Before you is a "mezuzah" - a kind of amulet, brownie, if you like (Jews forgive me) of the Jewish house. Its purpose is to protect the house from diseases, enemies and all sorts of troubles. Actually, the term "mezuzah" is used to refer to two items - a piece of parchment or paper with text from the Torah and a special beautiful box in which this piece is placed. And they place it on the door jamb, and a whole ritual is associated with the placement itself, the blessing of the rabbi and the reading of a prayer.→