Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) "The Shema" (Sh'ma Y'srael)
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
Mezuzah (Mezuzot pl.)
In Bible times, mezuzah was simply the word for the doorpost of a house. The mezuzah was where the blood was applied at the first Passover (Exodus 12:7; 22, 23). The mezuzah was where a servant who wanted to serve his master for life would have his ear pierced (Exodus 21:6). We read that Eli, the priest, sat by the mezuzah of the sanctuary (1 Samuel 1:9). In a figure of speech found in Proverbs 8:34, blessedness belongs to the one who waits at Wisdom's doorpost (mezuzah), eager for instruction.
Today the meaning of the mezuzah has been transferred from the doorpost to the box attached to the doorpost. Sometimes the word mezuzah refers even more specifically to the scroll of parchment inside the box, on which two Scripture passages are written. (Traditionally these verses are Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21)
Deuteronomy 6:4 says ‘Hear O Israel: The LORD our God the LORD is one. This passage is known as the Shema. In Hebrew (transliterated): Sh’ma Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!
This is the very first Scripture a Jewish child learns and it is recited twice a day. Once in the morning and then again as a bedtime prayer, from childhood right through their adult life.
Let's listen to the Sh'ma in the video that follows:
Today the meaning of the mezuzah has been transferred from the doorpost to the box attached to the doorpost. Sometimes the word mezuzah refers even more specifically to the scroll of parchment inside the box, on which two Scripture passages are written. (Traditionally these verses are Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21)
Deuteronomy 6:4 says ‘Hear O Israel: The LORD our God the LORD is one. This passage is known as the Shema. In Hebrew (transliterated): Sh’ma Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!
This is the very first Scripture a Jewish child learns and it is recited twice a day. Once in the morning and then again as a bedtime prayer, from childhood right through their adult life.
Let's listen to the Sh'ma in the video that follows:
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NIV) |
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” |
Tefillin (Phylacteries)
T’fillin are called Phylacteries in the New Testament. These T’fillin or phylacteries were worn by the Pharisees at the time of Christ (Matthew 23:5). Jewish men attach hollow boxes about 1.5 inches (38ml) sq made of skins of ritually pure animals to their foreheads. Inside they contain the following scriptures handwritten on parchment: Exodus 13:1-10; 11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21. They were fastened to the wrist or forehead by long leather thongs.
From Deuteronomy 6:9 and 11:20, Observant Jews derived the obligation to affix to their door posts a box containing these Scripture passages. We may ask: Is it a correct understanding of Deuteronomy to literally nail God's Word to one's doorpost? The answer lies in understanding the customs and culture of the ancient times whereby pagans would place protective magic amulets on or near their doors to protect their homes from demons. It is believed that the use of the mezuzah was to cause the Jews to remember their own faith at that time of competing pagan and Greek philosophies. Not as a talisman or good luck charm but a remembrance!
Some people think that Deuteronomy 6:9 was meant to be literally observed, perhaps as a God-given alternative to that pagan practice.
Others think it was merely a metaphoric use of the pagan custom to emphasize that God's Word must thoroughly imbue the lives of His people. In either case it would seem that the passages in Deuteronomy are God's way of saying to Israel, You shall not have magical amulets to guard you, but My Word will guard you.“ Indeed the Hebrew letters shin, dalet and yod stand for Shaddai which means "Guardian of the doors of Israel" or "All Sufficient God."
From Deuteronomy 6:9 and 11:20, Observant Jews derived the obligation to affix to their door posts a box containing these Scripture passages. We may ask: Is it a correct understanding of Deuteronomy to literally nail God's Word to one's doorpost? The answer lies in understanding the customs and culture of the ancient times whereby pagans would place protective magic amulets on or near their doors to protect their homes from demons. It is believed that the use of the mezuzah was to cause the Jews to remember their own faith at that time of competing pagan and Greek philosophies. Not as a talisman or good luck charm but a remembrance!
