Blessing for Attaching a Mezuzah: Full Text and Installation Guide
Everything needed to affix a mezuzah to a home: the blessing text with vowels, the side, the height, and the order of operations.
Affixing a mezuzah is a small moment that transforms an apartment into a Jewish home. One blessing, a few minutes of action, and a mitzvah that accompanies the home on every entrance and exit. This page compiles all that is needed: the full blessing with vowels, the step-by-step procedure, and answers to frequently asked questions.
What is written in a mezuzah
Inside every mezuzah case lies a klaf, a parchment on which a Sofer Stam (a Torah scribe) writes by hand, using special ink and in Stam script, two passages from the Torah: Parshat Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and Parshat V'Haya Im Shamoa (Deuteronomy 11:13-21). In these passages appears the commandment "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates," which is the source of the entire mitzvah.
On the back of the klaf is written the name Shaddai, an acronym for Shomer Daletot Yisrael (Guardian of the Doors of Israel), and when the klaf is rolled, the name faces outward.
The mezuzah case is the decorative cover seen on the doorpost, and the kosher scroll is the heart of the mitzvah. Tshura's mezuzah cases are sold without a scroll, so the text and level of embellishment can be chosen according to custom and budget.mezuzah scrolls In the handwriting of the author, with the consent and recommendation of the great minds of the generation, available here on the website alongside the verses.
The blessing for affixing a mezuzah
Holding the mezuzah opposite its place on the doorpost, and recite the blessing while standing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לִקְבֹּעַ מְזוּזָה. (the blessing appears in its original Hebrew)
Immediately after the blessing, the mezuzah is affixed, without interruption and without speaking between the blessing and affixing.
When you are determining how many mezuzahs are in a row in the same house, you recite the mezuzah blessing only once, on the first one, and you have the intention for all the others.
How to affix a mezuzah, step by step
Scroll the klaf
Scroll the klaf from end to beginning, so that the writing is inward and the name "Shaddai" on the back of the klaf faces outward.
Inserting the klaf
Insert the rolled klaf into the slot straight, with the top of the writing facing up.
The location
On the right side as you enter, at the start of the upper third of the doorway's height, close to the outer edge of the doorpost. On a standard door, this is around 1.40 to 1.60 meters from the floor.
The Blessing
We bless the blessing of the determination in the text above.
The determination
Attach the mezuzah firmly, using screws or strong, stable adhesive. Ashkenazi custom: At a slight angle, with the top of the mezuzah leaning inward into the house. Sephardi and Mizrahi custom: upright and straight.
Laws of Mezuzah: In Which Doorways is it Affixed
The mitzvah of mezzuzah applies to any residential room opening that is at least four by four cubits, approximately two by two meters. A mezzuzah is affixed to the front door, bedrooms, living room, kitchen, balconies, and any opening used for dwelling, except for bathrooms and washrooms. Even an opening without a door requires a mezzuzah if it has two doorposts (sides) and a lintel.
In Israel, it's customary to affix a mezuzah immediately upon entering a home, even a rented apartment. For special openings, such as arches without a straight frame or partial openings, it's advisable to ask a rabbi.
Sephardic and Ashkenazi customs of affixing the mezuzah
The angle of affixing. The Ashkenazi custom is to affix the mezuzah at a slight angle, its head tilted inward toward the room, an old compromise between the view that it stands upright and the view that it lies flat. The custom of Sephardim and the communities of the East is to affix the mezuzah upright and straight, along the doorpost. Both customs are fully kosher, and every family continues its fathers' custom; in an especially narrow doorway, those who angle it also affix upright.
The blessing and the affixing. The text of the blessing is identical in all communities: who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah. It is accepted in all communities not to sleep in a home without a mezuzah on its doorway, so it is affixed on moving day itself, and in Israel this holds for a rented apartment as well. Some Sephardim join the affixing to the housewarming meal, and in Ashkenazi communities some add chapters of Tehillim and a short prayer for the home after the affixing.
The script on the scroll. Another difference between the communities is found inside the mezuzah case: Beit Yosef script in Ashkenazic communities, Arizal script in Hasidic communities, and Velish script among Sephardim and Mizrahi communities. Post-facto, one fulfills the obligation with any kosher script, but for the meticulous, it is proper for the parchment to match the family tradition. We expanded on the signs of kosher parchment in the article on What makes a mezuzah kosher, and on the periodic check in the article on mezuzah checking.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mezuzah Placement
On the right side of the entrance. At the entrance door: to the right of the one entering from the outside. In interior rooms, determine based on the direction of entry into the room.
The bottom of the mezuza is at the beginning of the upper third of the doorway's height. On a standard door, this is around 1.40 to 1.60 meters from the floor.
A parchment handwritten by a certified Sofer Stam, with kosher ink and in Stam script. A printed parchment is not kosher. It is customary to have mezuzot checked by a Sofer twice every seven years.
According to the length of the parchment. The mezuzah case dimensions on the website indicate the appropriate parchment length: 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, or 30 cm. Common parchments for home use are 12 or 15 cm long.
Every doorway that requires a mezuzah, meaning most doorways in the house except for bathrooms and showers. In an average apartment, this typically amounts to five to ten mezuzahs.
Yes. In the Land of Israel a tenant is also obligated in mezuzah, and the custom is to affix and bless on the day of moving in. Outside Israel there are opinions exempting a tenant for the first thirty days. When leaving a rented apartment with a Jewish tenant moving in after, the custom is to leave the mezuzahs in place, and it is accepted that the incoming tenant pays for them.
The blessing is the same for a first home, a new home and a move: who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah. Shehecheyanu is not said over the affixing itself; those who say Shehecheyanu at a housewarming say it over a new fruit or garment and include the home in their intention. The blessing is said once over the first mezuzah, and all the mezuzahs of the home are affixed in sequence.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, Asher Kideshanu BeMitzvotav VeTzivanu Likboa Mezuzah (Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah). The text is identical for Sephardim, Ashkenazim and Chassidim. The blessing is said standing, immediately before the affixing, with no interruption between the blessing and the act. Also available for download: a designed printable sheet (PDF) with the full text and a short reminder of the affixing rules.
A beautiful mezuzah for every doorway in the house
The Tshura Mezuzah Collection: Colors, Designs, and Sizes for Every Scroll.