Think & Reflect:
Many people know that the mezuzah is an essential Jewish item but may not realize what makes it so special. Mezuzah literally means “doorpost” but is normally taken to refer to the case which holds the parchment. On the outside of every mezuzah is a single Hebrew word – one of G-d’s names: Shaddai.
The rabbis turn this into an anagram:
Shomer Delatot Yisrael, Guardian of Israel’s Doors. When we put up a mezuzah and reconnect with it every time we enter, a sort of non-verbal prayer for protection is pointed in G-d’s direction. BUT REMEMBER, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and the parchment inside includes the Shema and Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-31.
Questions to Ponder
The first story is a folktale. The town people were arguing whether the mezuzah should stand vertical or horizontal. Back & forth, they argued, and finally, the rabbi spoke, “Let us put the mezuzah on an angle to remind us that each time we enter our home or other places, we must often compromise. Keeping the peace is essential!”
The second story of the mezuzah comes from a place in the Torah, the part of the Shema which reads: “You should write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.”
It is part of the same paragraph, making it a mitzvah for us to teach Torah “faithfully to our children.” This is a biblical passage that has become a prayer and turned Torah teaching into an athletic event: The Sit, Walk, Lie, and Rise. Here is where the mitzvah of mezuzah is actually rooted. With the mezuzah we literally nail the words of the Shema (and symbolically with it, the whole Torah) to our front door. Dr. Eric Ray explains it this way: Today, when we nail a mezuzah to the doorpost of our house, apartment, or condominium, we still want to protect the place where we live and show that it is a Jewish home. A Jewish house is a place where people have respect for all human beings. It is a place where human life is valued and where people believe in treating others with loving concern. It is a holy home, not just a noisy place where no one has feelings for anyone else. A mezuzah is a reminder that G-d is part of our family life.
Do & Share
A rabbi does not need to put up your mezuzah – here is the prayer:
- Baruch atah Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu likboah mezuzah. Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, Kind of the Universe, who has made us holy with mitzvoth and instructed us to affix the mezuzah. Face the door from the outside. Touch the right doorpost – that is where to place the mezuzah about 2/3 of the way up with the top of the mezuzah tilted in.
- A mezuzah may be placed on every doorpost in the house except for the bathrooms and the closets.
NOTE:
- Notice that just hanging the mezuzah on the odor is not good enough. Just hanging it on the door fulfills the mitzvah, the obligation to have one — and it fulfills the folk-magic need to have an amulet to protect the family — and it fulfills the cultural need to identify your house as a Jewish home — and it fulfills a social obligation by allowing you to have a Hanukkat ha-Bayit (a mezuzah-hanging party) – but for the mezuzah to work its real magic, you have to rub it with your hand, your mind, and your heart. In other words, it is the kiss that activates the mezuzah to do its job.
A Challenge for a Week (or longer)
Become a mezuzah kisser – first touch your hand to the mezuzah, then bring your hand to your lips and kiss it.
Laura Seymour | Camp Director Emeritus | Jewish Experiential Learning Director
