His House is His Wife

Elaborate mezuzah covers were among the most important religious artifacts in Jewish households in Morocco. They were considered “feminine” objects, bear ing the name of the lady of the household. The covers were usually cut out or engraved of silver or gold, overlayed on velvet of vibrant colors. Silver and gold work in Morocco was almost exclusively in Jewish hands. It was a specialty of many Jewish craftsmen in Fez beginning in the 1920s. In the Moroccan tradition for the inside rooms of a building, a small opening was carved into the wall into which the parchment mezuzah was placed. This sil ver mezuzah covered that opening. Since Jewish houses in Morocco (like Muslim houses) were closed off for reasons of modesty and safety, and due to the value of the silver or gold mezuzah covers, they were not hung on the outside but rather inside the house, often at the entrance to the living room. Thus, the mezuzah symbolized the central place of the wife and mother as the supporting pillar of the family, in the spirit of the Mishnaic saying “his house is his wife.”

The mezuzah cover was often made for the bride’s dowry, but in some cases the need for it arose only later; at first, the young couple would live with the husband’s parents and only when children were born and the family moved to a more spacious house would a new mezuzah cover be made.

August 2024

Times listed in date boxes are for Los Angeles (zip code 90045.) For other locations, see inside back cover.