Can you tell me the meaning and purpose of the Jewish symbol: the Mezuzah?

The literal meaning I don't know it's description is a rolled up piece of parchment on which is written a paragraph of the shma (from the torah) and which is repeated by Jews twice a day and affirms our belief in God. It is placed inside a holder and fixed on the side of the doors in a Jewish household. It's purpose is to be there and in return God will protect for obeying the commandments

The Mezuzah is a peice of parchment with a prayer written on it, placed in a box, and the box affixed to the door post. When passing through a doorway with a mezuzah, some Jews touch the mezuzah and kiss their fingers, as an expression of devotion to Torah. This custom originated as a result of a story brought down in the Talmud where a convert to Judaism converted a number of Caesar's soldiers to Judaism.

On the doorposts of traditional Jewish homes (and many not-so-traditional homes!), you will find a small case like the one pictured at left. This case is commonly known as a mezuzah (Heb.: doorpost), because it is placed upon the doorposts of the house. The mezuzah is not, as some suppose, a good-luck charm, nor does it have any connection with the lamb's blood placed on the doorposts in Egypt. Rather, it is a constant reminder of G-d's presence and G-d's mitzvot.

The mitzvah to place mezuzot on the doorposts of our houses is derived from Deut. 6:4-9, a passage commonly known as the Shema (Hear, from the first word of the passage). In that passage, G-d commands us to keep His words constantly in our minds and in our hearts, by (among other things) writing them on the doorposts of our house. The words of the Shema are written on a tiny scroll of parchment, along with the words of a companion passage, Deut. 11:13-21. On the back of the scroll, a name of G-d is written. The scroll is then rolled up placed in the case, so that the first letter of the Name (the letter Shin) is visible (or, more commonly, the letter Shin is written on the outside of the case).

The scroll must be handwritten in a special style of writing and must be placed in the case to fulfill the mitzvah. It is commonplace for gift shops to sell cases without scrolls, or with mechanically printed scrolls, because a proper scroll costs more than even an elaborately decorated case ($30-$50 for a valid scroll is quite reasonable). According to traditional authorities, mechanically printed scrolls do not fulfill the mitzvah of the mezuzah, nor does an empty case.

The case and scroll are then nailed or affixed to the right side doorpost on an angle, with a small ceremony called Chanukkat Ha-Bayit (dedication of the house - yes, this is the same word as Chanukkah, the holiday celebrating the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt against Greece). A brief blessing is recited. See the text of the blessing at Affixing the Mezuzah.

Why is the mezuzah affixed at an angle? The rabbis could not decide whether it should be placed horizontally or vertically, so they compromised!

Every time you pass through a door with a mezuzah on it, you touch the mezuzah and then kiss the fingers that touched it, expressing love and respect for G-d and his mitzvot and reminding yourself of the mitzvot contained within them.

It is proper to remove a mezuzah when you move, and in fact, it is usually recommended. If you leave it in place, the subsequent owner may treat it with disrespect, and this is a grave sin. I have seen many mezuzot in apartment complexes that have been painted over by subsequent owners, and it breaks my heart every time I see that sort of disrespect to an object of religious significance.

For more information about mezuzot or to purchase valid scrolls for a mezuzah online, visit the S.T.A.M. website.

That's the thing that hangs on the door, right, and has the torah passage on a little scroll?

I think that that's supposed to remind people leaving/entering the house that they should heed god at all times and it is kind of like the passover blood.

It substitutes the lamb's blood for Passover.

I can tell U this Its nothing holy about it. and it doesn't deal with JESUS

Kum by ya my Lord, kum by ya

Kum by ya my Lord, kum by ya

Kum by ya my Lord, kum by ya

Oh, Lord kum by ya.

Someone’s crying Lord, kum by ya

Someone’s praying Lord, kum by ya

thats evil... watch the exorcist....