In such cases, they must ensure to place Mezuzot as soon as they move in to the residence. - 220 c.e. If the bank that you left is run by gentiles, you should remove the mezuza. The questioner, R. Ephraim Greenblatt, wondered whether that was only where the non-Jew might actually damage the Jew, or even the loss of rent would be enough to allow affixing the mezuzah. Question: Dear Rabbi, I used to work in a bank branch. Menu. In Bible times, mezuzah was simply the word for the doorpost of a house. The people behind those doors are an assortment, too: Catholics, Baptists, Episcopalians, Buddhists, atheists and even a few observing the High Holy Days this week. A small Jewish icon is at the center of a condo fight in Stratford. When Tazio and Todd Hilbert moved into their fifth-floor apartment in Ms. Gasteazoro’s building 10 years ago and spotted four mezuzas, Ms. Hilbert said, “We didn’t know what they were.” Although she was brought up Presbyterian and considers herself nonreligious, she kept her mezuza in place. Sources: Y:D 291-2 T This applies even if one knows that the gentile plans on renting it to another Jew. ] However, this would be a special situation. Answer: A slanted mezuzah is a great example of a compromise in Jewish law, Shira. In a figure of speech found in Proverbs 8:34, blessedness belongs to the one who waits at Wisdom's doorpost (mezu… If the house is to be rented to gentiles or was rented from a gentile, he [a person moving out of his house or apartment] is obligated to remove the Mezuzos [sic]. Many Jewish homes contain mezuzahs on every doorway. In this instance, one is not leaving the house unprotected, since new mezuzos are immediately placed on the doorposts. I can borrow mezuzos for our stay; however, may I remove them when we depart?”. When moving out of a home – and the next occupant is also Jewish – it is considered disrespectful to remove the mezuzot. In such cases, place the Mezuzah on the outside of the doorframe, as close as possible to the doorway. This mezuzah-mitzvah was performed by every Jew I knew and was revered and maintained by gentile neighbors who, when moving into a formerly Jewish apartment, would not remove the mezuzah. Place the mezuzah on the right side of the doorpost as you enter the main room (e.g., on the right side of the door as you enter your home, on the right side of the door as you enter a bedroom, etc.). “It’s a very beautiful one,” she said, running her fingers over the raised Hebrew lettering on its tarnished but ornate metal casing. Although his mezuza was heavily camouflaged in what he described as a “lovely institutional beige” hallway tone, he spotted it immediately upon moving in, having once received a mezuza necklace from a college sweetheart. ; Place the mezuzah on the upper one-third of the doorpost. A mezuzah (Hebrew: מְזוּזָה ‎ "doorpost"; plural: מְזוּזוֹת ‎ mezuzot) is a piece of parchment called a klaf contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21).These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord (is) our God, the Lord is One". She has mezuzas on every door frame except those for bathrooms and closets. Rented from or to gentiles: If the house was rented from a gentile, or will now be rented to a gentile, he is to remove the Mezuzos [immediately ] upon moving, [prior to the gentiles moving in ]. But when he quits it, he must not take it with him, excepting if it be leased from a Gentile, in which case he must remove it when he quits. The authorities dispute whether this is simply permission to remove the mezuzah, or whether one is required to do so. Gentiles and the mezuzah. Tazio Hilbert kept her mezuza in place after she moved into her apartment in Brooklyn, although she considers herself nonreligious. Isserles (Yoreh Deah 291:2) decides that if it would cause ill will, the mezuzah should be allowed to remain. “To me, it’s very offensive,” said Sara Sloan, a retired schoolteacher in Windsor Terrace. With doors that swing both ways, it is usually impossible to place a Mezuzah inside the doorframe, as that would impede the door from swinging the other way. “We never considered taking it down,” she said. If the house is to be rented to gentiles or was rented from a gentile, he [a person moving out of his house or apartment] is obligated to remove the Mezuzos [sic]. Mezuzahs and Gentiles. This is in order to preserve the sanctity of the mezuzah, that it should not be defiled by the gentile. Is this ok? Answer: Yes, you should remove the mezuza. In the Land of Israel, the 30-day rule for affixing a