Mezuzah Scrolls

Mezuzah Parchments

A Jew is never stranded. Anywhere in the world, he can find a fellow Jew by looking for a small metal box – a Mezuzah holder - affixed to the outside doorpost. Many ancient Jewish homes, dating back hundreds of years, still have indentations on the doorpost, indicating where the Mezuzah was once attached.

Inside the Mezuzah are Biblical passages handwritten by a trained scribe on specially prepared parchment. Hundreds of laws govern the parchment, quill, ink, writing and even rolling the parchment into the Mezuzah case. A completed Mezuzah scroll contains 170 words, comprising 713 letters. The letters must not touch and each one has a distinct form and shape. Even a small departure from Halachah, the body of Jewish law, will invalidate and render the Mezuzah parchment as worthless.

Sadly, the market today is flooded with fraudulent Mezuzah parchments. Some are done so skillfully, it may be hard to detect the forgery. Others rely on people’s ignorance and even use a printed copy of the Shema. That is why it so important to buy a Mezuzah from a reputable dealer like Tefillin.biz whose products carry a recognized Kashrut certificate. The Tefillin.biz scribes are all experienced and knowledgeable. They are aware of the intricate and complex laws governing writing a Mezuzah parchment and you can rely on Tefillin.biz to send you a Mezuzah parchment that is 100% valid.

Ashkenazi and Sephardim have different traditions regarding the style of writing - the shape and size of the letters. This should not affect the cost of the Mezuzah. Tefillin biz offers you both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Mezuzah scrolls with varying degrees of excellence. The disparity in price reflects the variations in the quality of the parchment and the aesthetic presentation of the writing. Beautifully formed letters adorned with delicate crowns, formed in accordance with Halachah, will enhance the Mezuzah and raise its value and cost.

Tefillin.biz offers you three levels of quality in Mezuzah parchments. Basic is exactly what it says – the basic minimum that is Kosher without any enhancements. The next level, most popular, is standard. This offers a good satisfactory Mezuzah parchment with a presentable appearance. The highest level is the Mehudar, a prestigious parchment - even an amateur eye will appreciate the fine script and formation of the letters. These are all available at Tefillin.biz in Ashkenaz and Sephardic style. We also offer a large size Mezuzah scroll for rolling into a larger case. This too comes in a basic, standard and mehudar format.

The Mezuzah is attached to the entrance and all the rooms in the homes except bathrooms. It is an expression of G-d’s protection of our dwelling places and a reminder to us to behave in a manner that is worthy of this spiritual influence.

The following story from the Talmud highlights the power of the Mezuzah. After the destruction of the Temple, the wicked Romans ruled the Jews, trampling and persecuting anyone who observed Torah. In spite of this, Onkelos, nephew of the wicked Roman emperor Hadrian, fled the royal life of luxury and converted to Judaism. Hadrian was furious and sent soldiers to arrest him. Onkelos spoke to them and overcome by his words, the soldiers all converted. Hadrian sent another group and they too converted. The next group was given strict instructions not to exchange a single word with him. As he left his home in chains, he joyfully kissed the Mezuzah. The soldiers were so astonished that they could not resist asking him for an explanation. “When you guard your king, you stand outside whilst he sits comfortably inside. For Jews, it is different. G-d protects us from the outside whilst we sit securely inside!” The soldiers were so impressed that they too converted and the emperor gave up his attempts. Onkelos later wrote his famous commentary on the Torah that until today is printed alongside the text and is studied and recited every week.

Such is the power of the Mezuzah!