📖 Daily Rambam (1 Chapter) Mezuzah – Chapter 5: The Laws of the Mezuzah: Writing, Form, Placement, and Obligation

Halachah 1 — Writing the Mezuzah

A mezuzah is written with the two passages Shema and V’hayah im shamo’a on one piece of parchment in a single column, with a small space left above and below.

It is valid if written in two or three columns, but invalid if written:

• tail‑shaped,
• circular,
• or tent‑shaped.

If written out of order, or on two separate parchments, it is invalid.

One may not make a mezuzah from worn‑out tefillin or a Torah scroll, nor from blank Torah parchment, since one may not lower sanctity.

Halachah 2 — Separation Between the Two Passages

It is a mitzvah to separate the two passages as a s’tumah.

If separated as a p’tuchah, it is still valid, since these passages are not consecutive in the Torah.

Crowns (tagin) must be added to specific letters.

Halachah 3 — Crowns and Exact Writing

Specific letters require crowns in each passage:

• seven letters in Shema,
• six letters in V’hayah im shamo’a.

Failure to apply crowns, or adding too many, does not invalidate the mezuzah.

However, a mezuzah is invalid if:

• written without ruled lines,
• written with incorrect full or deficient spelling,
• or even one extra letter is added.

Halachah 4 — Writing Divine Names and Prohibited Additions

It is customary to write Shaddai on the outside of the mezuzah opposite the gap between the passages, which is permitted.

However, those who write:

• names of angels,
• additional divine names,
• verses,
• or symbolic forms

inside the mezuzah are severely condemned, for they turn a mitzvah into a talisman and nullify its purpose.

Halachah 5 — Layout and Lines

It is a mitzvah to write al ha’aretz on the final line.

The accepted custom is to write the mezuzah in 22 lines, with al ha’aretz at the start of the last line.

The Rambam lists the exact opening word of each line in order.

Halachah 6 — Rolling and Affixing the Mezuzah

The mezuzah is rolled from the end of the line to the beginning, so it opens properly.

It is placed in a protective tube and affixed to the doorpost with a nail, or placed inside a hollowed doorpost.

Halachah 7 — The Blessing

Before affixing the mezuzah, one recites the blessing: “…who commanded us to affix a mezuzah.”

No blessing is recited when writing it, since the mitzvah is fulfilled through affixing.

Halachah 8 — Invalid Forms of Affixing

A mezuzah is invalid if:

• merely suspended,
• placed behind the door,
• laid horizontally inside the doorpost,
• inserted deeper than a handbreadth,
• or affixed before the doorpost itself was installed.

Halachah 9 — Checking Mezuzot

A mezuzah in private property must be checked twice in seven years.

A mezuzah in public property must be checked twice in fifty years.

This is due to potential fading or decay within walls.

Halachah 10 — Who Is Obligated

All are obligated:

• men,
• women,
• slaves.

Minors should be educated in this mitzvah.

Rental exemptions:

• A renter in the Diaspora is exempt for 30 days.
• A renter in Eretz Yisrael is obligated immediately.
• A hotel room in Eretz Yisrael carries the 30‑day exemption.

Halachah 11 — Tenant Responsibility

The tenant, not the landlord, is obligated to affix the mezuzah, since the obligation rests on the person dwelling there.

When leaving:

• he may not remove the mezuzah,
• unless the house belongs to a gentile, in which case he must remove it.