ROYAL PARK PLACE Life Style
Chaplain’s Corner: Mezuzah Mishaps & Me
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Jesus later echoed this command and added, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
After we returned from Israel, I realized that a small plaque I’d received 15 years earlier from one of my pastors was actually a mezuzah! I was able to find the box it had come in (a good thing, since I keep everything…) and was amazed to find the scroll with the ancient writings still tucked inside. It took a trip to Israel for me to realize what I’d had in my possession all along! Mezuzah Mishap #2! I immediately mounted the mezuzah with the scroll tucked inside on the doorframe of our home, and I read it or touch it every time I enter. More recently, while visiting a resident at the Royal Atrium Inn,
These words from the ancient Shema, given to Moses by God and recorded in Deuteronomy and reiterated by Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, are still frequently quoted today as important words to live by. When visiting Israel in 2023, I noticed that every doorway, including those leading to each hotel room we stayed in, had a mezuzah attached. Inscribed on the outside of a mezuzah is a blessing over those entering the dwelling, and on a paper inside are the words of the Shema, along with other writings from the Old Testament Law. I was curious whether our hotel room mezuzah had a scroll inside, so I
I noticed she had a mezuzah right next to the door of her apartment. Out of habit, I touched it as I was leaving— and it fell off the wall onto the floor! Mezuzah Mishap #3! I was never more grateful for the soft carpet it landed on and immediately reaffixed it to the wall.
My mezuzah mishaps remind me of all of the ways I often fail in my daily walk with God—I do things I shouldn’t and forget to do things I should, like I did with the mezuzah in Israel; I don’t even recognize the tremendous blessings God has given me, like the mezuzah I didn’t even know I had; and I drop the ball (or mezuzah!) or break things, like relationships with family and friends, even when I may mean
decided to investigate. Sure enough, I found the writings in both Hebrew and English. I realized after we moved on to our next hotel, that I’d forgotten to tell the hotel staff to replace the scroll I’d removed—Mezuzah Mishap #1!
Continued
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