Wikipedia says this:
Mezuzah Hebrew: מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: מְזוּזוֹת mezuzot) comprises a piece of parchment called a klaf contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21). These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, YAHWEH (is) our ELOHIM, YAHWEH is One". In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a mezuzah is affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to "write the words of ELOHIM on the gates and doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9). Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah in every doorway in the home except bathrooms (which is not a living space), laundry rooms and closets, if they are too small to qualify as rooms. The klaf parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe ("sofer stam") who has undergone training, both in studying the relevant religious laws, and in the more practical parts i.e. carving the quill and practicing writing. The verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen made either from a feather or, in what are now rare cases, a reed. The parchment is then rolled up and placed inside the case.
I know many will see the word “rabbinical Judaism” and say this is not something we should do. Just because “Judaism” does something doesn’t mean they are always wrong. They observe Shabbat from evening to evening which is correct in the same way everything Christianity does is not wrong, for example they understand concept of ELOHIM being Three different Persons, yet ONE ELOHIM! We will see in this article that Judaism’s concept of the mezuzah to literally be affixed onto our doorposts is a literal command for us to do.
YAHWEH never wants us to forget His Words and all His commands so He always gave us physical reminders, for example:
Numbers 15:39-40
“And it shall be to you for a tsitsit, and you shall SEE IT, and shall REMEMBER all the Commands of YAHWEH and shall DO THEM, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, so that you REMEMBER, and shall do all My Commands, and be holy unto your ELOHIM.”
The word remember is the Hebrew word Zakar which means to recall, cause to be remembered, to mention, to remember. So as we see the tsitsit is a constant reminder that we see which reminds us to keep the commandments. Zakar is the same word used for us to “Remember or recall” The Shabbat Day so we never forget it.
Deuteronomy 27:1-3
“And Moses, with the elders of Yisra’el, commanded the people, saying, “Guard all the Commands which I am commanding you today. And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Jordan to the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, that you shall put up for yourselves LARGE STONES, and plaster them with plaster, and WRITE on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as YAHWEH your ELOHIM of your ancestors has spoken to you.” Verse 8 “And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones- PLAINLY AND WELL.”
This is another example of something physical that can be seen which reminded our ancestors to keep the commandments of the Torah on large stones written plainly and well for everyone to see. This example of the writing of stones reminds me of the Mezuzah we will be discussing. I reached out to “Hope-of-Israel.org” and they gave me permission to use their article titled “Message of the Mezuzah”, which I will be reading from in the next section. This article does an excellent job of looking into the history of the Mezuzah, early witnesses of the Mezuzah, and how they were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Here is the article below:
According to Toby Janicki of First Fruits of Zion:
In these passages, the greater context includes all of the commandments as well as the faithfulness to teach and observe them. The word for "doorposts" in these passages is the word mezuzot, which in the singular form is Mezuzah. This word is first used in Exodus 12:7 in connection with the doorposts on which the blood was applied when the children of Israel fled from Egypt during the exodus.
From the earliest times, this commandment was observed by the Jewish [Israelite] people in both the literal sense and with the understanding that the Torah was to be taught in all of Israel's homes and cities. (Mezuzah, First Fruits of Zion, Marshfield, MO, 2013, p. 5.)
The Hebrew word mezuzah simply means doorpost; however, the doorpost of a house can be a sign of what a particular house epitomizes. In Biblical times, the doorpost of a house, due to its visibility to the outside world, represented the family’s values and was a place to show identity. The doorpost has such significance that YAHWEH ELOHIM commanded the blood of the first Passover Lamb to be applied to the mezuzah (doorpost) of each Israelite household -- notice!
Then Moshe (Moses) called for all the leaders of Israel and said, "Select and take lambs for your families, and slaughter the Pesach (Passover) lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop leaves and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame. Then, none of you is to go out the door of his house until morning." (Exodus 12:21-22)
The angel of destruction would see the blood on the doorpost and “pass over” that home, instead of destroying it.
For YAHWEH will pass through to kill the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the top and on the two sides, YAHWEH will pass over the door and will not allow the Slaughterer to enter your houses and kill you. (Exodus 12:23)
The blood of the lamb (YESHUA the Messiah) on the doorposts of our heart saves us from the wrath of YAHWEH ELOHIM. By placing a mezuzah on the doorpost of our home, it gives witness to YAHWEH ELOHIM, to the world, and to the adversary that this is a home that serves the one true ELOHIM.
Early witnesses
One of the earliest known reports of mezuzah observance is found in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews. He writes:
They are also to inscribe the principal blessings they have received from ELOHIM upon their doors...that ELOHIM’s readiness to bless them may appear everywhere conspicuous about them. (Ant. iv. 8, § 13)
Josephus notes that mezuzah was, already in his time, an ANCIENT PRACTICE among the Israelites.
Notice what the Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) has to say regarding the history of the mezuzah --
The antiquity of the mezuzah is attested by Josephus (c. 37-100 C.E.), who speaks of its employment ("Ant." iv. 8, § 13) as an old and well-established custom. Inscribed with passages of the Torah which emphasize the UNITY of ELOHIM, His providence, and the resulting duty of man toward Him, the mezuzah is an emblematic representation of Israel's belief and practice. Thus Josephus says in speaking of the mezuzah (l.c.): "The greatest benefits of ELOHIM are to be written on the doors...in order that His benevolent providence may be made known everywhere"; and Maimonides adds ("Yad," Tefillin, vi. 13): "By the commandment of the mezuzah man is reminded, when coming or going, of the unity of ELOHIM, and is aroused to the love of Him. He is awakened from his slumber and his vain worldly thoughts to the knowledge that nothing endures in eternity like the knowledge of the Rock of the World. This contemplation brings him back to himself and leads him on the right path."
