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The Bright Light that Guards the House
The mezuzah is one of the few mitzvot (Commandments)
for which the Torah states its reward. In this case, the reward is long life for
oneself and one's children:
And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts [mezuzot]
of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children
may be prolonged upon the land which G-d swore to give to your fathers for as
long as the heavens are above the earth. (Deut. 11:20-21)
According to the Talmud commentary of Tosafot (Menahot
44a) and the Shulchan Aruch (Yorah Deah 284) the
main function of the mezuzah is to protect the house from evil. Because of this
attribute, the mezuzah has been called "the coat of arms in the knighthood of
G-d."
To begin to understand the mechanism of this effect of the mezuzah, we must first delve into the concept of evil itself.
Evil was created ex nihilo just as the rest of
Creation. It was not created for its own sake, however, but only as an
instrument of free choice. It is tolerated to the extent that it serves this
purpose.
In order to allow for the existence of beings that
would not be absorbed and nullified in the Source, G-d chose to conceal and
withdraw His light to create, so to speak, a "vacuum" where created beings would
feel their independent existence. This, in oversimplified form, is the
fundamental concept of tzimtzum (the concealment and contraction of the
primordial Divine light, which is the cornerstone of Lurianic Kabbala).
The concept of tzimtzum demonstrates how a monistic creation can lead to
apparent dualism. ( Tanya, pg. 101)  | | " The absence of light, of course, allows the possibility for darkness - or evil" | | |
The absence of light, of course, allows the
possibility for darkness - or evil. Our task is to discover G-d hiding, as it
were, behind a veil of darkness. Rebbe Dov Ber of Mezritch once found his little
son crying because, while playing hide-and-seek, he hid -- but none of the
children looked for him. The Rebbe started crying himself and explained to his
son that our Heavenly Father also is hiding from his children, as it is written,
"You are G-d Who hides" (Isaiah 45:15), so that they should search for Him, but
no one searches!
Evil, by definition, is that which conceals the true
source of existence, the Creator. The very term for evil in the Kabbala,
kelipa, means shell or husk. It is something that has no independent value.
Evil was created to provide us with the freedom of
choice, which is possible where there is an alternative to good available. Had
there been no outer shell concealing the truth, we would be forced to obey G-d's
will. If denied free choice, we would also be denied reward.
Conversely, with no free will there is no evil. An
animal killing its prey for food cannot be accused of committing an evil act
since it has no choice in this matter. It was created by
G-d with a predatory
instinct and no free will. Similarly, angels cannot be considered good because
they, too, are denied freedom of choice. They serve their Creator because they
were created to do so. Only humans possessing free will can rise above angels or
fall below animals, depending upon the choices they make.
Thus we see that without evil there is no free choice,
and without free choice there is no good or evil. Evil allows for the exercise
of good in the same sense that a ray of light can be seen only in a cloudy sky.
Once we understand that evil must exist and that it
plays a positive role in the scheme of Creation, we are confronted with another
problem: If evil is the husk or the concealment of G-dly light, where does its
energy come from? What sustains its existence? The answer is, of course: The
same Creator Who gives life to everything. Whereas, though, the domain of
holiness receives G-d's sustenance in abundance, the merely tolerated domain of
evil is relegated to feeding on "leftovers." Kabbala calls evil sitra achra,
"the other side." G-d allows a minute amount of life-giving energy to trickle
down to the "other side" in order to maintain its existence. Too much of such
energy kills it completely. As the sages of the Kabbala put it, "Bright light
blinds the eyes of evil forces." The intellect, particularly wisdom (called
chochma in Kabbala), is the bright light that disperses darkness. That is
why evil must always remain in darkness, feeding on what leaks through the small
holes in the domain of holiness. The Kabbala calls a hole or an opening rah
(evil) because it allows vestiges of holiness to leak through, providing the
"other side" with its life force. | | " A Jewish home is a miniature Temple, a door opening to a strange and often hostile world" | | |
Now we can understand how the mezuzah protects the
house. A Jewish home, which is a miniature Temple, is a vessel of holiness. A
door opening to a strange and often hostile world, to the "other side," is thus
called evil. The Zohar tells us that the forces of evil dwell near the door
because that is where they receive their nourishment. This is similar to
pathogenic bacteria and fungi flourishing in dark places.
