Mezuzah
By Eric Carlson on October 24, 2022
On the front doorpost of every Jewish home and the front door coming into our lobby is a small container called a Mezuzah.
Inside this small container is a parchment scroll with these Biblical passages (in Hebrew) written on them:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9. “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra’el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; 5 and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. 6 These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; 7 and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, 9 and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 11:13-21. “So if you listen carefully to my mitzvot which I am giving you today, to love ADONAI your God and serve him with all your heart and all your being; 14 then, [says ADONAI,] ‘I will give your land its rain at the right seasons, including the early fall rains and the late spring rains; so that you can gather in your wheat, new wine and olive oil; 15 and I will give your fields grass for your livestock; with the result that you will eat and be satisfied.’ 16 But be careful not to let yourselves be seduced, so that you turn aside, serving other gods and worshipping them. 17 If you do, the anger of ADONAI will blaze up against you. He will shut up the sky, so that there will be no rain. The ground will not yield its produce, and you will quickly pass away from the good land ADONAI is giving you. 18 Therefore, you are to store up these words of mine in your heart and in all your being; tie them on your hand as a sign; put them at the front of a headband around your forehead; 19 teach them carefully to your children, talking about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up; 20 and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates –21 so that you and your children will live long on the land ADONAI swore to your ancestors that he would give them for as long as there is sky above the earth.
Adonai gives us specific instructions to Shema, to Hear, and to Love Adonai with all that we have! We are commanded to teach His words carefully to our children, and we are to affix His word to our door frames and gates! To perform this last command, we use the Mezuzah. A small, cylindrical container that has these scriptures rolled up inside of it and attach it to our door frames! The word Mezuzah comes from the Hebrew root meaning “doorway” or “entrance”
The Mezuzah has El Shaddai (God Almighty) written on the cover of it in Hebrew. If there is not enough room the Hebrew letter “Shin” alone is written which is the acronym for El Shaddai. Every believer in Yeshua should consider hanging a Mezuzah on their door frame. It is a testimony to the “Living Word”, Yeshua, and lets the world know that your home is covered by the Word of God as He commanded! The Mezuzah should be hung on the main entrance door of the home on the right side of the door frame. It should be placed 1/3 of the way down from the top of the door frame. Low enough for older children to see and touch it, but high enough so smaller children cannot play with it! It is highly recommended that the Shofar be blown in and around the home prior to hanging the Mezuzah, and that prayer be given to the “Most High” asking for blessings, protection, and God’s presence and His word to dwell within your home! The following blessings are recited after affixing the Mezuzah to your door frame:
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hallows us with His Mitzvot, and commands us to affix a Mezuzah to our door post.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to have a home.
Then a home dedication prayer:
Eternal Father, we lift our hearts to you in love, harmony, and Shalom in our family circle. We affix the Mezuzah as a sign of dependence upon your providence. Bless our home and family with mutual love and understanding in Yeshua. May the Mezuzah ever remind us that You are our Father and that You sent Yeshua for us as the “Living Word”. May your Shalom rest upon this home, and all that live here and those who may visit. May Your love abound here in and in the world. Amen.
When one enters through a doorway where a mezuzah has been affixed, we glance at it and touch it. Some people will kiss their fingertips then touch the mezuzah. This serves as a reminder throughout the day that God is always with us, inside or outside our homes. The front doorpost of a house, due to its visibility to the outside world, represents the family’s values, and is a place to show world your identity, a child of God. By affixing the mezuzah to the doorpost of your home, it gives witness to God, to the world, and to the adversary that your home serves the one true God.