Carly+and+Caroline+Mezuzah


 * SUMMARY**

A Mezuzah is a piece of artwork that is placed by a door, usually to an entrance of a household, the mezuzah has prayers from the Torah written on a piece of paper. The paper is then rolled into a scroll, once rolled into a scroll is it wrapped in paper or plastic, and then placed in a hard metal case, and that is where the creative artwork comes in. As you can see by the images provided, the Mezuzah really has no one way it should look. Some people prefer a detailed mezuzah, where as others prefer a plain and simple one. Some may even show the scripture (image 2). Some people believe that the significance behind the fact that they are all different leads back to the very first people to create a mezuzah, it is thought that they all interpreted the inscriptions from the torah in a different way, therefore resulting in different pieces of art. In modern day, the way that people pick their mezuzahs to hang by their doors, is really just a reflection of the kind of decoration that they want in their house. Mezuzahs are a beautiful and meaningful way to respect your religion and be faithful to Judaism. “god in my palm palm in god crumbling on an ancient door post.” Starkman, Elaine. Each Mezuzah contains parchment inscribed with a prayer taken from the book, Deuteronomy in the Torah. The prayer, “Shema Yisrael” (Shema for short) is written in Hebrew on the parchment. A special type of writing must be used when inscribing the Mezuzah with such a sacred prayer. The Shema is a prayer that is sung and/or chanted at Jewish worship services. The prayer begins in Hebrew as “Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheino adonai echad.” This translates into English to say, “Hear O Israel, the eternal is our God, the eternal is one.” Mezuzahs are hung because in the Jewish faith, God says to inscribe the words of the Shema on your doorposts and on your gates as a reminder that there is one, eternal God to watch over you and the rest of the universe. Also, Mezuzah’s are a reminder to follow God and his commandments. When one walks through a doorway with a Mezuzah, they are supposed to kiss their hand and then touch the Mezuzah to show love and respect for God.

Bibliography 1. “Being Jewish.” N/A. November 10, 2009. &lt;&lt;a href="http://www.beingjewish.com/"&gt;http://www.beingjewish.com/&gt;. 2. "Mezuzah." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 11 Nov. 2009 &lt;&lt;a href="http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0269120-00"&gt;http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0269120-00&gt;. 3. Miller, Bill. Personal Interview. 10 November 2009. 4. Miller, Caroline. Personal Knowledge. 10 November 2009. 5. “Signs and Symbols.” 2008. November 10, 2009.&lt; http://www.jewfaq.org/&gt;. 6. Starkman, Elaine. "Mezuzah haiku." Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought. 44.4 (Fall 1995): p484. Literature Resource 7. Worldbookonline.com. January 2, 1993. World book Encyclopedia. November 10, 2009. &lt;&lt;a href="http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/dictionary?lu=mezuzah"&gt;http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/dictionary?lu=mezuzah&gt;.
 * RESEARCH**

I located my sources by using the search engine, Google. I googled “Mezuzah facts” and Mezuzah”. Also, I searched “Mezuzah” on Wikipedia. I used the MICDS library databases to find information as well. I come from a Jewish family so I asked my dad and used information that I already knew. I have a Mezuzah on my door so I am familiar with what it is and its meaning. Also, my partner, Carly recommended some good sites to me.

notes - KNOWLEDGE AND INTERVIEW - The mezuzah is a very significant symbol in Judaism. - Hung on "doorposts and gates" - Shema yisrael adonai eloheinu adonai echad baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam vaed. ○ Hear O Israel the eternal is our God the eternal is one.

- Reminder of God's presence and mitzvot - Follow God's commandments - God is one - - JEWFAQ.ORG - Shin is always at the front of the inscription - Prayer inscribed on parchment and put in decorative case - Jewish law requires a mezuzah on every doorway in the home apart from bathrooms, and closets too small to qualify as rooms; but many families only place one in the front doorway. - Should be kissed when walked by (kiss hand and touch Mezuzah) The mezuzah is not, as some suppose, a good-luck charm, nor does it have any connection with the lamb's blood placed on the doorposts in Egypt. The scroll must be handwritten in a special style of writing and must be placed in the case to fulfill the mitzvah.


 * 3rd paragraph** by, Carly Cassity

Art is found in every religion, and is one of the more important aspects of each religion. I feel that the art work can be important and meaningful to the religion for many reasons. In some art pieces, such as the Mezuzah that Caroline and I researched is very literal as to why it is meaningful to the religion, this being the fact those actual inscriptions from the Torah is placed within this artwork. Architecture is also a very important kind of artwork that definitely takes part in the representation of the religion. For example, Charlie and Denzell researched a Mosque which is essentially a place for Muslims to go and worship their god, Allah. Most religious architecture is so significant because it is often a place of worship, and with beautiful artwork, it inspires those of the religion to be faithful. I feel that most commonly, religious artwork is to tell a story, I saw examples of this in the project that Anna and Max did, the project that Girija and Kevin did, and the project that Casey and Billy did. Anna and Max focused on Crucifixion artwork. These paintings of Jesus being sacrificed on a cross have a story behind them, the story of what he was giving up, and why he was doing it. Girija and Kevin focused on Nativity, where the story in the artwork is very literal, you can see the baby Jesus and you can see the religiously important people surrounding the baby such as Mary and Joseph. Casey and Billy researched Menorahs; these do not show a story but have a story behind them. Without the story of the menorah, the menorah would simply just be eight candle holders. That really does apply to all three of these projects, without out the story, what would the artwork be? Most importantly the artwork produces mystery. I see this in all examples on the wiki. Without the mystery behind the pictures, what would inspire people to learn about them? For many pieces of artwork the mystery behind them was essentially the reason that we now have learned the story. I see this most literally shown in John and Harrison’ project, the inside of the Kaaba is almost kept a secret, making people curios as to what it is, furthermore encouraging them to find the story, know what it is about, and in the end know their religion. Without art the religions would not have meaning, stories, architecture, and mystery, and without those, there is no religion.

-Caroline Miller
 * Images and artifacts enhance one’s understanding of religion because they are visual representations that express beliefs and major aspects of the religion. People around the world all speak different languages and have different beliefs. Images and artifacts give a universal insight into different religions. For example, the Mezuzah is a great representation of Judaism, because it is direct excerpts from the sacred text (the Torah) and it is used to represent the presence of the one God Jewish people believe in. A cathedral is a form of architecture that strongly represents beliefs in the Christian (more Catholic) faith. Walking into a cathedral gives someone an understanding of where and how the people of that faith worship. Also, the intricate architecture and artwork on the walls and inside of cathedrals have historical and biblical significance because the text from the bible is often shown visually through pictures and painted scenes. Just like the cross Christianity, the Menorah is a very significant symbol often used to represent Judaism. The Menorah is used on one of Judaism’s must important holidays, Hanukah. Hanukah celebrates one of the many miracles documented in Jewish text. The story behind the Menorah leads back to one of the stories in which Judaism is based off of. All of the images and artifacts represent different stories and experiences in history that sparked new traditions and new beliefs within each religion.**