Question
What is a Mezuzah?
Answer
A mezuzah is made from parchment from a kosher species of animal. A sofer (scribe) writes two paragraphs from the Torah upon this parchment, Devarim 6:4-9 and Devarim 11:13-21. These two sections also make up the first two paragraphs of the Shema, a prayer which Jews say daily. The writing must be done in a very special way. Any mistakes make the mezuzah invalid. Only a trained sofer is qualified to write a mezuzah.
Once the mezuzah is written, it is rolled from left to right. It is then placed in a protective case.