MĒ ZŪ ZĀH (“doorpost”). - A small roll of parchment in a glass or metal case, affixed to the doorpost; it contains in Hebrew the passages Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21; the first deals with infinite love for the Lord, the second with the reward for obedience to his will. The m. is to be affixed to the doorpost, on the right of one entering, at the entrance to houses
and courtyards; warehouses, stables, and cellars are therefore excluded, as are synagogues and schools. Observant faithful, upon entering, touch the m. with a finger and then kiss the finger.
From the 3rd century onward, popular beliefs reduced the m. to a kind of amulet, and various names of God and angels were therefore added. Maimonide (v.) protests against this abuse in his work Mano forte. Among the uneducated populace, the use of the m. was not yet widespread in the Talmudic period. The Caraites (v.) do not know this practice. Inscriptions on doorposts were already in use among the ancient Egyptians, and Muslims too place sayings from the Corano at the entrances to houses. In the Jewish milieu, the use of the m. was justified by reference to the above-mentioned passages of the Pentateuch.