A MEZUZAH BLESSING AT PHOEBE'S

On September 7th we had another interesting experience with our elderly Jewish friend, Phoebe. Our church was invited by her synagogue to attend the “mezuzah blessing” that they were doing for her, to acknowledge the wonderful new home she is now living in and to ask God’s “shalom” (complete abiding peace) to be present in it. They scheduled this event after our Sunday worship so we could be part of this special service.

More than a dozen of us from Hilmar Covenant went to Phoebe’s home and were warmly welcomed. Some of the people from the synagogue were already there, and Phoebe was rather nervous, trying to be the perfect hostess and make food for us to eat--even though these arrangements had already been made by the members of Congregation Beth Shalom! More and more people arrived until the house was quite full. Then Joyce Gandelman, the current president of the synagogue, led us in the service of blessing.

Perhaps you don’t know what a mezuzah is.


Here is its reference in Scripture:

“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 upon 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 DOORFRAMES OF YOUR HOUSES and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)




A mezuzah is a small piece of parchment contained in a decorative container inscribed with these verses from Deuteronomy. The first verse, verse 4, is the Jewish prayer known as the Shema (“Hear, O Israel”), the most important prayer in Judaism which is to be recited twice daily at all morning and evening Jewish prayer services. In Hebrew, it sounds like this:

“Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad.”

Mezuzahs (plural: mezuzot) are affixed to the doorframes of Jewish houses to fullfill the biblical commandment to inscribe the words of the Shema “on the doorposts of your house.” Many families place a mezuzah on the front door only, but observant Jews put one on every doorway in the home, apart from bathrooms and closets too small to qualify as rooms. The parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe and the verses are written in indelible black ink with a special quill pen. The parchment is rolled up and placed inside the case before being put in place. Then the mezuzah is attached to the doorpost on the right side of the door, as one enters the house, its top slanted inward, at approximately shoulder height.

This is what we experienced and participated in at Phoebe’s that day. Joyce passed out a sheet of paper with information and with the service of blessing and then took us through it step by step. She explained the meaning and purpose of putting up the mezuzah, showed us the parchment and teeny tiny writing of the Deuteronomy verses, placed the parchment in the case, and had Keith Waterson nail the mezuzah to Phoebe’s doorframe as we all watched. We spoke the prayers of blessing together, in Hebrew:

“Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech ha‘olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu likboa m’zuzah.”
(Blessed are You, Eternal God, King of the Universe, You hallow us with Your mitzvot, and command us to affix the mezuzah.)

While the important part of the mezuzah is the "klaf," or parchment, and not the case itself, designing and producing mezuzah cases has been elevated to an art form over the ages. Mezuzahs are produced from an endless variety of materials, from silver and precious metals, to wood, stone, ceramics and pewter. In fact, the beauty of many of these cases has led some to forget that the important part of the mezuzah is the parchment. Phoebe’s case was of “Tigger” (from “Winnie the Pooh”), because of her affection for cats! It also included the Hebrew letter “shin,” for “Shaddai,” one of the biblical names of God, which is always present somewhere on mezuzah cases. Shaddai also serves as an acronym for “Shomer Delatot Yisrael” (guardian of the doorways of Israel).

After the service, it was time to celebrate! Celebrate Phoebe’s new home, celebrate the coming together of our two congregations to do such a wonderful “mitzvah” (good deed), celebrate God’s presence in our lives, celebrate the meaning and purpose that comes from living out our faith in Jesus, as Scripture teaches us (“care for widows and orphans...”), celebrate the ongoing relationship we now have with Phoebe. There was food and drink, laughter and conversation, a foretaste--for sure--of what it’s going to be like in heaven when we are feasting together with people “from every nation, tribe, people, and language.” (Revelation 7:9)

And to think that all of this became possible from a simple act of kindness last November: washing windows--on a Sunday!

Why am I writing about this event in my blog? For several reasons:

--It once again brought together two of the most significant parts and influences of my life: Hilmar and Jerusalem/Israel! Everywhere I went during my sabbatical with “Bridges For Peace,” I saw mezuzot: in restaurants, stores, banks, the Jewish homes where we did our home repair work, and even in the apartments where I lived. At every worship service I attended, we chanted the Shema together--just as Jesus surely did when he was alive on earth! Since returning from Israel, I have put up my own mezuzah on the doorway into my home (look for it next time you come by). However, I have never participated in the service of blessing that is such an important part of this activity. It was wonderful to experience it--right here in Hilmar!

--It was a tremendous sign of the ongoing friendship and relationship that Congregation Beth Shalom wants to have with Hilmar Covenant Church, and of the cooperation that can happen between people of different religious beliefs when we don’t allow faith to separate us. Rather, the beliefs we hold in common can bring us together to do great good. This is an essential aspect of the God Whom we worship: His goodness.

--It verified for me, once again, the vitally important part that monthly “church service” opportunities play in the life of our congregation. It is so important that we continue to grow in our understanding, awareness, and practice of what “worship” is--biblically, theologically, and in practice! As we gain a deeper appreciation of the fullness of “worship,” our relationship with Jesus will deepen, becoming more alive and engaging, our witness to Christ will be increased, and our relationship with the community around us will be strengthened in ever more positive ways.

Let’s take to heart the admonition that Jesus gave when he was asked which commandment is the greatest, and what must one do to inherit eternal life. Jesus quoted the Shema! The Scripture that is now on the doorpost into Phoebe’s home:

“’The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: 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 mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’” (Mark 12:29-31)

Perhaps we who follow Jesus would discover something new, fresh, and important about our walk with our Lord if we took to heart the Jewish admonition to recite the Shema twice a day. Think of how it would center our lives on God if we began each day with this testimony of Who He Is, and how restful our sleep would be if we acknowleged this reality as we ended each day:

Shema (a three part word) — listen, or hear and "act on"
Yisrael — Israel, in the sense of the people or congregation of Israel
Adonai — often translated as "Lord", it is used in place of the unspoken name of God, found in Exodus 3
Eloheinu — our God, the word “El" or "Elohei" signifying God and the plural possessive determiner suffix "nu" or "einu" signifying "our"
Echad — the Hebrew word for the absolute number 1

And from Psalm 62: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will never be shaken.”

May you experience the deep shalom of God in your life this week!