Probably the earliest written reference to the practice is found in the Letter of Aristeas from the 2nd-century B.C.:
And in like manner He has ordered us to put the divine oracles upon our gates and doors as a remembrance of ELOHIM. (Letter of Aristeas, p. 158-159.)
The Israelites were not the only ones to apply the commandment LITERALLY -- the Samaritans also did. They inscribed Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (and sometimes other texts such as the Ten Commandments and the priestly blessing) on STONE and attached them to, or place them near, their doorposts.
I would like to add that when I read this it automatically reminded me of the scripture I posted earlier about the Torah being written on stone:
Deuteronomy 27:1-3
“And Moses, with the elders of Yisra’el, commanded the people, saying, “Guard all the Commands which I am commanding you today. And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Jordan to the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, that you shall put up for yourselves LARGE STONES, and plaster them with plaster, and WRITE on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as YAHWEH your ELOHIM of your ancestors has spoken to you.” Verse 8 “And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones- PLAINLY AND WELL.”
Dead Sea Scrolls
Interestingly, I have been reading in a limited edition magazine titled “The Dead Sea Scrolls” which lists the discoveries from the Qumran Caves. So before I continue on with the article I would like to mention that the magazine mentions that from 1949-1956 that 11 caves were found that contained the Hebrew Scriptures dating from 250 BCE to 68 CE 40 %, Bible texts from the Second Temple Period (Including the Book of Enoch, Jubilees, the Book of Tobiyah, The Wisdom of Sirach, and Psalms 152-155 30% and writings of the Essenes 30%. Which is gives us further proof of the validity of the missing books and why we should read them. So there is evidence that Mezuzah’s were found in this discovery of ancient writings dating over 2,000 years ago. Cave 4 which was discovered in 1952 is known as the “mother lode” where 75% of the dig was in this cave.
Yale University Library adds:
Literary evidence from the Letter of Aristeas and Antiquities of the Jews, as well as archaeological evidence from Qumran (fragments of mezuzot have been identified at Qumran Cave 4 and designated Mezuzah A-G 4Q149-155), makes clear that mezuzot were in use during antiquity. The finding of phylacteries and mezuzot at Qumran prove that more than a century before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., some Jews were already observing these practices.
Back the article:
Archaeological digs at Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found) have discovered various kinds of mezuzot (plural of mezuzah) dating back to the Second Temple era. The mezuzot found at Qumran had different Scriptures in them from those in use today. Some of them contained Exodus 13:1-4, and others contained Exodus 13:11-16. According to Toby Janicki:
A total of eight mezuzot were found. Seven of these were in Cave 4 and one in Cave 8. The parchments themselves were made of animal skins and consisted of neatly cut pieces. The Hebrew script was the same size as other biblical manuscripts [found at Qumran], and the writing appears only on one side, as is seen today in traditional practice. The mezuzot parchments contained margins, spacing and layout conforming with rabbinical stipulations of the period. (Mezuzah, First Fruits of Zion, Marshfield, MO, 2013, p. 27.)
When the archaeologists studied the parchments they found that they contained the rabbinically required passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-6 and 11:13-21, as well as additional verses such as the Exodus 20 passage of the Ten Commandments. This may have been included in the original rabbinical practice of the time. When the Temple stood, the Ten Commandments were recited in conjunction with the daily Shema. It has been speculated that this may also reflect the rabbinic idea that "the Ten Commandments themselves are the very essence of the Shema." (y.Berachot 12b-13a)
Continues Janicki:
Another example of the combination of the Shema and the Decalogue is the Nash Papyrus. This fragment was found in Egypt and possibly dates as early as the Maccabean Period (165-137 BCE). On this papyrus is found the Hebrew text of Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5. The combination of these texts has led most scholars to speculate that it is some form of a liturgical text, and some scholars even conclude that it could have been a mezuzah. (ibid., p. 28)
Adds Biblical scholar Jeffery Tigay, "It is certain that Deuteronomy 6:9 means literally to ordain the writing of ELOHIM's instructions on the doorposts and city gates" (The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, Jewish Publication Society, New York, NY, 1996, p. 443) The evidence, therefore, indicates that the words of the Torah were originally written on the doorposts and gates.
Inside the Mezuzah?
The case is not the mezuzah so the important part is the scroll that is contained inside of it.
Inside each mezuzah of Jewish origin is a rectangular piece of parchment called a klaf, which is made from a specially prepared skin of a Biblically clean (kosher) animal. The klaf (skin) is scribed with Hebrew lettering from key scriptures found in the Word of YAHWEH ELOHIM -- namely Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21. The following verses contain the Shema and the commandment regarding the mezuzah:
Hear, O Israel: YAHWEH our ELOHIM, YAHWEH is one! You shall love YAHWEH your ELOHIM with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up....You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 9,)
You shall teach them [YAHWEH's Commandments] to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.... (Deuteronomy 11:19-20, ibid.)
The tiny scroll is then rolled up with the Scripture facing inward and placed in the container.
I pray this was helpful to getting you to see that the mezuzah is a literal command for us to apply in our lives today, and another way to be obedient to our Father YAHWEH! I bought mine about two or three years ago from mezuzahstore.com, wherever you buy it from just make sure it does not have the star of david on it, because we know it’s a hexagram.
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!