Mezuzah at car dealership
This yid owns a car dealership and is very proud of his mezuzah at the entrance to his show room:
But is such a case Halachically acceptable?
Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz clarifies his position on Ksav Chabad (and my final thoughts)
Last week I posted some thoughts in response to a public lecture given by Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz regarding Ksav Chabad (the Alter Rebbe's ksav). I felt he did not represent the issue fairly, and since I had received questions about it from a number of people I felt it made sense to write a general response. After I posted my response on this forum, Rabbi Mendlowitz reached out to me by email and we ended up having a respectful and productive email exchange regarding the relevant issues surrounding Ksav Chabad. His position is a lot clearer to me now, and I think he also took certain things on board that I clarified with him. The purpose of the Stam Forum (at least back in it's heyday before all the whats app groups took over) was to connect sofrim from around the world, to promote achdus and build bridges, as well as to offer support and advice. In that spirit, I felt I should write a follow up post, to clarify some of the issues and misconception...
Although this is less of a problem of having human figurine mezuzah cases (based on 'tzuros efilu Lenoi' as explained in Yoreh Deah), which unfortunately is some what common. Nonetheless this is not in the ruach of the mitzvah, I find this worse then a team logo kippah being that the Rambam writes (end of Hilchos Mezuzah) that everytime one passes by a mezuzah they are to remind themselves of Yichud Hashem...
ReplyDeleteAlthough mi-ikur hadin, this is not asur. It is not preferable as well.
With some people we need to know who we are dealing with before we tell them something. This fits with the axiom מוטב שיהי' שוגגים ואל תהי' מזידין
On the other hand, it's makes the fact that there is a Mezuza there more conspicuous (to us) and less apt to be vandalized (them). The Gemara speaks of utterly hiding the mezuza in an shallow hole in the doorpost, plastered over. Not much chance of it reminding us of Yichud Hashem there.
ReplyDeleteNote the wheels are touching the wall, not the actual car, so there is a gap between most of the "case" and the wall
ReplyDeleteThere are Poskim (Minchas Yitzchak 10:95) who are machmir by "hefsef avir" (air space separation) however, the main view that if the mezuzah case is connected from top and bottom it is still a kosher affixing.
DeleteIn my sefer "Mezuzah:Divine Protection and Blessing" these matters (with pictures) are dealt with in detail (pages 91-92).