Since the Torah said, “Write the words about God on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,” we understand that just as the gates of your house are included, so too the gates of your courtyards, provinces, and cities. However, just as a house, it should be inhabited. For example, strictly speaking, a synagogue requires a mezuzah only if the sexton (gabbai) lives there.
Would a storehouse require a mezuzah? Some say that they do not require a mezuzah because it is not “your house” but an animal’s. Others say that it is “your house,” that is, a house belonging to you, and thus requiring a mezuzah. All agree that a bathhouse does not need one.
What about such a gate that is straight at the bottom but oval at the top? Rabbi Meir says that it still needs a mezuzah, while the Sages say that it does not. What is the point of contention between them? Rabbi Meir applies the principle of “we view it as if straightened out,” that is, if we were to remove the extra material at the arch and make the doorposts go straight, wouldn't it require a mezuzah? - so even now, it does. But the Sages disagree with the principle of “we view it as if straightened out.”
Art: Yellow Bath House And Sailboat, Bellport, Long Island by William Glackens
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