written precisely with space on all
four sides. If this is not so, the mezuzah should not be
used. But while the mezuzah must be written by a sofer,
producing the casing requires no specific religious
qualification. This has allowed a diverse cohort of
artists to design potential cases for this building.
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