Question:
If I am renting a house outside Israel and have 30 days to put up a mezuzah, when do those 30 days begin? Do they start when the lease begins, or when I move in? I move in on a Sunday in the middle of the day, which counts as day one, so then Monday is day thirty. Do I have to put it up on day thirty, or after? If it is Monday night, do I have to put it up exactly at tzeis, or do I have the whole day 31?
Thank you
Answer:
Hello,
The thirty days begin when you move into the apartment, not when you sign the lease. Essentially, you can make the bracha when you put it up, even before thirty days, and the Aruch Hashulchan and R' Moshe Feinstein zt"l said that this is the minhag.
Technically, though, thirty days is when it appears that you are living there permanently, which would be after sleeping there for thirty nights. Therefore, 30 nights would be after Monday night, four weeks later.
Sources:
Based on conversation with Rav Felfdman, author of Agur B'ohalecha on Hilchos Mezuza.
