Mezuzah

MEZUZAH

In Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 9, G-d commands the Jewish people “and write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates,” in the singular. In Deuteronomy chapter 11 verse 20, we have “and write them on the doorposts of your houses and upon your gates,” in the plural. 

The two paragraphs that contain these two verses comprise the text of the mezuzah.

A mezuzah must:
  1. Be written on parchment made from the hide of a kosher animal
  2. Be written in black ink
  3. Be written by hand
  4. Have every letter follow the specific guidelines that define that letter
  5. Have all the letters written in order
  6. Have every letter formed by creating the letter, not by erasing part of an existing letter
  7. Be written with the specific intention of writing a mezuzah
  8. Be sanctified orally every time G-d’s name is written
These last two items are of the utmost importance. If a mezuzah was written with beautiful calligraphy, but the sofer was not mentally engaged or he missed sanctifying G-d’s name even once, then all you have is a beautiful piece of calligraphy. On a celestial, cosmic, and sanctity level this piece of art cannot be used to fulfill the commandment.

You might be interested to know that the Talmud states that he who practices the commandment of mezuzah seriously and wholeheartedly will be protected (by the mezuzot), not only in his or her home, but wherever he or she is.

Our mezuzot are written by certified scribes. They always undergo two separate reviews:

A computer scan
the mezuzah is scanned in to a software program which compares the text written to the correct text. If the program finds that there is an extra letter or word, the mezuzah is potentially fixable however is it is missing even a single letter it is passul and cannot be fixed, because the letters must be written in order. 
A review by a certified sofer
a sofer who did not write the mezuzah reviews it letter by letter, to ensure that each letter has the required characteristics of that letter, as well as to check if there are any letters which are not fully connected, or any two letters which are touching. (All subject to strict laws concerning which latters can be fixed and which may not be fixed.)
Typically when a mezuzah is sold in a store or on line, the second review has not been done, or it has been done by someone is not sufficiently skilled in checking.

At NJ Sofer, all mezuzot which we sell have been computer scanned. The ones that we purchase from other sofrim are all reviewed in house. The ones that we write are reviewed by an independent certified sofer. We never sell a mezuzah which has not had both reviews.

We have mezuzot in stock in four sizes: 7 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm, and 15 cm. We can also supply 20 cm and 25 cm mezuzot on request. (While we stock 7cm, we don’t recommend it as a general rule. There is little ink in the mezuza. The likelihood of it becoming pasul within a 7-10 year period is possible. Ink does fade and evaporate)

We carry three styles of writing:

Beit Yosef
primarily used by Jews of Ashkenazic descent
Arizel
primarily used by Chasidim or Jews of Chasidic descent
Velish/Sefard
primarily used by Jews of Sefardic descent

Levels of hidur

Bedieved

(pronounced bih dee evved) kosher
This refers to a level that is problematic. While the Rabbis won’t pronounce it not kosher if one owns a mezuza with these issues they won’t force somebody economic hardship by requiring that it be replaced. We don’t sell this level.

Lechatchilla kosher

This level satisfies the minimum requirements. There are different levels within this level, most have to do with the sofer’s skill level. Generally you can see what where the sofer is in his development. 

Mehudar

Literally more beautiful. This has to do with not only the beauty of the handwriting but what other intangibles the sofer brings to the table. Does he write in such a way that he is completely focused on the writing and is writing for the purpose of the mitzvah. There are many levels in mehudar.
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