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Why is the mezuzah attached to the right doorpost?

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

  

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1. The Talmud1   derives from a verse2   that the Mezuzah must be placed on the side which you encounter first when you enter. The average person steps first with the right foot and then the left foot.3



2. According to Kabbalah, the right side represents kindness and the left side is symbolic of divine severity. Therefore the mezuzah, which is intended to bring G-d's blessings and protection upon the house, is placed on the right doorpost.


[Ed. note: Read about "How do I put up a mezuzah?"]

Footnotes

  • 1. Menachos 34a.
  • 2. Deuteronomy 11:20.
  • 3. See Kings II 12:10.

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Talmud
Usually referring to the Babylonian edition, it is a compilation of Rabbinic law, commentary and analysis compiled over a 600 year period (200 BCE - 427 CE). Talmudic verse serves as the bedrock of all classic and modern-day Torah-Jewish literature.
Mezuzah
A rolled up scroll containing certain verses from the Torah which is affixed to the right-hand doorpost of doorways in a Jewish home.
Kabbalah
Jewish mysticism. The word Kaballah means "reception," for we cannot physically perceive the Divine, we merely study the mystical truths which were transmitted to us by G-d Himself through His righteous servants.
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.