The Mezuzah and the Klaf
“Hear, O Israel: YHVH our Elohim is one YHVH: And thou shalt love YHVH thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” -Deuteronomy 6:4–9 KJV (with the names of God)
Many Jews, and now even Christians, will affix a mezuzah to the doorpost of their homes to fulfill the mitzvah to “write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:9, & 11:20). Some will put a mezuzah in every doorway in their home, except closets, laundry rooms, and bathrooms, etc. as these are not living spaces. But what is a mezuzah?