Come and see: from the aspect of that maid [from the Other Side] come
many who denounce Israel and accuse them. And the Holy One, blessed be He,
guards Israel like a father who wishes to guard his child from all [damage].
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, 'Many prosecutors are ready against
you. Be occupied in My worship and I shall guard you from outside. You shall be
in your houses from within and sleep on your beds, and I shall guard you from
outside and around your beds'.
Come and see: when these evil forces approach a man's door, they lift up
their heads and behold from outside the Holy Name , which is Sha-dai,
decorated with its crowns [in the 2 portions of Keriyat Shema within
the Mezuzah]. This Name has power over them all, and they fear it and flee
and do not approach the man's door.
Rabbi Yitzhak said [to R. Aba], in that case man should mark that name
[which is the root of all protection] at the door of the house and no more.
Why [is it necessary] for the whole [two] portion[s in the
Mezuzah]? He [R. Aba] said to him, This is well [that we
need to write the 2 portions], for that name is adorned only with all the
letters [of these 2 portions] that are marked with the King's mark. When
the whole passage is written [in the Mezuzah], that name [Sha-dai]
is adorned with its crowns and the King comes out with all His armies [to
protect Israel] all imprinted with the King's mark. Then they [the
externalities] all fear it [the Name Sha-dai] and flee from
it.
Come and see: in [the verse] "And it shall come to pass, if you
hearken/vehaya im shamo'a" (Deut. 11:13-17) [i.e. the beginning of the 2nd
portion written inside the mezuzah, the 1st word] vehaya is a
Holy Name from below upwards [its letters being "Havaya"
backwards]. For that reason the name Sha-dai is written on the
outside [of the mezuzah] opposite that name. [The word] vehaya
is on the inside [of the Mezuzah] and Sha-dai is on the outside
[of the Mezuzah] so one would be guarded from all sides, from within and
from without.
Rabbi Aba said, Many holy hosts stand ready at that time when a man fixes a
Mezuzah at his door. They all declare, saying, "This is the gate of G‑d..."
(Ps. 118:20)
Happy is the lot of Israel, for Israel are recognized as the children of the
Holy King since they are all marked by Him, marked in their body with the holy
imprint [of circumcision], marked in their clothing by a Tzitzit.
They are marked on their head with the compartments of the Tefilin, which
are their Master's Name [since the 4 compartments parallel the 4 letters of
Havaya] and marked on their hands with the straps of holiness [in
the 3 windings of hand-Tefilin on the finger which correspond to the 3
Kedushot]. They are marked in their shoes by a commandment fulfilling
shoes [the Chalitza of yibum]. They are marked in the field
by sowing and harvesting [with all the relevant commandments], marked in
their houses with the Mezuzah on the doorpost. In everything they are marked as
the supernal King's children. Happy is their portion.
BeRahamim LeHayyim: Why did the Ari and Chida include this
section? What do they want us to learn?
One of the beautiful concepts in mysticism is that of inter-inclusion, namely that all may be found in the smallest and the largest too represents the small: Microcosm = Macrocosm.
Each person is a World and the small Mezuzah has 4649
laws concerning it, demonstrating its power and potential.
Such is the potential of the Mezuzah with the Name Sha-dai on its front.
The small unifies the whole, and inoculates all who access it properly. If
that isn't a reason to have your scrolls checked twice every 7 years, I don't know
what is!
What does this mean to you, and why is it being revealed to you now?
Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
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