A mezuzah is a small parchment scroll with the words of the Shema that is fixed to the doorpost, usually in a decorative case. In the Shema it says that there is only one God, and that we should always remember this. It says we should “write it on the doorposts of your home and on your gates” – so we do! The prayer is written on parchment by a scribe, and then put in a case. The case is then nailed to the doorframe of every door in a Jewish house, particularly the front door. There is a special ceremony when a Jewish person moves house and puts up their first mezuzah.

 

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