Yisroel Meir Adler Presents… Posted At the Doorpost

There is a very well known joke told about the gentile who approached his Jewish neighbour with a disturbing dilemma. His property had been broken into on countless occasions; nothing he tried was helping and the burglaries were ongoing. When he sat his pit-bull terrier at the front door they managed to dispose of it with a succulent poisoned sausage. He bravely tried sleeping at the front door, yet the thieves abseiled through the roof. Utterly exasperated and completely spent both physically and financially he needed some concrete advice.

Well says the Jewish man, stroking his beard; I live right beside you and I don’t have any of these problems and you know why? It’s because I operate a high tech security device on the property and guess what, it cost nothing to run. It doesn’t need charging up and it isn’t even solar powered. The technical name is ‘Mezuzah’ which is literally translated – “doorpost”. Just it isn’t the doorpost I rely on, it’s the little thing hanging on it.

Ok, says the gentile, I am game; just tell me where to buy it. No problem, he gives over the phone number of the scribe and within days the Gentile’s doors are all adorned with Mezuzahs.

Finally, peace at last, the frightening nights of burglaries are over!

Only days later, the Jew sees his Gentile neighbour force a parcel of Mezuzahs through his letterbox. The note said “take back these cursed things, anything I save in the lack of burglaries I lose on the Jewish collectors who knock at my door each evening”

Although this may be a joke it is one with a fundamental basis in this week’s parsha. The first chapter of the “shema” appeared in last week’s parsha. The sequel, we waited for patiently until this week’s parsha.

The shema is probably the most widespread and well known section of the morning and evening prayer, it is the mantra that the Jewish nation live by, and has been the final words on the lips of millions of Jews throughout the generations. However, less well known is that the shema contains several mitzvahs one of them the mitzvah of mezuzah, “And you shall write this on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Devorim 6:9 and 11:20). This commandment appears twice in the shema, once in the first paragraph that appeared in last week’s parsha and once in the second chapter that appears in this week’s parsha.

However, the above mentioned verse in this week’s parsha is followed by another verse which tells the secret of the power of Mezuzah – “In order to prolong your days and the days of your children…..” The verse states clearly the potent power of the Mezuzah, it is a lifesaver!

Miraculous stories of deliverance from all kinds of difficulty in health, in livelihood and so on, have been attributed to the presence of a kosher mezuzah, and indeed after a tragedy, a check of the mezuzahs has revealed, on many occasions, something amiss.

I have met people who were struggling with fertility issues when they thought of checking their Mezuzahs (a mistake in the text or an erased letter renders the Mezuzah worthless.) A correction here and a replacement Mezuzah there, turned their fortune and they brought healthy children into the world soon after. I heard a story about a Jew in California who became aware of the mitzvah of Mezuzah late in his life; with great joy he attached Mezuzahs to his doorposts, finally fulfilling this vital Mitzvah. Shortly afterwards a tremendous tornado struck, Swirling 150mph winds tore through the city destroying all in the storm’s path, cars trees and furniture were flying through the air like paper bags; houses were flattened in moments. The rescue and recovery workers testified to a miracle amid all the carnage, one house remained intact on a street that no other survived, yes that was the home that housed the man who had recently, with great joy- embraced the mitzvah of Mezuzah

Don’t allow yourself to get fooled into the purchase of a paper copy from some over-eager street vendor. The Mezuzah must be written on parchment following exact and detailed halachic instruction. And then again wouldn’t we be careful to service our home or office, high tech security system every so often, Mezuzahs too need to be inspected by a qualified scribe once in three years to asses for damage from damp or the like.

It’s a win – win situation, Home protection and a mitzvah to boot!

Good shabbos, Meir