Containing the wisdom of absolute monotheism, "Hear O
Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One," the mezuzah is the ray of bright
light which blinds the evil forces, denying them the right of entry and
dispersing them.
This is the mystery of the mezuzah.
Time, Space, and Soul
An additional explanation of why the mezuzah is
affixed to the gates of the house can be found in one of the laws of Shabbat.
The gates of a house separate reshut ha'yahid
(the private domain) from reshut ha'rabim (the public domain). On
Shabbat it is forbidden to carry any object from one domain to the other.
Kabbala associates reshut ha'yahid (the domain of one) with the
Holy One, the Singular Master of the Universe. Reshut ha'rabim (the
domain of many) represents the domain of evil - the multiplicity of the physical
world that disguises and hides the underlying unity of Creation.
During the first six days of the week, we must deal
with the multifarious world, albeit trying to refine and repair it, to reveal
its inner unity. On the seventh day we must abstain from all creative activities
to observe the holiness of the day. The Hebrew word for holiness, kodesh
means literally "separated." Therefore, we observe the holiness of Shabbat by
honoring that separation and not carrying an object from one domain to another. | | " The primary task of a Jew is to reveal hidden holiness" | | |
Sefer Yetzira (6:1) says that the entire Creation
exists in three dimensions: time, space, and soul. The primary task of a Jew is
to reveal hidden holiness in each of these dimensions. G-d made it easier for us
by starting off the process. He sanctified the seventh day, a point of holiness
in time. He sanctified the Holy Land of Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount
as areas of ever increasing holiness in space. He gave us a holy spark, "a part
of G-d from above indeed," (Tanya book II, page 5) for our souls.
Utilizing all of the above, we must sanctify the rest of Creation by revealing
its hidden unity.
The mezuzah combines the holiness of all three
dimensions. It is affixed in space to the doorpost, the threshold of the house.
As the threshold marks the transition from one domain to another, the mezuzah
symbolizes motion. Zuz, the root of the word mezuzah, means "to move."
Motion is the essence of time. The words shana (year) and shniya
(second) come from the word shinui (change). All these words denote
change or motion. Hence, the mezuzah marks holiness in time.
On the other hand, the law requires that a mezuzah be
affixed only to a permanent structure. The essence of space, as opposed to time,
is stillness, immobility. The immobility of the mezuzah connects it to the
concept of space. Furthermore, many of the laws of mezuzah deal with its
position in space, i.e., where it must be affixed, on which side of the
doorpost, at which height and angle. Thus mezuzah brings holiness to the concept
of space.
Finally, the mezuzah, which protects the souls of
Jewish people, is ultimately connected to the concept of soul. In the text of
the mezuzah scroll is written, "You shall love your
G-d with...all your soul."
So we see how the mezuzah unifies and sanctifies the
three dimensions of time, space, and soul. The idea of the mezuzah unifying and
sanctifying time, space, and soul is ultimately expressed in the last verse
inscribed on the mezuzah itself,
"...that your [soul] days [time] and the days [time]
of your children [soul] may be prolonged upon the land [space] which the L-rd
swore to give to your fathers [soul] for as long as [time] the heavens [space]
are above the earth."
G-d gave His chosen people signs of this special
relationship. Shabbat is a sign in time. Mezuzah is a sign in space. Brit milah
(circumcision) is a sign on the level of soul. The connection between mezuzah
and circumcision can be observed from the imperative in Ezekiel 16:6 recited at
the brit milah ceremony, "In your blood, live." Blood appears in the Torah in
Ex. 12:22 where the word mezuzah is first mentioned. This is in the context of
the Commandment to mark the doorposts of Jewish homes with blood of the Passover
sacrifice at the time of the Exodus. Moreover, the Zohar states that "The blood
was of two kinds, that of circumcision and that of the Passover lamb." The Zohar
further compares the place of circumcision with the "door of the body."(Soncino
Zohar, II:25b-26b) The two concepts are juxtaposed also in Gen. 18:1, describing
Abraham,
...he sat [ill from his circumcision] at the door of his tent.
