Halachot and Customs
In Which Direction Should the Mezuzah Be Affixed?
Should a Mezuzah Be Reinstalled if It Faces the Wrong Way?
Question
Hello, we moved into a new apartment as renters and installed mezuzahs on the entrance door and in the bedroom. My husband is Ashkenazi on his father’s side and Mizrahi on his mother’s side, and I am Mizrahi on both sides. Does the direction of the mezuzah installation matter? At the entrance to the house it faces inward, and in the bedroom it is installed facing outward, upside down. Does it need to be reinstalled? In which direction? Thanks!!!
Answer
Hello, According to the custom of Ashkenazim, who affix the mezuzah at an angle, the mezuzah should be set so that its top leans toward the inside of the house or room (Rema, Yoreh Deah, end of siman 289). Since your husband is Ashkenazi, you should correct the mezuzah in the bedroom so that its top leans inward. However, no blessing should be recited again over this.
With blessing, Hillel Meirs
