odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

I am Jewish and have mezzuzahs on my doors in the house. My non-Jewish nanny really likes them and admires them. She is a religious Christian. She asked me if she could give me money and I buy her some and without thinking, I offered to buy her 2 mezzuzahs (without the scrolls). Now I am wondering- would it be sacriligious to give them to her? I am trying to do something nice and I know it would make her very happy, but I don't want to do something that would be offensive to the Jewish faith. I am torn. I know she is really into Israel too. WWYD?

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

Do you need to be Jewish to buy them? I really have no idea. But if not, I'm just wondering why she can't buy them herself?

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

You don't need to be Jewish to buy them. I am Jewish and I already bought them for her but I am not sure if I should give them. Typically only Jews hang them on their doors. They are a Jewish symbol that Jews live inside and it's an obligation for a JEw to have. I have no problem giving them to her b/c she really is into them but I am a little uncomfortable giving a christian something very Jewish/religious and if it's used in a way that isn't in the way it was meant to be used (with a religious scroll inside) I am afraid it is offensive to my religion, if that makes sense?


eta- she CAN buy them herself but I already offered and she asked if i could buy them and she reimburse me and I just offered. They are really only sold in Judaica stores and I thought it would be even more weird if I directed her to one and she told them she wanted them for herself. Also, she speaks little English (she's from El Salvador)...

Message edited 1/21/2013 5:21:03 PM.

odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

I thought they meant God is watching over the house. It's actually nice and I don't think offensive. I could be wrong. Im not jewish, but Ive always liked them.

odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

I don't think there should be any problem with it.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

I think that given her history of admiring your religion, she will likely treat them as something precious and special.

I think it's a sweet request and I don't see any problems with it. I'm not Jewish, but I'm in an interfaith marriage and DH and I both have religious artifacts of Christianity and Islam and everything is treated with respect.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

Hmm I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

As I understand from this website: http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=46680, it seems that the mezuzah comes from Deuteronomy.

Even though it is primarily a symbol of the Jewish faith, Christians read the Old Testament and Deuteronomy as well. If you are really concerned about it, that train of thought would tell me that it's okay.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

It is my understanding that once a mezzuzah is on a home, unless you actually know that the next family is Jewish, you are supposed to leave your mezzuzah on your home (so as to provide continued protection for the home.) So a non-Jewish family could have a mezzuzah up in their home and it is not sacrilegious.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

both religions believe in the same god.....

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Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

Found this:

What is a mezuzah?

A mezuzah mounted on the doorpost designates the home as Jewish, reminding us of our connection to G-d and to our heritage.

A mezuzah is not, contrary to popular belief, the outer container. The mezuzah is actually the parchment scroll within, on which the "Shema" -- a biblical passage declaring the oneness of G-d -- is handwritten by an expert scribe.

The mezuzah is also a symbol of G-d's watchful care over the home. The name of G-d, Sha-dai, which appears on the reverse side of the parchment, is an acronym for the Hebrew words which mean "Guardian of the doorways of Israel." The placing of a mezuzah on the doors of a home or office protects the inhabitants -- whether they are inside or outside.

I personally think it's a beautiful gesture. It symbolizes God's protection over a home and since Christians also believe in the New Testament I see nothing wrong with giving it to her.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

My parents still have the one up in their house that the previous, Jewish, owners left; we are Catholic.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

I totally understand why you feel weird about it because I probably would too. However, the mezzuzah case is not a religious object, the scroll is, so there probably is nothing wrong with it. It really would be the same as her having a decorative dreidel in her house...maybe a bit unusual, but not sacrilegious.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

We share the same God so if it means God is watching over the house then I don't understand why it's weird for her to have it or be sac religious when she believes in the same God as you and all the same teachings in the Old Testament.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

growing up I lived in a 3 family house owned by a Jewish man. There were mezzuhahs all over the apartment doorways in our apartment and each floor of the house.

Even after my father bought the house from said landlord when he retired to florida, they were left up.

Im not overly religious, but I dont think it would be sacreligious to your nanny.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

Thank you everyone! I think I will give them to her tomorrow then!

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Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

i have them in my home and im not jewish. i did not want to remove them.

please dont take this the wrong way,but, you trust this woman with your child,right?


i think its beautiful that she asked you for one.

Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

We bought our childhood home from a jewish family & they left their mezzuzah for us. We never removed it even though we aren't jewish. We liked knowing that something spiritual was there to protect the us, you know? She must be drawn to it, like we were, because of the beautiful meaning of it.

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Re: odd request from my nanny- wwyd?

Three things

1) You can leave a mezuzah if you don't know who is moving in (as in they COULD be Jewish). And taking it down if you know a non-Jew is moving in isn't because a non-Jew can't have them, it's because a non-Jew might not realize it's sacred and might throw it in the trash or otherwise desecrate it.

2) If you're just giving her a case, it's not really a holy object. I would actually consider taking the time to teach her about the meaning of the mezuzot, why you have them, etc.

3) I'm making a statistical assumption that if she's not Jewish, she's Christian. The shema is part of the HB/OT, and Christians believe in it. Actually at mass, we recently heard that reading "hear o israel, the lord our God is one." Christians may not have taken that part of the bible as literally in terms of posting it on doorposts and gates, but we do believe in that passage. I don't think it would be bad AT ALL for her to have one, even with a scroll, provided that she understands the significance.