Shekinah Mezuzah Case

A wonderful housewarming or Hanukkah gift with a feminist flair, or a work of art for your own home.

The word Shekinah is Hebrew for The Presence, meaning the Presence of the Eternal One in the world. Because the word Shekinah is a feminine noun, the Presence is traditionally imagined as female, one of the few obvious female images of the Eternal One in Jewish tradition. Some prayers ask the Eternal One to “shelter us under the wings of Your Shekinah.”

The letter Shin, which helps to hold the tube containing the text, traditionally appears on mezuzah cases as an abbreviation for the holy name Shaddai. Although Shaddai is often translated as “the Almighty,” the Hebrew word shaddaim means breasts. Shin is also the first letter in the word Shekinah.

Artist and poet Judith Kerman designed this mezuzah case, which was cast from her hand-made wax carving. The image suggests wings. Unlike most mezuzah cases, this design allows the beauty of the Hebrew text to be seen, contained in a tube made of borosilicate (a strong glass sometimes used for kitchenware) with a rubber or cork stopper.

Specifications:

• Size: 2.5” x 5” x 0.75”
• Case: Cast bronze (an alloy of copper and tin)
• Tube: Borosilicate glass, with rubber or cork stopper
• Scroll: NOT KOSHER. Laser printed on parchment-style paper. Kosher scrolls can be obtained from most Judaica shops. To protect kosher ink from fading, it is best to hang the case out of direct sunlight.
• Hardware included: The package includes 4 special brass screws with a square hole (2 to hang the mezuzah case and 2 extras), as well as a driver head for tightening them. Ordinary #4 brass screws can also be used.