From Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi's Divine Information site:
http://www.divineinformation.com/a-mezuzah%E2%80%99s-great-powers-by-rabbi-eli-teitelbaum/A Mezuzah’s Great Powers – By Rabbi Eli TeitelbaumPosted by Rabbi Mizrachi on Feb 24th, 2010
A Mezuzah’s Great PowersBy Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum
The mezuzah contains our pledge of allegiance to Hashem. It contains the most important foundations and fundamental principles of our belief. It speaks about our belief in only One G-d, our love for Him and His Torah and the importance of keeping the mitzvos. It contains Hashem’s promise to us that if we serve Him properly He will bring the rains in their proper times and He will reward us with His abundant blessings. Those who keep His mitzvos properly are assured of a long life as it says “L’maan yirbu y’meichem vi’ymei b’neichem…”
The Torah tells us that certain mitzvos such as respecting our father and mother rewards us with special benefits and blessings. The gemara, as well as the poskim tells us that in the merit of the mitzvah of mezuzah, Hashem Whose Holy Name appears in it ten times protects those living in the house. While we should do mitzvos only because Hashem commanded them, we certainly appreciate the blessing and special benefits they provide.
The Gemarah Minochos (33) says “It is a mitzvah to put it within the tefach which is close to the outside. Says Rebbi Chanina from Surah, “so that it protects us.” (The entire house – Rashi.) Rabbi Chanina says, “Come and see how G-d’s actions are different from that of man. With man, it is the master that sits inside while his servants protect him from the outside, while with G-d it is just the opposite. His servants sit inside while Hashem protects them from the outside.”
The Yerushalmi in Mesecta Pe’ah (perek 1) tells an interesting story Artvon (who was the king of Persia) sent Rebbi Yehudah Hanasi a very expensive stone with the request that he send him back something of equal value. Whereby, Rebbi wrote a mezuzah and sent it to him in return. When Artvon received the mezuzah he got very angry and said, “I sent you something of great value, and you sent me a cheap piece of parchment in return?” Rebbi responded, “You sent me something for which I will have to hire a watchman to protect it, whereas I sent you something that will offer you protection.”
The Rambam in Hilchos Mezuzah (perek 6) says that a person must be extremely careful with the mitzvah of mezuzah, and that every time one walks in or out he comes into contact with the concept of the oneness of G-d’s Holy Name. This should serve to remind us of our great love for Him and awaken us from our indulgence in mundane worldly pleasures.
The holy Zohar in Parshas Devorim (265) says,( and I translate freely;) “Come and see, that a person is required to inscribe the Holy Name upon the doorpost of his home. For this is the basic belief. Every place that the Holy Name is found – the bad spirits cannot be found, and they are unable to act upon a person. When a person puts a mezuzah on his door, and the Holy Name is inscribed within its letters, then the person is crowned with the Crown of his Master, and the bad spirits are unable to get close and therefore cannot be found there.”
The Taz in Shulchan Aruch (285) says that the mezuzah has the unique ability and property to protect us around the clock, even while we are asleep. While it is well known that it is extremely rare for Hashem to perform an open miracle since He always tries to disguise them in ordinary ways, the Bais Yosef says that the mitzvah of mezuzah contains the unique power and ability to even bring about open or visible miracles.
The Mechilta in Parshas Bo says “If the blood that was put on one’s doorpost in Egypt had the power to keep the mashchis out of the house, how much more so is the power of the mezuzah which has the name of Hashem mentioned in it ten times.” Perhaps this is why the Name Shin Daled Yud which is the Name representing Hashem’s great power and strength appears on it. This Name also stands for “Shomer Dalsos Yisroel” – He protects the doors of the Jews. In fact, the letters of the word mezuzos can be rearranged to make the word” zuz moves” which means it moves away death.
Certainly at a time like this when we all can use every bit of Hashem’s protection, it is extremely important to make sure that our mezuzos are in perfect shape.
