Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 23 years, 2 months ago by
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We recently bought a house, and the seller left many things behind that we keep discovering and mailing to him. Recently, we discovered what I believe is called a ‘mezzuzah’ attached to the front door frame, a small one. Is there a proper way to return this? Is it best to just remove it or leave it where it is? Should I just stick it in an envelope and mail it off, or would this be inappropriate? The seller happens to be a really nice guy, and I don’t want to unknowingly do something offensive.
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Name : Dave25976, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 34, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I am not Jewish but do have a Mezuza at my door and have done some study on them. For the truly orthodox there are multiple rules involved in creating and mounting a Mezuza, but I haven’t found anything dealing with dismounting and returning it. You may be able to tell how the previous owner regarded it. If you open it up and find a Xerox or machine-printed copy of Hebrew text, then the person does not stand on the strictest traditions and will likely accept it back unceremoniously. If the scroll inside is handwritten then A) note how the scroll is rolled and return it rolled the same way and B) you may be dealing with someone who takes tradition very seriously and you may wish to inquire of them how they wish the item returned. The Mezuza itself is just a reminder of one’s faith and placed in fulfillment of an instruction to place God’s word on your doorposts (as well as hand and heart) as a reminder. The scroll has passages from Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 as well as one of the ‘names’ of God.
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Name : Craig31886, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 40+, City : Somewhere in Missouri, State : MO, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Thanks for showing the sensitivity to ask the question in the first place!
There’s basically two things you can do. One option is to do nothing; just leave it where it is on the door frame. Even if it means nothing spiritually to you, it won’t hurt or cause a problem. The other thing to do is dispose of it. You have to remove the case from the wall, and then remove the scroll of parchment from the inside of the case. The case is unimportant; you can keep it or dispose of it in any manner you like. The scroll inside is considered sacred; if you do not wish to keep it I suggest that you take it to a local synagogue or Rabbi and ask that they dispose of it properly for you.
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Name : Jesse-N30787, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Herzliya, State : NA, Country : Israel, Occupation : engineer,I always take my mezzuzah with me when I go. I know of no reason someone is supposed to leave it behind. They probably just forgot it. Mailing it would be a nice gesture. Just take the whole thing down. It has (should have) a scroll inside that’s considered sacred because it has the name of God on it, so treat it with respect, which, in this case, means don’t put it on the ground. Wrap it up, send it off and chalk up your mitzvah (good deed) for the day.
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Name : Marcia22184, Religion : Jewish, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States,Traditionally, there would be one at every entry into the house. Unless it offends you, just leave it, its part of the house now.
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Name : John, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, City : Orlando, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,The general custom, as I understand it, is to leave them up if the new tenants are Jewish, and to take them with you if they’re not. More than likely, the former residents simply forgot to take them down. I would call of write them (if you can), but would hold off on taking them down until you see what the former residents say – I would suspect they’ll probably come over and get them at their earliest convenience. As for their significance, the prayer inside lists many ways to honor God, and one of the ways is to ‘take these words which I command you this day… [and] inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gate…’
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Name : Hope, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Religion : Jewish, Age : 38, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,
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