| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1184.1 | A Mezuzah is .... | TAV02::CHAIM | Semper ubi Sub ubi ..... | Mon Mar 09 1992 16:46 | 38 |
| Re: .0
>The main character of the book is touching a pendant, and her
>companion refers to it as a Mezuzah.
>
> What is it?
A Mezuzah is basically a piece of parchment upon which is written the
first paragraph of the "Shema Israel" prayer. It is generally affixed
to the right lintel of the doorpost within the house.
In this case however, it is used as a generic term for a oendant with
some type of Jewish symbol worn around the neck. I have seen some that
do actually contain small "parchments".
> What significance does it have in a Jewish girls life?
Firstly, it is not necessarily a feminine piece of jewelry and there
are many boys who wear them as well.
I don't believe that there is any singular significance. It is an
object which identifies its bearer as being Jewish. I imagine that
there are some Jews who wear it for the same type of "protection"
that it renders upon a household.
> What does it look like?
At one time, they were generally tubular shaped pieces of gold/silver
with either a Jewish star or Jewish lettring enscribed. As the term
became more generic, they are available in many different shapes;
Jewish stars, the Hebrew word "Chai" (life), or the letters
representing the Jewish name of the bearer.
Cb.
Connie
|
| 1184.2 | | MR4MI2::MWILSON | | Mon Mar 09 1992 22:21 | 3 |
| Thank You.
Connie
|
| 1184.3 | First TWO paragraphs of Kriat Shema | TAVIS::JONATHAN | | Mon Mar 09 1992 22:41 | 25 |
| re .1
> A Mezuzah is basically a piece of parchment upon which is written the
> first paragraph of the "Shema Israel" prayer.
Chaim, you had me baffled for a minute, so I looked at an old old note of
yours (number 9.5) and there you also wrote "the first paragraph of Shema
Israel".
To put the record right, a kosher mezuza has the first *two* paragraphs
of Kriat Shema - namely, Shema Yisrael (Deuteronomy VI 4-9) and
Vehaya Im Shamoa (Deuteronomy XI 13-21).
The actual precept for putting a mezuza on the doorpost comes from
Deut. VI 9 U'chtavtam al mezuzot beteicha u'vishe'arecha - And you shall
write them upon the doorposts of your house and in your gates.
(The word "them" refers to "these words" hadvarim ha'eleh from v.6).
A possible reason for this mitzva (commandment) is that the mezuza should
be a constant reminder to man, of faith in G-d, whenever he enters and leaves
his house.
Jonathan
|
| 1184.4 | | NOTIME::SACKS | Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085 | Mon Mar 09 1992 23:42 | 3 |
| As far as I can tell, the idea of wearing a mezuza as an amulet is modern.
In fact, I've never seen it done in orthodox circles. Does anybody have
any evidence to counter this?
|
| 1184.5 | My mistake, make that FIRST TWO ... | TAV02::CHAIM | Semper ubi Sub ubi ..... | Tue Mar 10 1992 08:51 | 16 |
| Re: .3
>Chaim, you had me baffled for a minute, so I looked at an old old note of
>yours (number 9.5) and there you also wrote "the first paragraph of Shema
>Israel".
>
>To put the record right, a kosher mezuza has the first *two* paragraphs
>of Kriat Shema - namely, Shema Yisrael (Deuteronomy VI 4-9) and
>Vehaya Im Shamoa (Deuteronomy XI 13-21).
Hmm, my mistake, it must be a long time since I last saw an unmounted
Mezuzah.
Thanks,
Cb.
|
| 1184.6 | need a picture | FRETZ::HEISER | Grace changes everything | Fri Nov 18 1994 19:08 | 20 |
| Re: .3
>To put the record right, a kosher mezuza has the first *two* paragraphs
>of Kriat Shema - namely, Shema Yisrael (Deuteronomy VI 4-9) and
>Vehaya Im Shamoa (Deuteronomy XI 13-21).
>
>The actual precept for putting a mezuza on the doorpost comes from
>Deut. VI 9 U'chtavtam al mezuzot beteicha u'vishe'arecha - And you shall
>write them upon the doorposts of your house and in your gates.
>(The word "them" refers to "these words" hadvarim ha'eleh from v.6).
>
>A possible reason for this mitzva (commandment) is that the mezuza should
>be a constant reminder to man, of faith in G-d, whenever he enters and leaves
>his house.
Does anyone have an online picture (GIF, JPG, etc) of a mezuza that I
could look at?
thanks,
Mike
|
| 1184.7 | wouldn't be much to see | WRKSYS::RICHARDSON | | Tue Dec 13 1994 18:21 | 26 |
| It wouldn't look like much - the only important part of a mezuzah is
the scroll itself, which is just a tiny rolled-up bit of parchment.
Even unrolled, the parchment is only maybe 2"x2". The case for it is
another story, and can be as fancy or plain as you like - it is
perfectly kosher to just chisel a slot in the doorpost and insert the
parchment there, rolled up. Most people have reasonably weatherproof,
and asthetically pleasing as well, cases at least on their outside
doors, since the scroll would quickly get destroyed if it got wet or
frozen. Inside, you can use something less weatherproof and more
delicate, if you want. (We have a silver filigree one on the bedroom -
clearly not very practical for outdoor use, but pretty.) Most of the
cases have a letter shin as part of the design. (I would have said that
this was a requirement if you have a case at all, but since they seem
to be available without it, I guess not.) All sorts of materials are
used for the mezuzah case: glass, wood, stone, precious metals,
ceramics...
It is possible to buy non-kosher machine-printed mezuzah scrolls. I'm
not sure why you would want one, but they are a good deal less
expensive than the kosher ones, most of which are imported from Israel.
Let's see if someone does come up with a picture of either a parchment,
or a representative mezuzah case for you...
/Charlotte
|