[Avodah] A Lefty's Mezuzah

Micha Berger via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Wed Jul 19 03:18:03 PDT 2017


On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 10:37:34PM -0400, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
:> *Does* anyone discuss if a lefty should hang his mezuzos
:> on the other side?

: Yes, indeed. In YD 289:2, the Mechaber writes, "You have to affix it
: on the right side of the one who enters."
: And (someone who uses Rashi script just like) the Rama adds, "And
: there's no difference whther he is left-handed or not."

Besheim the Mordechai.

The Shakh) says this is true even if the lefty lives alone or the whole
family is lefty. Because mezuzah is a chiyuv on the house, not like
tefillin's chiyuv, which is on the guf. The Be'eir Heiteiv quotes the
Shakh, adding "vekhein nohagim".

The AhS (s' 5) gives multiple reasons:

1- A house is made for anyone who lives there, not this specific person.
Which might be the same explanation, might not. Seems related to the
fact that we do not take mezuzos down when the next owner is Jewish.

2- He contrasts to tefillin, where the pasuq uses the word "yadkha" and
we darshen "yad keihah", whereas "beisekha" is used to darshen the din
that it's direction from which one enters.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             With the "Echad" of the Shema, the Jew crowns
micha at aishdas.org        G-d as King of the entire cosmos and all four
http://www.aishdas.org   corners of the world, but sometimes he forgets
Fax: (270) 514-1507      to include himself.     - Rav Yisrael Salanter



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