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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a crucial question: Is there anything wrong with buying a mezuzah online or at a gift shop? The answer might surprise you and could save you from making an expensive mistake.
First, let me clarify we're talking about the mezuzah scroll itself (the parchment inside), not the decorative case. A mezuzah case doesn't have any inherent holiness and can be purchased anywhere you'd like. But the scroll inside is a completely different matter.
It's extremely important that mezuzah scrolls are purchased from reputable sources, either directly from a sofer (scribe) or from someone trustworthy who deals in mezuzahs. Here's why: Unlike a Torah scroll, a mezuzah must be written in specific order from beginning to end without corrections. If a scribe makes a mistake two lines from the end, an unscrupulous person might just scratch it out and correct it, but that makes the mezuzah non-kosher because it wasn't written in proper order. In a Torah scroll, mistakes can be fixed anywhere, but with a mezuzah, you cannot. There's no way to know by looking at it whether it was written properly; you must trust the source.
I can tell you from personal experience: every time I go to someone's home to put up mezuzahs, 98% of the time they have at least one mezuzah that is not even remotely kosher, meaning it was never kosher to begin with. I've seen mezuzahs written on paper and photocopies, and people who bought mezuzahs at their synagogue gift shop where the scroll was made of paper, yet the staff told them it was kosher. If you're purchasing mezuzahs, buy them from a reputable person who knows the scribe and can verify they're written properly according to Jewish law. I also share information about My Mezuzah (mymezuzah.org), an organization that provides free mezuzahs for anyone who needs them.
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3 mins