Transcript
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We walk in and out of our homes on a
regular basis. We may even have a
mezuzah hanging, but we forget it's
there. There are so many activities in
our lives we do without ever thinking
about them. Welcome to behind the
mitzvah.
The word mezuzah literally means
doorpost, but we use it to refer to
[music] what hangs on it. The mezuzah,
the sacred scroll, is supposed to remind
us on the threshold of our homes and the
threshold of critical places in our
life, the values we're meant to [music]
bring in and the inspiration we're meant
to carry out with us. What's inside the
mezuzah? The mezuzah on its parchment is
written the holy words [music] of our
sacred Shema to remind us of the unity
of God's existence and of our
responsibility [music] to answer to a
higher authority. Whether it's walking
into our home and the way we interact
with the people in it, what
entertainment we engage, the values we
live by, or whether it's on our way out
to work, to the gym, to the supermarket,
to engage socially, [music] we answer to
a higher authority. God and this entire
world is an expression of his existence.
We work for him, he doesn't work for us.
Shema begins the mezuzah contains the
word "ve'ahavta" love. Love is supposed
[music] to inform and animate our entire
being, to be positive and upbeat, to be
filled with love. Love is not an [music]
adjective, love is not an emotion, love
is a verb. Love is how we treat God,
love is how we treat others in our home
and outside of [music] it. And when we
pass that mezuzah, it reminds us our
responsibility to practice, to share,
and to shower others with that love,
with that devotion, and that loyalty by
being givers and not takers. When the
mezuzah scroll is wound up, on the
outside is written one of God's [music]
name, Shaddai. It comes from God looked
at his world and he said "dai", he said
"enough". He was satisfied with
creation. [music]
We outside our homes are ambitious, we
have drive. Of course, we want to
achieve and accumulate more, but when we
walk in at home and we see that name of
God, we remember "dai", to be satisfied
with our lot, to count our blessings, to
[music] be happy with what we have.
Some people think the mezuzah brings
good fortune or good luck, but the truth
is the mezuzah brings a positive energy
when we live by the values that are
contained within it. It does ward off
evil spirit, the spirit of arrogance and
ego, the spirit of envy and anxiety.
>> [music]
>> When we understand and submit to that
higher power, when we pledge to live
with love, then we bring a positive
[music] energy into our home, our
workspace, or anywhere the mezuzah
hangs. Our rabbis debate, should the
mezuzah be vertical or [music]
horizontal? And we follow an Ashkenazi
opinion, we do a compromise, we hang it
on a slant. It doesn't satisfy either
opinion, [music] but it does remind us,
when you enter that home, when you enter
that workspace with your colleagues, the
spirit of compromise. It's not our way
or the highway, it's not all about us.
We have to be willing [music] to
compromise if we're going to connect
with others. It's very important to only
buy the mezuzah from a reliable [music]
source. Put it in a beautiful case, and
we hang it in the bottom of the top
third of the right side of [music] the
doorway on the way in to our home. We
say a blessing before we hang the
mezuzah with a hope and a prayer not
only as we dedicate the mezuzah and
dedicate our home, but we dedicate
ourselves [music] to one another and to
the values and inspiration inside that
mezuzah. So next time you walk [music]
through a door, pause and remember
what's behind the mezuzah. Make sure to
touch that mezuzah, and as important,
then make sure the mezuzah touches you.
