72. Kissing the Mezuzah

11:24 Since the mezuzah is intended to remind us of the unity of God, one should kiss the mezuzah upon entering and exiting. It is not appropriate to touch the parchment directly; it should be covered. When leaving the house, one should place his hand on the mezuzah and recite, “Hashem is my guardian; Hashem is the shade on my right hand. May Hashem protect my goings out and comings in, now and evermore.” (This is a paraphrase of Psalm 121; refer to the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch to see this text in the original Hebrew.) 11:25 The mezuzah of a private individual should be checked twice in seven years. Mezuzos belonging to the public need only be checked twice in fifty years so as not be a burden on the community.