Author: my mezuzah story

I am the Rav of Ohr Somayach Sandton www.ohrsandton.com and the author of Ohrnet's "Mezuzah Maven" column.

Tell Your Mezuzah Story Here!

my mezuzah story

My name is Rabbi Ze’ev Kraines and I am the Rav of Ohr Somayach Sandton, an outreach community in Johannesburg, South Africa  www.ohrsandton.com

I am presently writing a book entitled The Mezuzah Handbook: a Pictorial Guide that will answer many of the questions people have about the hows and whys of this precious Mitzvah.

Tell Me Your Story!

I am crowd-sourcing stories – inspiring and heartwarming, incredible and meaningful, personal and communal – about mezuzah. I will post many on this site and some will even be incorporated in the book, which should be published world-wide around Chanukah time.

You can write your story in the contact form below. Don’t worry if you are not a great author; just tell the story in your natural style and I will edit it and send it back to you by email for your approval or tweaking.

You can mention your name and/or te names of the other people in the story or  choose to preserve anonymity. Please keep it positive and clean from any potential lashon hara complications.

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Ask Your Mezuzah Question Here!

my mezuzah story

Ask Your Question

I will endeavor to answer your mezuzah questions within 48 hours of posting. If you can send me a photo or better yet a video of your issue, it would facilitate the process greatly.

I will post many of the questions and answers on this and will even publish some of them in The Mezuzah Handbook. 

Send your question here:

Get a Free Sample of “The Mezuzah Handbook” Here!

my mezuzah story

Origins

The story of this book’s origins is one that deserves to be told. 30 years ago, I began my communal life as Assistant Rabbi in Brith Shalom Beth Israel Congregation in Charleston, South Carolina. You may be surprised to find out that BSBI, founded in 1854, is the oldest continuously active Ashkenazic shul in the United States. Though I had learned through Hilchos Mezuzah, I soon discovered that I was thoroughly unprepared to handle the practical application of these principles arising from the weird and wonderful world of modern architecture.

From that time onward, I have been perplexed by open plan living areas, staircases without walls, sliding glass patio doors and many more puzzling dilemmas. Thankfully, with the help of the several excellent seforim that I was able to consult and the guidance of many rabbonim, I was able to find solutions for many of these halachic problems.

A few months ago, I decided that I was long overdue for a comprehensive review of these important halachos. As I began my research, it occurred to me that I should record the halachic solutions to these common conundrums and put a small illustration next to each one. The only obstacle to accomplishing this cunning plan was my inability to draw!

The Illustrator: Gil Meir Jankelow (M Arch Prof)

That’s when I made a call to R’ Gil Meir Jankelow, presently an avreich in Mir Yerushalayim, who I knew was an accomplished architect here in South Africa. Gil Meir, ‘Gareth’, and his family have been members of my Ohr Somayach Sandton community from its inception and we had worked together on various projects over the years.

He went to work immediately on the project and his designs will be a tremendous addition to the book!

Free Sample

Request here (below) a free pdf sample of a chapter of the book called A Deeper Look exploring the philosophy and spirituality of Mezuzah.