How high on the doorpost should a Mezuza be placed?
The Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) addresses this question in Parashat Ki Tabo, where he writes, based on the ruling of the Shulhan Aruch, that the Mezuza should be placed in the upper third of the doorpost (listen to audio recording for precise citation). One should measure the height of the doorpost, divide the height by three, and then measure the quotient from the top of the doorpost to determine the upper third. The Mezuza should then be placed on the lower part of the upper third of the doorpost. If one placed the Mezuza lower than the upper third, he has not fulfilled the Misva.
Does this Halacha apply if the doorframe is very high, such that one cannot reach the upper third? In such a case, if one places the Mezuza in the upper third he will be unable to touch the Mezuza as he walks through the doorframe, as is customarily done. Should the Mezuza nevertheless be placed in the upper third, or should it be placed lower down, so that it is within reach?
The Talmud Yerushalmi addresses this question and rules that in this case, the Mezuza should be placed lower than the upper third, at the height of one’s shoulders. The Shach (Rabbi Shabtai Ha’kohen, 1621-1663) and the Taz (commentary by Rabbi David Ha’levi, 1586-1667) rule in accordance with this position of the Talmud Yerushalmi. The Taz even suggests an allusion to this Halacha in the verse, "He [God] resides between his shoulders" ("U’ben Ketefav Shachen" – Debarim 33:12), indicating that the Mezuza, which contains the Name of God, should "reside" at the height of one’s shoulders.
However, although this is indeed the position taken by the Talmud Yerushalmi, the Talmud Babli makes no mention of this case, and never draws any distinction between doorframes of different heights. It thus appears that according to the Talmud Babli, one places the Mezuza on the upper third of the doorpost regardless of its height, and this is the view of the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204) and the Bet Yosef (work by Maran, author of the Shulhan Aruch). Hacham Ovadia Yosef indeed expresses astonishment over the fact that the Shach and the Taz prefer the Talmud Yerushalmi’s view over that of the Talmud Babli, which is generally accepted as the more authoritative text as far as practical Halacha is concerned. Thus, Hacham Ovadia rules that one must place the Mezuza in the top third of the doorpost even if it will be beyond reach. In his work Yalkut Yosef, Hacham Ovadia goes so far as to say that if one placed the Mezuza at shoulder’s height in such a case, he must remove it and affix it in the upper third of the doorpost, though without reciting a Beracha.
Summary: A Mezuza must be placed in the upper third of the doorpost, even if the doorframe is very high and thus one will be unable to reach it.
