A mezuzah means many things to us.
It is a symbol of Jewish identity. Wherever Jews are, from all walks of life, we find mezuzos.
It even provides a powerful protection for us and our homes. (Shulchan Aruch 285:2)
But most importantly, it is a mitzvah to have a mezuzah on our doorways.
Too often though, we have our mezuzos checked, only to find out that they were never kosher.
That would mean that we have not been fulfilling the mitzvah of mezuzah! We may even be putting ourselves in danger. Countless stories are told about people recovering from serious illnesses or miraculously finding respite from tragic situations after changing non-kosher mezuzos.
In this post I am going to share how we can do our best to avoid this. First I will take you through the process of buying mezuzos, the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. Then, we will discuss checking existing mezuzos.
Buying new mezuzos.
Before a sofer starts writing mezuzos, he needs to know thousands of halachos. Fortunately, like in any important profession, there are qualifying bodies which examine sofrim regularly and provide certificates. Unfortunately, many sofrim do not possess valid certification. When choosing a sofer, it is very important to ask if he has a valid certificate.
A sofer also chooses parchment to write on. It is worthwhile asking the sofer if the parchment has a hechsher.
After a sofer has finished writing, he must have it computer-checked to ensure that he has not missed any letters, and have the mezuzah inspected by an independent magiah, proofreader. It is important to find out whether the mezuzah has gone through this process.
The final thing that I recommend before buying a mezuzah is that you ask the sofer if you can bring it to your own Rav or magiha at your own expense. This achieves three things: Most importantly, if the sofer protests, run! He may be hiding something. Secondly, anyone can miss problems and your magiah gives you an extra assurance that your mezuzah is kosher. In fact, I have everything that I sell, overseen by two proofreaders. Thirdly, you can ask if you are getting a fair price!
Getting your mezuzos checked.
If you are worried about the kashrus of your current mezuzos, get them checked. The halacha says that you have to check mezuzos every three and half years to make sure that they have not sustained damage. (Sulachan Aruch 291:1)
If you bought the mezuzos with sufficient research, you can do this yourself; opening them up and looking at each letter to make sure no damage has been done. However, if you are unsure, it is best to send them to a professional for his opinion on their kashrus.
So, if you want to make sure that you are doing the mitzvah properly and protecting your family and your home, here are my recommendations.
- Only buy mezuzos from a certified sofer.
- Ask about the parchment. Does it have a hechsher?
- Find out if the mezuzos have been checked by an objective professional.
- Bring the mezuzos to be inspected independently.
- Check your existing mezuzos.
One last thing. The Rambam writes that the purpose of mezuzos is to remember what is written inside when we see our mezuzos. When we pass our mezuzos, we should remember the Shema, that God is One and that we are His people.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss this post or anything else that interests you about Sefer Torah, Tefillin or Mezuzos.