This Clear Lucite Mezuzah Case has a nice clean look and allows you to see the mezuzah klaf. In many cases, there is an halachic advantage to this. The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah simin 286:5 says that “In places where there are babies with dirty diapers the mezuzah should be covered but in clean places it is better if the mezuzah can be seen.” The reason that it is better if the mezuzah can be seen is because seeing the klaf reminds us about the words that are written on it. When we see the klaf, and we think about the words that are written on them, and be reminded to love Hashem with all of our heart, soul, and abilities. Another advantage of clear mezuzah cases is that it is easy to tell that the mezuzah is right side up because you can see the name of Hashem written on the back of the mezuzah klaf. Using a clear case also makes it nearly impossible to put up an empty mezuzah case. I am familiar with many situations that empty mezuzah cases were up on the wall and people were under the assumption that there was a mezuzah in the cases. Recently, I checked mezuzos at an apartment that had 6 mezuzos up but four out of the six cases were empty. The two cases that were not empty were clear!
Situations that are not good for clear mezuzos:
Even though clear mezuzah cases have some advantages, there are some situations that specifically call for mezuzah cases that are not clear. If a mezuzah needs to be placed inside a room that is shared by a husband and wife, the mezuzah case should not be clear. This is common with master bedroom walk in closets and other doorways within master bedroom suites. The main doorway mezuzah to a master bedroom can usually go in a clear case since it is almost always located outside of the room. Most bedroom mezuzos will be located outside the bedroom and in such situations clear cases are acceptable. In finished basements mezuzos often need to go be placed inside the bedroom because of doors that open out into the basement.If you would put the mezuzah in the usual place, it would get crushed by the door!
Clear Lucite Mezuzah Case are not appropriate for outdoor use because they are not sun proof and they are certainly not waterproof. The two piece case allows water to seep in through the back where the two pieces connect. People ask me if it’s okay to use a two piece case in a protected place. I tell them that sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. I definitely don’t recommend using clear plastic cases even if they are waterproof, or two piece cases even if they are not clear, and for sure not both of those characteristics together. If you need to use a clear or two piece mezuzah case outside, it helps a great deal if the mezuzah has been waterproofed in plastic tubing and sealed with a heat sealer. This is the process that I use in my work to insure that outdoor mezuzos will be as waterproof as possible. The bottom line is that water tends to find its target. Sometimes an amount of water so small that it doesn’t even cause the letters to smear, can nonetheless cause a layer of mould to spread out on all of the writing. By the way, if you see a mezuzah like this the best thing to do if it is dry is to take something soft and completely dry like a velvet yarmulke and gently try to wipe the mould away. More than likely it will come off right away with very little effort. By definition, a clear mezuzah case can not be sun proof. If you put a clear case outside in the sun, you’ve basically made a tiny greenhouse that gets very hot. If you do that every day to a mezuzah, over time it can burn the parchment beyond recognition. The sun is damaging to mezuzos in any kind of clear case even if it is completely waterproof. If it must go outside, try to find a very sheltered spot that receives no direct sunlight.
Mezuzah cases have to be practical. It is my goal that all of the cases that I carry are practical. Simply put that means they work. They’re easy to install on the doorpost with screws or strong double sided tape. I don’t like using foam tape because it is mushy and it leaves the mezuzah case kind of wobbly. Another important thing to look for in a mezuzah case is that the mezuzah klaf can easily fit into the case without having to roll the mezuzah very tight, something which can most definitely cause damage to the klaf. Some cases actually make you bend the mezuzah in order to get it in and out of the case. That’s a really bad design! Some cases don’t have a rectangular shaped space for the klaf, instead they case tapers off at the to ends and gets narrower. This causes a problem because it makes a mezuzah case that seems big enough for 15 cm mezuzah klaf to actually only be able to house a 12 cm mezuzah klaf. When people find out that the case doesn’t really hold the klaf that they bought, the end up squeezing the ends of the mezuzah and causing damage to the writing. Some cases are designed just slightly too small for the klaf size that they seem to be made for. Some cases are very complicated, with more than one screw that needs to be undone in order to access the mezuzah. Mezuzah cases should be simple. They should look great, match your decor, be easy to use, protect your mezuzah klaf, and afix tightly to the doorpost.
I’ve mentioned the importance of practical cases. Even though the Stone Mezuzah Cases that I sell may partially fall short when it comes to being practical due to the fragile nature of stone, these cases do have proper compartments to hold the mezuzah klaf and they are appropriate for indoor use.
Most people like to have the main rooms of the house with matching mezuzah cases, with perhaps certain especially nice cases in key parts of the home. Using the same case in most of the rooms creates a nice organized look.
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