One must always remember that even the best sofer is only human and therefore can make a mistake. This is why it is important that in addition to a sofer checking the mezuzah to make sure that the letters are shaped properly, one should also have it checked by the computer of the Vaad Mishmeres Stam for textual errors. It is very important to emphasize that a computer is not a replacement for a sofer. It is not used to check for letter shapes but rather to discover missing or extra letters or words, or incorrectly substituted letters or words. It has at present (April 2001) already checked sifrei Torah worldwide and has found of the without any mistakes. This means that any sefer Torah that was no checked by the computer has only a 28% chance of being kosher. It has also checked thousands of mezuzos and teffilin and found more than 10% of them possul plus another 10% that needed repair.
Another thing which we must be very careful with is the actual placement of the mezuzah. It must be on the right doorpost (as we enter) and also directly under the doorway’s lintel (mashkof) . This can run into a big problem with certain type of doors that are quite common in Israel where one sometimes finds that the doorpost is no wider then the door itself. When one affixes the mezuzah to the side of the door rather then directly under the lintel, it may be problematic since according to many poskim this would be considered posul or at most, only kosher b’dieved. In such cases it is necessary to hollow out the doorpost itself so that the mezuzah is placed directly under the lentil – the mashkof. Sometimes it may be difficult to determine which side to put the mezuzah on since one enters the room from more then one direction and a knowledgable rav should be consulted. Putting it on the wrong side is as if there is no mezuzah, so don’t decide on your own. It can sometimes be quite a tricky business to get it correct. Experience has shown that it is sometimes necessary for the posek to actually see the configuration of the doorway on his very own and not rely on descriptions given to him over the telephone. One must also be very careful not to insert the mezuzah upside down something that’s not uncommon. As shocking as it may sound, many sofrim have told me that on occasion they have even opened mezuzah cases and have found nothing inside. While these details may seem trivial, in truth it can make all the difference between having a kosher mezuzah on your door post or not.
Just as we go for a health checkup even though we feel fine, so too it’s worthwhile to have a mezuzah check even if we are sure that they are fine. You may be surprised at the results. Everyone has his own stories he can tell you, so why take chances?
TELL OF HIS GREAT MIRACLESWhen the famed Brisker Rav z”tl was told of the great miracle that took place in the religious village of Kommemiut, Israel the year after shmittah – when all the kibbutzim in the neighborhood were invaded by locusts, yet the one moshav of Kommemiut which kept shmittah properly was spared – he remarked as follows: “It’s a mitzvah to tell others of this great miracle that took place.”
With that in mind, I’ve written this booklet.
For years I’ve been keeping extensive records on some amazing and fascinating stories relating to Tefillin and Mezuzos, that I would like to share with you. Even though I have hundreds of these on file, I’ve only chosen those that I know from first-hand sources. Whenever possible, I’ve also included a photostat copy of the original parsha or Mezuzah related to the story. Wherever the people have allowed me to use their real names I’ve done so. The shocking part of it all is that all these stories are authentic, and I haven’t exaggerated in the least. The stories speak for themselves.
BUT FIRST A SHORT INTRODUCTIONLet’s take a look into the Mechilta in Parshas Bo on the posuk : v’lo yuvo.. , and I translate (briefly): If the blood that was put on one’s doorpost in Egypt had the power to keep the mashchis out of the house, how much more so is the power of the Mezuzah which has the name of Hashem mentioned ten times.
Clearly, the Mechilta states that a Mezuzah carries with it the power of protection against outside invaders.
Now let’s take a look into the Gemarah Mesechta Menachos 33:
“It is a mitzvah to put the Mezuzah within a tefach (4 inches) of the street so that the entirety of the house will be watched..(The entire house is protected from dangers – Rashi.)
“Said Rabbi Hanina: Come see, the ways of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, are not the way of man. The way of man is that the king sits inside while his servants protect him on the outside; but the ways of Hashem are not thu; His servants sit inside while He guards them outside, as it is written: `G-d is your Protector, G-d is the Savior of your right arm, G-d will watch your comings and goings from now and forevermore”.
Here, again, we clearly see that a Mezuzah has the great power of protection.
Here’s another amazing Gemarah in Mesechta Shabbos 32:
“For the sin of not honoring the Mezuzah, a man’s son and daughters die when they are young, as it is written, `And you shall write them for Mezuzos upon your house.’ And afterwards it is written `So that your days may be lengthened” etc.
