The traditional Kosher Mezuzah has been around for quite some time. After making it’s historic and annually-commemorated debut on the doorposts of a small, beleaguered, Egyptian-enslaved Israelite nation on the night before the Passover exodus, Kosher Mezuzah scrolls have safeguarded the spiritual, physical and material well-being of an ever-oppressed people for over 3,000 years. Through hunger and illness, war and peace, famine and prosperity, the ancient and mystical power of the Mezuzah has helped an exiled and outnumbered people survive. Through multiple crusades, the Spanish inquisition, two world wars, the holocaust and the Islamic terror campaign, the Mezuzah and it’s message of hope and perseverance is a primary reason why the Jewish people have been able to overcome the steepest of odds time and again.
Through it all, the Mezuzah scroll – it’s core and soul – has remained unedited and unchanged. The Mezuzah scrolls of today, written on specially treated parchment by a trained rabbinical scribe, contain the very same ancient biblical text and are virtually indistinguishable from those written in the times of Moses. The one thing about them that has changed – and changed quite a bit – are the protective, sometimes decorative cases that safeguard the delicate scroll.
Contemporary Mezuzah case designs are many and varied. Some preserve the look and feel of the Mezuzah’s ancient origins, others lend a more modern design aspect. Pictured below is a small sample of some of the more modern Mezuzah designs found on the doorposts of Jewish homes today.