[Avodah] mezuza checking

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Jul 17, 2024 at 06:32:41AM +0300, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> I find the question of checking mezuzot a subset of a broader issue.
> Firstly, the strange language of twice in seven years without clarity on
> how that was arrived at...

And the truth is, the mezuzah does not need the checking to be kosher.
Which is why, when the mezuzah is owned by a qehillah (like chatzeir or
city gates), it only needs to be checked twice a yovel. (See Abayei
quoting a beraisa on Yuma 11a, with Rashi "pa'amayim beyovel".) Rashi
says this is because if we make the job too hard on the tzibbur,
everyone will punt the job thinking "someone else will do it".

The AhS (YD 291:1, AhSY a week and a half ago) clarifies that twice
a shemittah means every 3.5 years.

So, to answer the question about the "strange language", one would
have to understand why Chazal saw a connection between mezuzah on
one hand, and shmittah and yovel on the other.

Like asking on the first mishnah, Berakhos 1:1, why Rebbe ties Shema times
to kehunah and terumah rather than just giving the zemanim. Apparently
seemingly disparate mitzvos are linked in ways we don't know.

Back to the AhS YD 291:1:

He cites the Bach that even if the home is shared, it is still considered
a single reidence (2:7) in this regard.

The aforementioned Rashi says the check is to make sure the mezuzah didn't
rot or get stolen. So the AhS advises that in their climate, which is
often damp and condusive to rot, one should check annually. (And RYME
says this is what he does lemaaseh.)

(Since the AhS recommends elswhere a case from which you can see the
"Shakkai" on the back, I don't know what the threat of theft would be.
Obviously it's not iqar hadin, so for many the qelaf could be stolen
without your knowledge. It's just very unlike the AhS not to mention
the connection as another reason to follow the advice about mezuzah
container.)

And last, that this isn't checking vegetables. You can't check three
and rely on the resulting chazaqah for the rest. Because each location
is different.


So, li nir'eh:

We are trying not to rely on the chazaqah demei'iqara that a mezuzah
once checked and was kosher is still equally kosher. And the question is
just how "efshar" the "efshar levareir" is.

Another data point I've cited here in the past... R SZ Auerbach said
that the way we make ink today, unrolling the mezuzah for checking and
rolling it up again is the biggest source of pesulim. And therefore
we shouldn't be checking every 3.5 years.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 The purely righteous do not complain about evil,
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   but add justice, don't complain about heresy,
Author: Widen Your Tent      but add faith, don't complain about ignorance,
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF    but add wisdom.     - R AY Kook, Arpelei Tohar