Thus the Zohar tells us:
Happy is the portion of Israel, for the Jewish people
know that they are the sons of the Holy King, for all bear His stamp. They are
marked on their bodies with the holy sign [of brit milah]; their garments bear
the sign of a mitzva [of tzitzit - fringes]; their heads are stamped with the
compartments of tefillin [phylacteries] with the name of their Master; their
hands are stamped with the straps of holiness [straps of hand tefillin]...and in
their houses they bear the stamp of the mezuzah at their doorway. Thus in all
ways they are marked as the sons of the Most High King. (Zohar I:266a.)
The Talmud states that the Chanuka menora should be
placed in a doorway opposite a mezuzah. In Chasidic philosophy, oil symbolizes
the Jewish nation. Just as oil does not mix with other liquids, so the Jews do
not mix with other nations. Samuel Heilman reports a discourse given by the
Belzer Rebbe on this subject:
"Oil does not mix with any other liquid. No matter how
much one tries to blend the oil with other liquids, it always remains separate."
The oil, he went on to explain, represents the Jewish people who, no matter how
hard some may try to mix them with others, will always remain separate, like the
oil... . The light...separates us from darkness. As the light symbolically
separates the sacred from the profane - the Jews from the other nations - so too
the mezuzah on our doors separates and protects us. Both have stood from the
beginning as signs distinguishing between Jews and others. Chanukah lights and
the mezuzah both symbolize separation, and thus protect the Jewish people from
corrupting foreign influences "that threaten to make us disappear." Both
are..."a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"! (Psalms 119:105).
| | " The mezuzah unifies and sanctifies the three dimensions of time, space, and soul" | | |
Conclusion
Now all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. In the
dimension of time, a Jew is not allowed to carry an object from one domain to
another on the Sabbath because this would violate the holiness [lines of
separation] of the day. On the level of soul, a Jew is forbidden to intermarry,
which would cross the line of separation between the chosen holy [separated]
people and the rest of humanity, between "one nation unto G-d" and many nations.
In the dimension of space, the mezuzah stands to separate [make holy] the domain
of one from the domain of many, and this demarcation should not be violated by
bringing alien ideas, customs, and values into a Jewish home.
Just as Shabbat is a sanctuary in time and a Jewish
soul is a miniature sanctuary in the dimension of soul, the mezuzah marks a
Jewish home as a miniature sanctuary in the dimension of space. By making one's
house a true sanctuary of G-dliness, a Jew not only fulfills his or her mission
in life, but helps realize the primary purpose of Creation - giving G-d a
dwelling place in the lower worlds. Mezuzah not only stands on the border between the
domains of One and many, it also points inward, toward the domain of One. This
comes to teach us that while G-d created our multifaceted world from One into
many, our purpose is to elevate the physical world to bring it back, as it were,
to the unity of the Creator. This reverse process of bringing many back into One
is the direction in which the arrow of mezuzah points us.
In the dimension of space, the mezuzah points toward
the domain of the One, singular Master of the universe; in the dimension of
soul, the mezuzah points to our singular G-dly spark; and in the dimension of
time, the mezuzah points to the era of Mashiach, when the unity of G-d will be
revealed - may this happen immediately!
Our sages said, "He who is observant [of the precept
of] mezuzah will merit a beautiful house." (Talmud Shabbat 23b) May we soon see
in the merit of this great mitzva the rebuilding of the most "holy and beautiful
House" of all, the Temple in Jerusalem, as it is written, "I shall dwell in the
House of G-d all the days of my life/ To behold the beauty of G-d and to
meditate in His Sanctuary" (Psalms 27:4) [Note: heichal, 'sanctuary' in
Hebrew, has the numerical value of 65, the same as 'mezuzah'.]
Condensed from the original article and reprinted with
kind permission from B'Or HaTorah vol. X (1997), pp.109-113.
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