Some people think that Deuteronomy 6:9 was meant to be literally observed, perhaps as a God-given alternative to that pagan practice.
Others think it was merely a metaphoric use of the pagan custom to emphasize that God's Word must thoroughly imbue the lives of His people. In either case it would seem that the passages in Deuteronomy are God's way of saying to Israel, You shall not have magical amulets to guard you, but My Word will guard you.“ Indeed the Hebrew letters shin, dalet and yod stand for Shaddai which means "Guardian of the doors of Israel" or "All Sufficient God."
These verses in Deuteronomy 6:9 were taken quite literally both before and during the time of Christ. The historian Josephus described the use of the mezuzah as a well-known custom in his day:
They [the Jews] are also to inscribe the principal blessings they have received from God upon their doors. (Antiquities 4:8:13). Archaeological excavations from Qumran--the ancient site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found-reveal the literal use of mezuzot. However, those contain different Scripture passages than the ones used today. The Targums (paraphrases of the Scriptures in Aramaic dating from both before and after the time of Christ) render Deuteronomy 6:9: “...and you should inscribe them in mezuzot and affix them on the doorposts of your houses and of your gates.” This literal understanding of the custom is at least as old as the first few centuries B.C. |
Some Laws of the Mezuzah Followed by Observant Jews
The mezuzah text is to contain 22 lines of writing. Unlike a Torah scroll, which must be copied from another manuscript, a mezuzah may be written from memory by a scribe. If even one letter of the text is missing, the mezuzah may not be used. The mezuzah is to be affixed to entrances of all residential buildings and to the doors of all rooms used for living purposes. (It is not to be attached to the doorposts of bathrooms, schools, or houses of worship.)
Since the verses in Deuteronomy not only declare "on your doorposts" but also "and thy gates," mezuzot are also obligatory for apartment house entrances.The mezuzah is to be affixed at an angle to the top third of the doorpost on the right (as one enters), with the upper portion slanted inward and about a handbreadth from the outer edge of the doorpost.
When the mezuzah is affixed, the following blessing is recited: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments and hast commanded us to fasten the mezuzah." If one's house is sold or rented to a Jewish person, the previous occupant must leave the mezuzah. The mezuzah in a private home must be inspected for legibility of the writing twice in every seven years.
Shaddai, one of the names of God, is inscribed in Hebrew on the outer side of the top of the parchment. This word must show through the prescribed opening in the case so it can be read.
When passing through the door, one must touch and kiss the word Shaddai and recite the following prayer: "May God keep my going out and my coming in from now on and ever more."
Since the verses in Deuteronomy not only declare "on your doorposts" but also "and thy gates," mezuzot are also obligatory for apartment house entrances.The mezuzah is to be affixed at an angle to the top third of the doorpost on the right (as one enters), with the upper portion slanted inward and about a handbreadth from the outer edge of the doorpost.
When the mezuzah is affixed, the following blessing is recited: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments and hast commanded us to fasten the mezuzah." If one's house is sold or rented to a Jewish person, the previous occupant must leave the mezuzah. The mezuzah in a private home must be inspected for legibility of the writing twice in every seven years.
Shaddai, one of the names of God, is inscribed in Hebrew on the outer side of the top of the parchment. This word must show through the prescribed opening in the case so it can be read.
When passing through the door, one must touch and kiss the word Shaddai and recite the following prayer: "May God keep my going out and my coming in from now on and ever more."
Some examples of Mezuzot
Modern Use of the Mezuzah
For most Jewish people the mezuzah has remained a repository and a reminder of the centrality of God and His Word. Many non-Orthodox Jews affix mezuzot to their doors as a means of affirming their Jewish identity or as the Jewish version of a "housewarming" ceremony.
In Israel the mezuzah is affixed to entrances of all public buildings and synagogues, though it is only required for residences. Some Jewish people wear a small mezuzah around the neck as an expression of Jewishness. The making of ceramic or other decorative cases or mezuzot has become an art form all its own.
