Accordion Door

Accordion Door

Question:

We divided our big family room by putting up an accordion door from wall to wall to make a space for a home office. I’ve got a few mezuzah questions: 1. Maybe the room should still be considered as one large room and the accordion door doesn’t need a mezuzah? 2. The accordion door has no lintel except the rail that it slides along. Is that rail really a lintel? 3. The door can’t open all the way to the right as it folds up against itself. Here’s the problem: if I put the mezuzah on the doorpost, it will be farther than a tefach from the opening. Yet, it doesn’t seem right to put it on the door itself, even on the fixed section.

Answer:

Let’s start with your first question. The use of part of the room as a home office would grant it a distinct status as an independent room. Even if it is only enclosed by the accordion door from time to time, its doorway needs a mezuzah.[1]

To answer your second question, the railing is deemed to be a lintel for the doorway.[2]

Your third question is a matter of controversy. In fact, some authorities hold that one should hire a carpenter to construct a special doorpost for the mezuzah.[3]

However, many authorities hold that the fixed part of the door would be considered as a doorpost and the mezuzah should be placed there.[A] Unfortunately, the mezuzah may then be facing out and not under the lintel.  This is not ideal, but the best under the circumstances.[4]

Other authorities allow the mezuzah to be placed on the doorpost, even though it will then be more than a tefach away from the opening.[5][B]

In either case, no berachah should be recited on this placement.[6]

[1] Agur B’ohalecha 25:9.

[2] Leket Shut Mezuzah 2:2, in the name of R. Nissim Karelitz. See Sha’arei HaMezuzah 11:8.

[3] Chovas HaDar 8:3.

[4] Agur B’ohalecha 22:11; Teshuvos V’Hanhagos 3:328.

[5] Sha’arei HaMezuzah, citing Kovetz Mi-Beit Levi 3:5753; Ohalei Yeshurun, Mezuzah 7, citing R. Moshe Feinstein.

[6] Each one of the three issues raised in the question is a halachic controversy.

Sketches

Sketches
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B
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