Every time we walk into our homes, we’re reminded of the fact that the peace of our homes is built on compromise.
Now why do I say this?
In Parshat Shoftim, there is a famous commandment: ‘Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof’ – ‘justice, justice, you must pursue’.
Many commentators throughout the millennia have asked the same question, why is there the repetition of the word ‘tzedek’, of justice?
The Gemara Imasechet Sanhedrin Daf Lamud Bet Amud Bet tells us ‘echad ledin v’echad lifshara’ – the first tzedek comes to tell us about a courtroom scenario, where justice must be dispensed.
The second Tzedek comes to teach us about ‘peshara’, about compromise.
We should strive to smooth over differences, to reach an understanding, to build cooperation and to achieve peace without having to go to third parties… without having to bring the issue to a court of law.
One of the finest methods to achieve this is ‘peshara’, it is compromise.
The Hebrew word for compromise, ‘peshara’, actually describes what a compromise is beautifully, because it comes from the term ‘mayim poshrim’, which means warm water.
You see, the hot water can claim, ‘this water is actually hot, but it’s just cooled down a bit’, and the cold water can say, ‘actually it’s cold water, but it has warmed up somewhat’.
Therefore it is a win-win for all sides.
In Ashkenazi circles, a ‘mezuzah’ is at an angle.
That’s because some say it should be vertical whilst some say it should be horizontal, and that is why we put it at an angle, so that we subscribe to all views.
It’s a compromise and that is how through just walking into our homes and looking at the mezuzah, we are reminded that it’s through compromise that we can achieve Shalom Bayit, that we can have happy and healthy domestic environments, that ultimately, we as a people can thrive.
Shabbat Shalom