A friend of mine learns in a chabura in the evenings. He told me that they had finished a topic and R' Fuerst gave them a shiur on relevant practical halachos. I asked him to please let me know when that happens again, as I would like to attend. He agreed, but notified me that they had been learning for four years and this was the first time R' Fuerst gave them a shiur; so don't hold my breath.
Two weeks later... another chabura in the same shul has just finished a topic, and -- not to be outdone by their rival chabura -- has asked R' Fuerst to give them a shiur. I attended.
There were about eight of us in attendance, the members of the chabura, and me. Apparently they had been studying Hilchos Mezuzos for several months and now had some unresolved questions. They had provided the dayan with three pages of questions, including pictures. We didn't get through all of the cases, but two points in particular stood out to me.
There is, of course, a best place to locate the mezuzah. If you look carefully at your door jam, you will see it is not just flat. Rather it has an inner ridge closer to the actual door, and then the frame itself widens out. (If you are having trouble visualizing that, just search for "interior metal door frame", here is a good example.) In our homes, the inner ridge is usually pretty narrow and maybe even slanted, but commercial door frames are more square and stocky. The question is, should you put the mezuzah on the inner ridge (closer to the door itself), or out further on the wider frame? The answer is to locate the mezuzah on the outer frame as that is further from the door. It is perfectly kosher either place, but better further out. I asked if one should move it; answer: not necessary. I pressed: but when you take it down for checking, should you move it to a better location? Answer: No, put it back where it was. Me: Because now that is its "place"? Answer (and here's the part I liked): No, because the door jam is already marred there and your wife is not going to want it moved.
Practical, always practical. Shalom Bayis never decides halacha, but it always goes into the calculation of "best course of action."
The other point that stood out to me is that the Sefer Charadim says it is laudable to increase the number of mezuzahs in your house. For example, someone had a gate in his garden with a full door frame (you know, sort of an arch) and wanted to know if he should remove the top to take himself out of a doubt. The dayan told him just the opposite; keep the arch and put up a mezuzah -- without a bracha, of course. R' Fuerst related that he used to go visit the Steipler, and there was lintel at the bottom of the staircase well. That was there to make the stairwell entrance obligated in mezuzah.
I am thinking about how to do that in my house. I measured out the staircase and it might work. Of course, I haven't yet spoken to my wife about that...
Comments