In Israel the mezuzah is affixed to entrances of all public buildings and synagogues, though it is only required for residences. Some Jewish people wear a small mezuzah around the neck as an expression of Jewishness. The making of ceramic or other decorative cases or mezuzot has become an art form all its own.
Lessons for "Grafted In" Believers Today
Christians are not directed in Scripture to affix mezuzot. Yet the Scripture passages inside the mezuzah provide abiding lessons for us all. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, called in Jewish liturgy the Sh'ma, speaks of love for the one God; while Deuteronomy 11:13-21 speaks of the responsibility to obey God, Blessings being the results of obedience and curses being the consequences of disobedience.
Scripture may not be as clear as we would like as to whether or not a literal posting of God's Word was originally intended.
Nevertheless the spirit of the commandment is seen in that believers are to infuse their lives and homes with God's Word. (Some people literally post Scripture verses on their calendars, refrigerators, or walls.) Some wear jewellery inscribed with Scripture, and some wear crosses or crucifixes or lapel pins depicting a dove or fish or flames.
The two mezuzah passages in Deuteronomy remind us to love the Lord and to obey Him. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, He responded in words taken from those Scriptures:
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:35-38 NIV (See also Mark 12:28-30)
When a believer first asks Jesus to come into their heart and to fill them with His Holy Spirit His promise is “I will never leave you or forsake you.” In Ephesians 2 verses 19-22 we read: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a Holy Temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His spirit.
His indwelling us does fill our hearts and minds and indeed our lives with love for God and for one another. When we seek Him through His Word and regular communication in prayer and worship we are declaring his ‘all sufficiency’ the Shaddai of the mezuzah. So for us, the big message in that little box called a mezuzah is this: Let us strive always to fill our lives and our homes with love for God and for His Word. And let us always be mindful that those who haven’t yet surrendered their lives to God through Jesus (Yeshua), are always watching us, how we cope with life, how we live, what are our standards, morals and ethics? I wonder, does that mean we are some type of ‘mezuzot’ to them? Do we reflect the light and glory of God to them? Are we a reminder that God does indeed exist and He cares about all people everywhere? Do we live as if we believe that? “God protects our going out and our coming in now and forever more?” And that he is El Shaddai!
Scripture may not be as clear as we would like as to whether or not a literal posting of God's Word was originally intended.
Nevertheless the spirit of the commandment is seen in that believers are to infuse their lives and homes with God's Word. (Some people literally post Scripture verses on their calendars, refrigerators, or walls.) Some wear jewellery inscribed with Scripture, and some wear crosses or crucifixes or lapel pins depicting a dove or fish or flames.
The two mezuzah passages in Deuteronomy remind us to love the Lord and to obey Him. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, He responded in words taken from those Scriptures:
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:35-38 NIV (See also Mark 12:28-30)
When a believer first asks Jesus to come into their heart and to fill them with His Holy Spirit His promise is “I will never leave you or forsake you.” In Ephesians 2 verses 19-22 we read: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a Holy Temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His spirit.
His indwelling us does fill our hearts and minds and indeed our lives with love for God and for one another. When we seek Him through His Word and regular communication in prayer and worship we are declaring his ‘all sufficiency’ the Shaddai of the mezuzah. So for us, the big message in that little box called a mezuzah is this: Let us strive always to fill our lives and our homes with love for God and for His Word. And let us always be mindful that those who haven’t yet surrendered their lives to God through Jesus (Yeshua), are always watching us, how we cope with life, how we live, what are our standards, morals and ethics? I wonder, does that mean we are some type of ‘mezuzot’ to them? Do we reflect the light and glory of God to them? Are we a reminder that God does indeed exist and He cares about all people everywhere? Do we live as if we believe that? “God protects our going out and our coming in now and forever more?” And that he is El Shaddai!