mezuzah does not apply. This is an item that Jewish people put on their doors with verses from the Bible that say that we should put the words on our doors and gates. For example, may I remove tzitzis from a garment without due cause? ANSWER: It is preferred that the new tenant or owner should remove your mezuzahs, or he should at least instruct you to remove your mezuzahs. However, they are beautiful, mehudar mezuzos that I would like to use in my new dwelling. Does this present any halachic problem, and is there any basis for a safety concern in this instance? If a Gentile wishes, he can write or print out the words of the "Shema Yisroel" verse(s) on regular paper, in a language he understands, and affix it to his door post, by some means that makes it very clear that it is not a "mezuzah". Even better would be to replace with a better Mezuzah, and make a Bracha when putting it up. Published: 31.03.12, 08:40 Comment: Print comment: Back to article: 95 Talkbacks for this article: 1. Should he remove the mezuzah before he leaves, since the house is still owned by a gentile, or is this forbidden, since a Jew will soon be acquiring the house and moving in? Removing the mezuzah eliminates this Divine shield, exposing one to tragedy and misfortune (Tosafos, Bava Metzia 101b s.v. I know that in Israel one must place a mezuzah on one’s residence, even if one stays only overnight. The mezuzah should be … (Some Ashkenazim follow this practice as well.) The Gemara subsequently describes a horrible calamity that befell someone who removed his mezuzos when he was prohibited from doing so. Answer: The obligation of placing mezuzos is incumbent on the person living in the house; nevertheless, when vacating the premises, one is usually required to leave the mezuzos in place. If you can, and if you wish to show consideration for the religious significance of the mezuzah, please remove the scroll, take it to a synagogue or Jewish center and ask them to dispose of it properly. Indeed, those authorities who prohibit removing the mezuzah only because of bizuy mitzvah explain that one may remove a mezuzah from one building to install it in a new place (She’iltos, Shlach; Ritva, Bava Metzia 102a). Should one leave the mezuzah for the next Jewish occupant or not? The Torah Writings of Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff, Shlita, Question #1: “We are moving residences, and I understand that I must leave the mezuzos in my old home. She should move out . A mezuzah should be placed on the outside unless there is a concern that it will be stolen or cause danger. 16. Ynet. If the new occupant has his own mezuzahs and wishes to use them rather than the ones you leave on the doorpost, it is preferred that the new occupant should himself remove your mezuzahs when installing his own, or that, at least, it should be he who instructs you to remove … Non-Jews, naturally, are not bound by these customs, but many follow them out of deference. The Amora Rav prohibits moving tzitzis from one garment to another, contending that this is bizuy mitzvah. The Mezuzah should be placed within the doorframe, underneath the lintel. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage sometimes use the term to describe outsiders.. It makes no difference whether he rents the residence from a Jew or gentile. If one wants money for the mezuzos that are being left behind, the new resident is required to pay for them (Rama, Yoreh Deah 291:2). In this case, there is an interesting complication, since the person borrowed a mezuzah and must return it. However the Sheyilas Yaavetz Chelek 2 Siman 121 seems to say that if the non-Jew will respect it properly then you may give it to him to put on his door.. There are other instances when one is required to remove the mezuzah and, accordingly, no calamity will result from doing so. For example if you put … They left the mezuzah on the front door, and we're conflicted on whether it would be more appropriate to remove it or leave it, as we are gentiles. We read that Eli, the priest, sat by the mezuzah of the sanctuary (1 Samuel 1:9). Rav Yaakov Breish ruled (Chelkas Yaakov YD #159) that whenever a landlord is a gentile it is always permitted to remove the Mezuzah when leaving out of concern that the Mezuzah may be maltreated. Sources: Y:D 291-2 Generally, people who rent a summer home do so for the entire season, 2-3 months. What is the halachah if a Jew vacates a residence that he was renting from a gentile, but a different Jew is moving in? (I was linked to this question , which is very close to this one, the main difference being that I have removed the Mezuzah from its place, not know what it was until I looked it up on Google.) The problem was resolved by contacting the management of the building. If the only reason that one may not remove the mezuzah is due to bizuy mitzvah, is one permitted to remove a mezuzah from the “old” building to install it in one’s new residence? We can stay in an apartment in his building, but there are no mezuzos on the doors. Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin,10however, suggests that a non-Jew may not treat the mezuzah as a sacred object and may possibly remove it or desecrate it. The mezuzas should be handled respectfully, he said: “You don’t just put it in the garbage.”. Mendel Kugel, a Manhattan rabbi who runs MezuzahMe, a service for selling and examining mezuzahs, says Goode’s project is a testament to the mezuzah’s resonance as … Additional reading: Removing a mezuzah when selling a house. Thus, removing mezuzos involves not only a halachic violation, but also a significant safety concern (Tzavaas Rabbi Yehudah HaChasid,addendum #7). It should be noted that this entire discussion relates to a rented summer home. ), who was the compiler of the Mishna and one of the wealthiest Jews. If the mezuzah cannot be put at a slant because the entry post is too narrow, it can be put upright. “It’s taking my custom.”. Unlike a Torah scroll where we can remove the incorrect word and finish writing the sentence. However, if the gentile’s sales contract with the purchasing Jew specifies that the mezuzah is included, the tenant should leave the mezuzah (Shaylas Yaavetz 2:121). The reason is because if it left there is a danger that they will treat it disrespectfully. [A Jew] who rents a house from a Gentile or from a Samaritan must affix a mezuzah forthwith, and when he quits he must remove it; but if one rents a house from an Israelite, he affixes the mezuzah forthwith and when he quits he must not remove it. Selling our house to a non Jewish family who would remove them and probably throw them away We have 4 mezuzah and we would like to take them and place them in our new home. In practice, most late authorities follow the ruling of the Chida that one does not recite a bracha on a mitzvah if one is not actively performing the mitzvah (Birkei Yosef, Orach Chayim 19:2). Rashi said that the Mezuzah should be affixed to the door in a straight vertical fashion. Question: I’m about to put a mezuzah up on the doorframe of my new apartment, and all of the articles I’ve read say to put it at a slant, but none of them mention why. Answer: Yes, you should remove the mezuza. [ This applies even if one plans to place the Mezuzos on the doors of his new home. This halacha is a very serious matter and should not be treated lightly. The answer: One may remove the nice mezuzos one has on his door and replace them with kosher, non-mehudar mezuzos. The question of giving a mezuzah to a gentile occurs again in the halachic literature of the Middle Ages. This halacha is a very serious matter and should not be treated lightly. You should consult with a Rabbi to determine if there is a leniency in your case depending on the facts of your situation. There, one should affix a mezuzah to the door when moving in. How to Affix a Mezuzah If the property belongs to a gentile, however, one may, and according to many authorities must, remove the mezuzah, since removing the mezuzah is not depriving it of fulfilling a mitzvah, and the protection provided is only for Jews. Ideally, they should do so upon moving in, but most Jewish authorities allow 30 days because, historically, Jews had to move frequently and under duress and were often unsure where their permanent home would be, said Rabbi Andy Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim, a Reform synagogue in Park Slope, Brooklyn. They left the mezuzah on the front door, and we're conflicted on whether it would be more appropriate to remove it or leave it, as we are gentiles. Rav Henkin zt”l had ruled that if the apartment will be painted before the next tenant moves in then the Mezuzah should be removed. Daily Halacha; CORONAVIRUS-COVID-19; Topics in Orach Chaim. The mezuzah was where the blood was applied at the first Passover (Exodus 12:7; 22, 23). My wife is concerned about "false advertising" that we're Jewish. Many Orthodox Jews touch the mezuza upon entering or leaving a home, sometimes accompanying the gesture with a touch to their lips in a simulated kiss. 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