The Mezuzah's Significance: A Story of Protection and Miracles

Among the most cherished mitzvot in our time, the Jewish people, a holy nation, especially uphold and love the mitzvah of mezuzah. This is, by the way, one of the 613 commands from our sacred Torah, demonstrating that both the Written and Oral Torah were given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, together—one in writing and one orally—from Hashem [and contrary to the erroneous opinion that the Oral Torah is merely a human interpretation, God forbid]. Thus, the Written Torah was given in writing, mentioning all 613 mitzvot; while the Oral Torah was provided orally [and writing it down was prohibited], explaining the details, nuances, and practices of these mitzvot. Without the explanation provided in the Oral Torah, not a single mitzvah could be properly observed. For example, regarding the mitzvah of mezuzah, our sacred text states (Deuteronomy 6:9): "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your houseand upon your gates". It is well-known that mezuzot are the boxes situated at the entrance, one on the right and one on the left, which support the doorframe; yet from the verse itself, one might infer that it is necessary to write on the two doorposts themselves, and not on the parchment, although we all understand this is not the case. Furthermore, the content of the writing, its location, and many other details are not mentioned at all. Who revealed these secrets to us, if not the Oral Torah?!

However, there are thousands of laws concerning the writing of the mezuzah. Therefore, the responsibility placed upon a sofer (scribe) is immense, as described in the Talmud, in *Erubin* (13a), recounting an incident [from about two thousand years ago]: It was taught, Rabbi Meir [a student of Rabbi Akiva] said, "When I came to Rabbi Ishmael, he asked me: 'My son, what is your occupation?' I replied: 'I am a sofer.' He said to me: 'My son,be careful in your work, as your craft is a heavenly one. Should you miss or add a single letter – you may endanger the entire world'".

As is known, the mitzvah of mezuzah was mentioned already in Egypt—before the plague of the firstborn. [Incidentally, an archaeological evidence, the "*Papyrus Ipuwer*", is on display at the "Leyden" museum in the Netherlands, affirming the ten plagues of Egypt], when the Children of Israel were commanded to slaughter the paschal lamb, as it is written (Exodus 12:21-24): "And Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, 'Draw out and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb.'And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning."For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood upon the lintel, and upon the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and for your sons forever." Indeed, the application of the blood was a one-time command, later replaced by the placing of the mezuzah [on the right doorpost as one enters], but the miraculous power of this mitzvah is preserved even today and for all time, and anyone who fulfills the mitzvah properly will merit protection for their home from various harms and misfortunes; as it is written in the *Tikkunim* of the *Zohar* (Tikkun 10), where it states: "And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9) – the mezuzah constitutes protection against death, as noted.

Additionally, *Rambam* writes (Laws of Mezuzah 5:4): "It is a common practice that the writing on the mezuzah is done on the exterior [i.e., on the back of the parchment], against the gap between sections, the letters *Shin, Dalet, Yud*, and this does not count as a loss, since it is on the outside" [because any addition or omission of a letter in the mezuzah invalidates it]. Indeed, this holy name also serves as the acronyms for "Shomer Delatot Yisrael." Moreover, in the Babylonian Talmud, *Avodah Zarah* (11a) references an incident involving *Onkelos the Ger*, who was the nephew of that wicked Roman, *Titus*. Titus sent his legions to fetch him, and when the Roman legion soldiers caught *Onkelos* and were walking away, he saw the mezuzah placed on the doorway, reached out his hand to it, and asked them: "What is this?" They told him: "You tell us." He said to them: "The custom of the world is that a mortal king sits within, and his servants guard him from outside, while the Holy One, blessed be He, has His servants inside, and He guards them from outside, as it is said (Psalms 121:8): 'The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.'" And then—he converted. That’s the story. Another incident, presented in *Bereishit Rabba* [Vilna edition] (Parashat Noach 35:3), tells of *Rabbi Judah the Prince*, who was the leader of all Israel and also very wealthy, as noted by our sages: A foreign king named *Artaban* sent an exquisite pearl to *Rabbi Judah the Prince*, which was impossible to measure in value and said to him, "Send me back something of equal value." *Rabbi Judah the Prince* sent him one mezuzah. *Artaban* replied to *Rabbi Judah the Prince*: "I sent you something whose worth is immeasurable, and you sent me something worth only a single coin called a *pulor*?!" To which *Rabbi Judah the Prince* responded: "All my possessions [including the pearl you sent] and all yours combined do not equal the worth of the mezuzah I sent you. Not only that, but you sent me something that I need to guard, whereas I sent you something that protects you while you sleep. As stated (Proverbs 6:22): 'When you go, it will guide you,' (in this world), 'When you sleep, it will guard you' (during your death), 'and when you awake, it will occupy you' (in the future).

(Photo: shutterstock)

The Mezuzah Turned – And So Did the Unborn

In truth, the protective power of this mitzvah is recognized, known, and widely acknowledged, and many accounts of protection and rescue are documented in this regard. To illustrate, we bring forth a story that happened in the Land [of Israel] three years ago, within the home of a Torah scholar.

The wife of this Torah scholar was blessed with pregnancy, and *Baruch Hashem*, everything was proceeding smoothly. One day, in her eighth month of pregnancy, this woman accidentally bumped into the mezuzah that was fixed on the entrance to their bedroom. The mezuzah casing opened, and the mezuzah fell to the floor. The woman quickly picked up the mezuzah, kissed it, and respectfully returned it to its place. That week, she felt peculiar movement from the fetus. She hurried to get checked, and it turned out that the fetus had turned from its natural position towards birth, into a position that would necessitate surgery. In the ninth month, the baby remained in that position.

While the doctors were planning the surgery, the couple decided to check the mezuzot in their home, and to their surprise, they discovered that the mezuzah in the bedroom was upside down. The issue was rectified, and immediately afterward, the heroine of the story felt strange movement from the fetus once again and quickly rushed to get checked. It was discovered that the baby had turned back to the desired position. Needless to say, the birth was natural – to the doctors' astonishment, and to the delight of the couple. And it became a miracle.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Regarding the fulfillment of the mitzvah of mezuzah, we must know that whoever wishes to fulfill it sincerely must purchase mezuzot that have been written solely by certified, God-fearing scribes, from supervised and trustworthy places, as the pitfalls are many. Do not be tempted to save a few dollars by cutting corners on this important mitzvah, while you spend vast sums on fleeting, mundane things that diminish and tarnish. [Note: It is indeed commendable to beautify the mezuzah case, which is the holder into which the mezuzah is inserted – for its placement. However, one must emphasize the quality of the scribe and the level of writing, and it is preferable that the mezuzah case should fit the size of the parchment, and also suit its location, such as: for an external mezuzah exposed to rain – it must be watertight.]

Stay strong and be courageous! May it be our will to always fulfill the mitzvot with great care, and may we be blessed with success, health, and good livelihood, and above all, true unity, complete repentance, and imminent redemption for all of Israel!