Lefties and Mezuzah

QUESTION: The gemarah (Menochos 34b) states that the mezuzah is placed on the right side of the doorpost. This is because a person begins a new stride with the right foot, and when entering a doorway, the first step into the room will be with the right foot. Presumably, a left-footed person will enter the doorway with the left foot? Does that mean that a left-footed person should put the mezuza on the left doorpost?

ANSWER: The Rema (YD 289:2) states that a lefty places a mezuza on the right side of the doorpost, as does a righty. The question is, why is that so? There are two main explanations and there is a significant Halachic difference between them. 

The Beis Yosef (YD 289) quotes the Mordechai who explains that the reason a lefty places the mezuzah on the right side is because the mezuzah is meant to afford protection to all the inhabitants, and not just the owner of the house. This implies that if all the inhabitants were lefties or if a lefty were to live alone, the mezuzah should be placed on the left side. Indeed, this appears to be the position of the Taz (289:3) who writes that it does not matter if the owner is a righty or lefty: instead we follow the majority of the inhabitants of the house. Apparently, if the majority are indeed lefties, the mezuzah should be placed on the left side.

However, the Shach (289:5) explains that this was not the intention of the Mordechai and Beis Yosef. Rather, they meant to say that the mitzvah of mezuzah is not a mitzvah that is performed with the body, such as tefilin, but rather it is fulfilled with the house. Therefore, the appropriate side of entry follows the majority of people, who are righties. The Chayei Adam (15:17), Aruch Hashulchan (289:5) and all later poskim follow the Shach.

Poskim struggle to understand the explanation of the Shach (Be’er Moshe 2:2:4). Perhaps the intention of the Shach is that we cannot desribe a house as being a righty or lefty domocile. A home is a public domain, and therefore the common use of the home is established by universal norms. Although the owner resides in the home and has jurisdictional and legal control, nonetheless the home cannot be considered as being left-handed. 

____________________________________________________

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.