Jews, do you have.....?

Question

And yes, this applies to Jews only. To non-Jews, I will explain what I am saying, but I'm just interested in asking Jewish people these questions.

Achim sheli, do you have a mizrach plaque in your house?

(To non-Jews, this is a small plaque that is placed on a wall of a Jewish home that is in the direction of Jerusalem and is meant for the Jewish prayers, which are always towards the direction of Jerusalem and Israel.

I have a Mizrach in my room which I got from Israel- it has Jerusalem decorated on it and is says "Im eskachech yerushalayim tishkach yemini ".... and also- "Mimizrach shemesh ad mevo'oh mehullal shem Hashem."
Do you have a Mizrach? I mostly see them in religious homes though.



Do you have mezuzot on all your doors? And do you always kiss them?

I'm not religious so I don't always remember to kiss them, but I have them on every door in my house (appropriate doorways), and my mezuzah for my room is from Israel.

How would you feel if I said "I have an Iraqi flag that I use to pick up the neighbor's dog's fecal matter with?"
Hmm B? This question had nothing to with you, at least you could have responded politely, or no response at all. Despicable.

Yea B, you have no anwer. Until you tell me why the Arabs expelled almost 1 million Jews (you're no better than the Germans really, indeed the Arab world allied with Hitler, and Iraq was a German puppet state), we won't answer as to why we "expelled the palestinians" (who were forced out by your "military" leaders).

Deezee, I'm sure you can buy a Mizrach plaque at any Judaica store. I got mine in Jerusalem itself! Ha!

Answer 1

no mizrach, because i can actually see a bit of temple mount from my house.
mezuzot... just on the main entrance to the house. and no, i've never kissed one.

Answer 2

I don't have a mizrach plaque in my house. The reason that you typically only see them in Torah-observant homes should be obvious.

As for mezuzot, I have one on the door to my room. However, my family is not religious, and would not appreciate it if I started putting mezuzot on the other arches and doorways. Since I don't own the home, I'm not technically obligated, nor am I obligated to be mekarev my parents, which would cause all kinds of shalom bayis problems.

EDIT to Allonyoav: In South Africa, they probably wouldn't use a "Mizrach" plaque... better would be a "Tzafon" plaque. (;

Answer 3

Those dwelling in Ha-Aretz don't need a Mizrach, because, as you say, it's a signifier of which way to face when praying, East, towards the Holy Land and Jerusalem. If you're *in* the Holy Land, Jerusalem isn't necessarily east of you. Likewise not if you're in South Africa, I suppose.
As a Jewish woman, I am absolved of the time-sensitive mitzvot, which means I don't say Shacharit or Mincha-Ma'ariv at home, so I never saw the need for a Mizrach in my home. I have thought about hanging one, just as an art-object, but that didn't seem right.
I do have mezuzot on all my doors, including one I bought in Jerusalem in 1967, but I wasn't brought up to kiss them, just to look at them.
Hebrew Hammer--Gam ani. B'diyuk.
When I bought my first house, the people selling it had a cherished collection of mezuzot. They expected to sell to a non-Jew, so of course they assumed they'd be taking all their mezuzot with them. They were rather dismayed to realize the buyer (me) was Jewish and that meant they were obligated to leave them! I felt bad about depriving them of their prized collection, so I insisted they take them, and I put up my own.

Answer 4

I have mezuzot on all my doorways and I kiss them when I enter a room.

As for a mizrachi plaque- never actually seen one! Its an interesting idea, but it doesn't seem to be used by the South African community- even in the houses of my Mizrachi friends I have never seen one.

I have an issue with a plaque wiht the name of Hashem in a bedroom though- one sholdn't really have God's name in an area where you are commonly naked. (unless you don't get changed or do other things in your bedroom...)

Answer 5

yes to both questions. i don't always remember to kiss the mezuza but it i do notice when there isn't one. i remember coming back to england after being in israel for a year and for the first few days back it bothered me that i didn't see a mezuza on every door, in the mall etc...

i found that even if you don't kiss it, just seeing it reminds you of who and what you are - it makes you feel Jewish!

we just redid our house not long ago and now there is a very big Mizrach plaque in our house, i'm not sure the exact reason we put one in because i don't remember there ever being one in any other homes i've lived in.

Answer 6

I have Mezuzot on all appropriate doorways. I'm not religious at all, so I don't kiss the Mezuzot.

I don't have a plaque on my Mizrach wall, but the way you described it - I am going to buy one and put it on my eastern wall.

I, maybe not a religious Jew, but I'm definitely a proud one!!!

Can you tell me where can I buy this type of plaque???

Answer 7

I do not have a mizrach plaque, but I do have a mezuzah on each and every door at home, and I make sure to have them checked by a sofer every seven years.
I do not kiss the mezuzah, but my son does.

Answer 8

never saw a plaque in israel...honestly...
i like mezuzut , i dont kiss them only in religious places where i need to respect the place, and in friend's house.
i'm still discovering the torah...

Answer 9

same as you, i have mezuzot on all the doorways, but i am not v religious so i do not kiss them... there are so many, if i did i think that it would take me forever to go about my normal day

Answer 10

Have a mezzuzah on the front door