Near the end of today’s daf, Rav Yehuda relays a series of laws regarding mezuzahs in the name of his teacher, Shmuel. One of them concerns exactly how one may affix a mezuzah:
And Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: If one hung a mezuzah on a stick, it is unfit. What is the reason? We require the fulfillment of the verse: “And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:9) This ruling is also taught in a beraita: If one hung a mezuzah on a stick, or placed it so that it was affixed behind the door, he exposes himself to danger, and it does not enable him to fulfill the mitzvah.
The image here is of one dangling a mezuzah from a pole adjacent to the entrance, rather than directly affixing it on the doorpost. One might have thought general proximity to the entrance was sufficient; Shmuel tells us we must interpret the Torah’s words “upon your gates” — according to the Hebrew preposition actually in your gates — literally. Mezuzahs must be directly affixed to the doorpost, and not merely adjacent. The beraita supporting Shmuel’s ruling also states that a mezuzah is not kosher if it’s hung either in front of or behind the doorpost, rather than on it. It adds the initially puzzling claim that doing so “exposes one to danger.” What kind of danger? Rashi, drawing on later statements about a mezuzah’s role in protecting the house, suggests that a household with an improperly affixed mezuzah is vulnerable to demons. Rabbeinu Tam, Rashi’s grandson, offers a more mundane suggestion: If the mezuzah is hung right before or behind your doorway, you’re likely to hit your head on it. The Gemara follows up this ruling with a brief narrative of prominent individuals nevertheless hanging their mezuzahs in this manner:
The members of the household of King Munbaz would do so in their inns, in remembrance of the mezuzah.
Munbaz is a curious character in rabbinic literature: He ruled over the kingdom of Adiabene, but at some point he, his brother and his mother Queen Helene all converted to Judaism, after which he and his mother subsequently donated their substantial wealth to the Temple. Elsewhere, a beraita notes the religious practices of Munbaz’s household with approval. But here, at first glance, it is not clear what we should make of their behavior: Why would members of his household hang mezuzahs on sticks if this doesn’t fulfill the mitzvah?
Rashi again comes to our aid. He notes that the key here is the mention of inns — not homes. As we’ll later learn, one who stays in an inn for less than 30 days is not obligated to affix a mezuzah to the doorpost. Munbaz’s household, Rashi explains, was constantly traveling, which means they in fact never stayed in a place that was obligated to have a mezuzah. Nevertheless, so as to not make the mitzvah of mezuzah completely absent from their lives, they would perform this more temporary act of hanging them near the doorways of the inns where they stayed in “remembrance” of the mitzvah. While this might not fulfill any formal halakhic purpose or serve as reliable demon repellant, the sight of a mezuzah even improperly affixed could likely still serve as a visceral, constant reminder of God and God’s commandments.
Read all of Menachot 32 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on February 12, 2026. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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