New App Offers Virtual Checking of Mezuzas

A Crown Heights sofer is using technology to demystify the often complex world of mezuzas and their applicable halachos with a newly released free smartphone app that offers detailed instructions on where mezuzas are required, how to install them properly and can identify potential problems in the letters of a mezuza.

“When it comes to mezuzas, people often buy blindly,” Rabbi Yitzchak Raskin, founder of Machon Stam in Crown Heights and creator of the Mezuzah Guide smartphone app, told VIN News.  “People want a quality product, but more than with any other item, they are relying completely on the vendor and a very large percentage of mezuzas being provided around the world are of lower quality than what the consumer is expecting.”

Mezuzah Guide steers users through the process of putting up mezuzas, starting with a tutorial that shows which doors require mezuzas and which are exempt.  The tutorial also offers guidance on where and how to hang a mezuza with bracha listed in Hebrew and English as well as offering an English transliteration.  A unique feature takes advantage of the phone’s camera to determine proper placement of the mezuza and gives users the opportunity to submit a picture of their doorway to a Machon Stam should there be any question about where to hang the mezuza.

“It is very easy to make a mistake and many people are not aware of the correct place to hang their mezuza,” explained the Australian born Rabbi Raskin.  “It’s not enough to have a kosher mezuza.  Once you have it, it has to be hung properly.”

Mezuzah Guide, which is endorsed by Rabbi Dovid Leib Greenfeld, head of Vaad Mishmeres Stam, also allows users to submit a picture of their unrolled mezuza to be examined by sofrim at Machon Stam.  Rabbi Raskin was quick to note that the app is not a substitute for having your mezuzas checked by a sofer.

“It can’t tell you if a mezuza is kosher, but it can tell you if it isn’t,” explained Rabbi Raskin who said that his team of sofrim responds to queries within 24 hours.  “We can see many problems just by looking at a picture and very often it is clear just by looking at the writing that the mezuza isn’t up to halachic standards.”

For those who want to purchase a mezuza from a reputable source, Mezuzah Guide sells mezuzas, with prices ranging from $50 for a standard mezuza to $125 for a deluxe model.  A premium mezuza is offered for $75.

The timing of the app, released several weeks ago in the iTunes store and just this week on Google Play, was no accident.

“It is brought down in many seforim that chodesh Elul is a good time to check tefillin and mezuzas,” reported Rabbi Raskin, who hopes that allowing people to have their mezuzas checked for potential problems with a click of their phone’s camera will bring an additional layer of transparency to mezuza purchases.

“If a Judaica store or other seller knows that there is a mezuza app that can easily detect problems, it puts pressure on them to stop selling mezuzas that are below the halachic standard,” said Rabbi Raskin.

Given the popularity of smartphones in today’s world, Rabbi Raskin is hoping they can be put to proper use.

“We have all this technology,” said Rabbi Raskin.  “We can use it for good or bad.  Let’s use it for good and continue to put pressure to use technology for kedusha.”

The Mezuzah Guide app was developed by Shmuel Aber of The Saber Team. Aber dedicated his work to the memory of Shaina Brocha bas Shmuel. He partnered with Rabbi Raskin for the content.

The elegant and intuitive user experience was designed by Spotlight Design, NY. Lead designer Zalman Friedman describes it as bringing “the ease and fluency of an expert to every user.”