mezuzah

English

A ceramic mezuzah case on a doorpost in Armenia

WOTD – 22 June 2011

Etymology

From post-Biblical Hebrew מְזוּזָה (məzûzâ, “doorpost”), with reference to Deuteronomy 6:9, a mitzvah (Biblical commandment as interpreted in Jewish law) ordering to “write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈzuːzɔː/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Noun

mezuzah (plural mezuzahs or mezuzot or mezuzoth)

2. (Judaism and occasionally Christianity) A piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21) and attached in a case to the doorpost of a house.
   • 1916, Isaac Husik, A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy‎^[1]:

     On the other hand, one may feel profoundly moved with the spirit of true piety, love of God and loyalty to his commandments in the performance of a so-called "traditional commandment," like the fastening of a "mezuzah" to the door-post.

   • 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow, 1st US edition, New York: Viking Press, →ISBN, part 3: In the Zone, page 563:

     Slothrop gives him the mandala. He hopes it will work like the mantra that Enzian told him once, mba-kayere (I am passed over), mba-kayere . . . a spell against Marvy tonight, against Tchitcherine. A mezuzah. Safe passage through a bad night. . . .

   • 1979 February 3, Nancy Walker, “Going Bananas”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 27, page 11:

     If, for some strange reason, you want to eat the fair fruit on the date of purchase, you buy one that's already flecked, race home, and devour it as soon as you've crossed your threshold and kissed the mezuza.

   • 1988 September 2, Florence Hamlish Levinsohn, “A Special Connection With God”, in Chicago Reader‎^[2]:

     Lubavitchers, Penansky says, believe mezuzahs need no adornment and simply wrap them in cellophane.

   • 2006, Howard Jacobson, Kalooki Nights, Vintage, published 2007, page 20:

     When Manny or either of his parents went through their front door they put a finger on their lips and then to the mezuzah on the door frame.

3. (Samaritanism) an object with the similar function in the Samaritan tradition

Translations

piece of parchment attached to the doorpost of a house

• Arabic: مِزُوزَة (mizūza)
• Catalan: mezuzà (ca) f
• Czech: mezuza f
• Danish: mezuzah c
• Dutch: mezoeza (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: mezuzo
• Finnish: mezuza
• French: mezouza (fr) f, mezouzah (fr) f
• German: Mesusa (de) f
• Greek: μεζουζά f (mezouzá)
• Hebrew: מְזוּזָה (he) f (m'zuzá)
• Italian: mezuzah f
• Japanese: メズーザー (mezūzā)
• Ladino: מזוזה f (mezuzá)
• Occitan: mezozà f
• Persian: مزوزا (mezuzâ, mezowzâ)
• Polish: mezuza (pl) f
• Portuguese: mezuzá f
• Russian: мезу́за (ru) (mezúza)
• Spanish: mezuzá (es) f
• Swedish: mezuza (sv)
• Yiddish: מזוזה f (mezuze)