Question: How do you know which is the correct side of the doorpost to affix your mezuzah?
Short Answer: Each situation must be separately analyzed, using certain guidelines, including which way the door opens, which room has greater use, and which way people walk through the rooms.
Explanation:
I. The Right Side
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Dei’ah 289:2) holds that the mezuzah should be placed on the right side of the doorpost. This is based on the pasuk “mezuzos beisecha” – that the mezuzah should be affixed on the side that you enter first, which is the right side, as a person walks with his right foot first. [As to why left-handed people also place it on the right side, see K’vius Mezuzah K’Hilchasah (perek 11, n. 3)]
But how do you determine which way is considered “entering” the room? The sefer K’vius Mezuzah K’Hilchasah (“KMK”) discusses this issue at length in perek 10. Below is a short synopsis/guide.
II. Heker Tzir
One important criterion is “heker tzir” – which way the door opens. In other words, you “enter” into the room in which the door opens into, and thus the mezuzah goes on the right side of entering into that room. See MKM (11:1). Note, though, that some doubt whether heker tzir is a good indicator when the custom is to always open the door towards you. (MKM, n.4).
The Shoel U’Meishiv (see MKM, n. 5) explains that when there are two doors that each open a different way, you use other factors to determine which way is “entering.” For example, you look at the usage of the rooms. Indeed, there are other factors to consider in general, as set forth herein.
However, many poskim, including Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l (Igros Moshe, Yoreh Dei’ah 4:43:3) hold that the heker tzir is only used when there is no clear indicator from the other factors, such as primary use of the room, guiding which side the mezuzah should be affixed. When there are other indicators, we follow those indicators first. See also MKM (11:5).
III. Other Key Factors
If the room only has one entrance, i.e., like a bedroom, the mezuzah is placed on the right side entering that room. See MKM (11:11, n.25).
What about when you have a room with two entrances? In other words, you have a front door, which opens into the living room/dining room, which opens into a kitchen, which opens into a back room, which has a back door entrance. Which side of the door between the living room/dining room and kitchen should the mezuzah be affixed? Most people walk from the living room/dining room to the kitchen, but the living room/dining room is used more frequently, as the kitchen is small and has no chairs or table.
In sum, the question boils down to which is a more important factor: usage of rooms or frequency of walking? This is a major dispute amongst the contemporary poskim. The Igros Moshe (ibid) holds that the frequency-of-walking factor is more important. Thus, in our above scenario, since most people walk from the living room/dining room into the kitchen, the mezuzah is placed on the right side of the door entering the kitchen. On the other hand, the Daas K’doshim (cited in the Igros Moshe) holds that the usage of the room factor is more important. Here, the mezuzah would be placed on the right side entering the living room/dining room from the kitchen, as the living room/dining room is used more than the kitchen. Rav Hershel Schachter shlita follows the opinion of the Daas K’doshim. See Halachapedia, at https://www.halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Mezuzah#cite_note-150. See also KMK (11:17).
IV. Small Closet
What side should the mezuzah be affixed for a doorway between a room and a walk-in closet that is less than 4X4 amos (approx. six feet by six feet)?
Many poskim hold that the mezuzah is affixed on the right side of the doorway exiting the closet. See KMK (11:17, n.28). Some of the reasons given are (i) because the closet here is not even considered a room, the “entry” must be into the big room and not into it; and (ii) we view the big room as the main room, and thus you “enter” from the closet to the main room. This is the opinion of Rav Schachter, cited in Halachapedia. See ibid.
Regardless, some poskim disagree with this ruling, and hold that where the closet is the proper size for its needs (i.e., walk-in closet adequately holds the clothes therein), then the mezuzah is placed on the right side entering into the closet. This is the opinion of the Chamudei Daniel (cited in Pischei Teshuvah, Yoreh Dei’ah 286:11), as the closet is obligated in mezuzah despite its small size.
V. The One Doorpost Case
Do you need to affix a mezuzah on a doorway with only one doorpost on one side of the doorway, but a perpendicular wall on the other side?
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Dei’ah 287:1) holds, based on the Rambam, that no mezuzah is needed unless there are doorposts on both sides of the doorway. The Shach (1) disagrees, based on the ruling of the Rosh and Tur. However, he clarifies that it depends which side has the doorpost. If the doorpost is on the “right” side, then a mezuzah, albeit without a brachah, is required. If the doorpost is on the “left” side, no mezuzah is required, even according to the Rosh.
Thus, the above rules are important in determining which side is the “right” side here.
Rabbi Ephraim Glatt, Esq. is the Associate Rabbi at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, and he is a Partner at McGrail & Bensinger LLP, specializing in commercial litigation. Questions? Comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
