Jewish Art Today

Recently, there are plenty of synagogues and Jewish shops selling a new modern Judaic object – a car Mezuzah. Plenty of Jewish people are starting to admire the various shapes and materials of car Mezuzahs that are being sold. However, what exactly is a car Mezuzah? To know what it is, you first need to understand what is a Mezuzah.

Before we talk about a Car Mezuzah…

A Mezuzah s affixed to door posts in Jewish homes. Originally, a Mezuzah is a  roll of parchment which had been inscribed by hand with particular verses from the Torah, and is hung on door homes by the Jews. Hence, the origin of its name. There are however certain rules about the production of a Mezuzah. It needs to be inscribed on Kosher source of parchment, written by a trained Sofer Stam(inscriber), using a black inedible ink with a special quill, which contains to verses from the Torah, specifically the Shema (Deuteronomy 6: 4 -9) and the Vehaya (Deuteronomy 11: 13 – 21).

The Mitzvah of affixing a Mezuzah

Now, Mezuzahs are kept in a protective casing, usually beautifully designed by durable materials as a decorative, called a Mezuzot. They are then hung, or placed on the doorposts of each room of a Jewish home, business place or property, except for the bathroom and toilet. The act of hanging a Mezuzah is a Mitzvah, meaning a biblical commandment for the Jews. The verses of Shema and Vehaya both mentions about the need to hang them on door posts. It is basically to remind them about the presence of God, and at the same time as an assurance to receive his compensation.

So what about affixing a Car Mezuzah?

Many modern Jews believe that the same should be done with cars – hence the creation of the car Mezuzah. They are affixed on either dashboards or hung at the inner part of a car door. The car Mezuzah are created equally the same way, by real Sofers. This is important as a mistake in the inscription process could rather the car Mezuzah invalid.

There are many theories whether it is really necessary or not to have a car Mezuzah. However, it is up to the individual and their choice to purchase and hang one. Most car Mezuzot and car Mezuzah are designed with decorative casings inscribed with Hebrew letters. They are also often made of precious materials and garnished with decorative precious stones. Some car Mezuzah even has traveling prayers from the Torah inscribed to  its casing as a protection to drivers.

You can find these Israeli made Car Mezuzahs here Judaica 7 – Car Mezuzah Products