This Sugya will analyze the precise definition of the requirement to have a Mezuzah on one’s doorpost.  Is it the obligation incumbent upon the occupant to have a Mezuzah on his door, or is it that a Jewish home (or a Jewish-owned building) must have a Mezuzah?   As an example, there is no obligation to wear Tzitzis (even if one is in possession of a four-cornered garment); rather, only if one is wearing a garment with four corners is he obligated to put Tzitzis on it.  Does the same apply to the Mitzvah of Mezuzah?

It would appear that the requirement for a Mezuzah applies to a qualifying dwelling, while the duty to affix it falls upon the one who lives there.  This distinction has many practical ramifications.

Some of the questions discussed:

• ·         Is affixing the Mezuzah a Mitzvah in itself, or is it only a Hechsher Mitzvah?
• ·         Can a kotton or a non-Jew affix the Mezuzah?
• ·         When does the obligation of the dweller begin (i.e., when he moves his possessions in, when he himself moves in)?
• ·         What if the Mezuzah falls off on Shabbos?
• ·         Does one need to make a new Bracha on a Mezuzah if he was away for an extended period of time?
• ·         If one moves into a house with Mezuzahs already in place from the previous dweller, does he make his own Bracha?