Mezuzahs

A mezuzah houses a rolled parchment scroll in which the ancient Biblical text of the “Shema” serves as protection of the Jewish household. The mezuzah is placed on the doorpost of all Jewish homes. This precept is based on the story of the Jews in Egypt as found in the Book of Exodus. The Jewish people were ordered by Moses to mark their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would pass over and not afflict their households. The Hebrew word “mezuzah,” originally meaning, “doorpost,” has come to be used also to designate the hand-written scroll that distinguishes the doors of a Jewish home.