Mezuzah and minyan: Holding Jewish life together

Across cultures and religions, the doorway is more than wood, hinges, and locks. It marks the boundary between the outside world and the values carried within.

That is exactly where the Torah places one of Judaism's most familiar commandments. The Hebrew word mezuzah means "doorpost," referring to the actual frame of the entryway, not to the decorative case.

The words inside the mezuzah come from two passages in Deuteronomy: 6:4–9 and 11:13–21. The first begins with the Shema, the central declaration of Jewish faith: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." The Shema is traditional...