From here we see that negligence in the mitzvah of Mezuzah can be the cause for terrible catastrophes chas v’sholom. On the other hand, one who is very careful in this mitzvah is assured of a long life, as it says lima’an yirbu yimaychem…
The Yerushalmi in Mesechta Pe’ah (Perek 1) tells an interesting story: Artvon (who was the king of Persia) sent R’ Yehuda HaNasi a most expensive stone with the request that he send him back something of equal value. Whereby, R’ Yehuda HaNasi wrote a Mezuzah and sent it to him in return. When Artvon received the Mezuzah he was perplexed, and said, “I sent you something of great value, and you send me a cheap piece of parchment in return.” R’ Yehuda HaNasi answered, “You sent me something for which I will have to hire a watchman to protect it, whereby I sent you something that will offer you protection.”
A LOOK INTO THE SHULCHAN ARUCHA look into Shulchan Aruch only reinforces the great importance and care we must give to this mitzvah. The Taz (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah: 285) writes as follows: Even though the Gemarah in Sotah says that all mitzvos (except for Torah) have the power to protect us only while we are actually engaged in doing them, yet the mitzvah of Mezuzah has the unique property and ability to protect us around the clock – even while we sleep.
Open Miracles A careful reading of the Bais Yosef (Tur Yoreh Deah: 285) tells us that the Mezuzah contains the power of open visible miracles.
“The protection of the house is an open miracle in that the others who live in houses without Mezuzos are not protected and those who live in a house with Mezuzos are protected.”
Some of the stories in this booklet will soon convince you that this is no mere aberration but rather a very common occurrence. Just ask any sofer, and I’m sure he can add plenty of stories of his own.
THE BEST INSURANCE AGAINST SINNING Our chachomim (Menachos 43:) say that anyone who wears Tefillin on his head and arm, tzitzis on his clothing, and has a Mezuzah on his door, is assured not to sin. And so writes the Rambam (Perek 6 of Hilchos Tefilin).
How very important this is in today’s times, when we must be on our guard at every step we take. The pitfalls are numerous. The dangers lurk at every corner. We must, therefore, be especially careful in these mitzvos.
Because the mitzvah of Mezuzah has the special power of assuring one a long life, the Gemarah Kiddushin 34 therefore concludes that women must be included as well. After all, “C
an it be then,” says the Gemarah, “that men need to live long while women don’t?”
PROTECTION AGAINST THE FIERCE FIRES OF GEHINNOMWhat would you pay for an insurance policy that would guarantee you protection from the hot burning fires of Gehinnom? You’d probably be willing to pay any price they’d ask, if you knew that it would really work!
Well, then, just take a look into the Tur Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim: 37):
It’s absolutely astounding! The great amorah Abaya says that he personally will be the guarantor that the fires of Gehinnom will have no effect Therefore how careful one must be to make sure that we wear a kosher pair of Tefillin. We must do everything possible to make sure that there are absolutely no problems. Have we really done so?
A BEAUTIFUL HOMEAnother side benefit that one gets if he is extra careful in the observation of the mitzvah of Mezuzah is a beautiful home, as the Gemarah in Mesechta Shabbos 23. says. This gives us a total of four special benefits that this mitzvah brings in its wake:
(1) long life . . . . (2) protection . . . (3) prevents us from sin . . . (4) a beautiful home . . .
FINALLY, A LOOK INTO THE ZOHAR Let me conclude with the Holy Zohar, in Parsho Devorim it says, and I translate freely:
“Come and see, that a person is required to inscribe the Holy Name upon the doorpost of his home. For every place that the Holy Name is found the bad spirits cannot be found there, and they are unable to act upon a person as the posuk says: lo siuna alecha ru, When a person puts a Mezuzah on his door, and the Holy Name is inscribed within its letters, then the person is crowned with the Crown of his Master, and the bad spirits are unable to get close and therefore cannot be found there.”
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Topic: The Protective Power of the Mezzuzah (Read 2134 times)