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Zelhar:
Rabbi Luria was a talmid chacham and he was respected by rabbis who rejected his theory. It's one thing to reject a theory, and another thing to reject the person and conduct in character assassination.

Tag-MehirTzedek:

--- Quote from: muman613 on May 16, 2012, 01:16:21 AM ---Regarding 'Amulets'... Im not sure if you are familiar with the command to place Muzzuzot on the door of the house. The Mezzuzah is believed to provide protection for the home. The Torah commands a Jew to place a muzzuzah on the doorpost of every door in a Jewish home.

--- End quote ---

 WRONG! This is precisly the point and the dangers of such thinking.

 I suggest anyone interested to read this  "Mezuzah: Protective Amulet or Religious Symbol? "

 http://www.mesora.org/mezuza-gordon.pdf

muman613:

--- Quote from: Tag-MahirTzedek on May 16, 2012, 09:52:56 AM --- WRONG! This is precisly the point and the dangers of such thinking.

 I suggest anyone interested to read this  "Mezuzah: Protective Amulet or Religious Symbol? "

 http://www.mesora.org/mezuza-gordon.pdf

--- End quote ---


Tag,

The vast majority of Sages, including the sages of the Talmud, disagree with your opinion.

The protective power of a muzuzah is well known. There are great stories about how Mezuzahs have protected Jewish homes. I am beginning to suspect that your real problem is not with Kabbalah but with the Talmud.


http://www.beingjewish.com/mitzvos/mezuzah.html


--- Quote ---The Talmud says that a proper Mezuzah offers protection of the home. A king once gave a Rabbi a diamond as a present, so the Rabbi gave the king a Mezuzah as a present. the king did not know what it was, and got insulted. The Rabbi explained, I will have to hire guards to protect my home because of the the gift you gave me, but the gift I gave you will protect your home!

Keeping the Commandments of the Torah always brings blessings, and the Talmud says that keeping the Commandment of Mezuzah brings long life and is a protection for the home. Of course, the holier a home is kept, the more the protection. Therefore we should always be careful of what we bring into our homes. When we are prepared to carry something into our home, whether it be food to eat, or food for thought (books, magazines, etc.), we should stop and consider, whether or not it will shame the Mezuzah to have that carried past it into the home. If we do that, and protect our homes from spiritual invasion, we can be assured that our homes will always be protected from physical invasion.
--- End quote ---


Here is a good explanation of the sources for the belief that Mezuzah protects the home. These sources do not include Kabbalistic sources... Although the site does explain the Kabbalistic reasons also...

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/310889/jewish/The-Protective-Power-of-Mezuzah.htm


--- Quote ---The Protective Power of Mezuzah

By Alexander Poltorak

The L-rd is thy keeper; the L‑rd is thy shade upon thy right hand

Psalms CXXI, 5

In the Bible

The word “mezuzah” appears for the first time in the Bible in the account of the Exodus from Egypt. Before the last plague smiting the Egyptian firstborn, the Almighty forewarned the Jewish people to mark their doorposts with the blood of the sacrificial lamb so that the forces of destruction would pass over their houses. The Torah says:

And they shall take of the blood and they shall put it on the two mezuzoth (doorposts) and on the lintel... For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians, and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door, and He will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite [you]. (Exodus 12:7, 23)

This is why the Holiday of the Exodus is called Passover. The Mechilta 1 (as well as the Zohar) states that these verses are the source of the concept of mezuzah:

Now consider: The blood of the Passover sacrifice was but of little weight, for it was required but once, not for all generations, and by night only, not by day; yet He would ‘not allow the destroyer... to strike you.’ How much more will He not permit the destroyer into the house which bears a mezuzah, which is of greater weight, seeing that the Divine Name is repeated there ten times, it is there by day and night, and it is a law for all generations.

We see in this biblical account and the above commentary the direct relationship between the mitzvah of mezuzah and Divine protection. A mezuzah affixed to the doorpost as commanded by G-d at Sinai still has the power to “not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you”. Indeed, immediately after the commandment of mezuzah, the Torah continues

... so that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children... (Deuteronomy XI, 21)

This verse is the biblical source of the firm belief in the power of the mezuzah to protect from harm and to prolong one’s life.

Furthermore, the Torah lays down the law that:

a man that hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it, let him go and return to his house lest he die in battle... (Deuteronomy (XX, 5).

The Torah fears for the life of a soldier who has not yet affixed a mezuzah to his house and is thus deprived of its protection.

The Bible also alludes to the protective power of mezuzah in yet another place:

It is written, “And the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Exodus XIV, 29). The mezuzah forms a wall to Israel’s right, and the tefillin to their left.

It further states:

The Eternal is your guardian; the Eternal is your shade upon the right hand. (Psalms 121:5).

In the Talmud

The mezuzah helps us remember that the true owner of our house is the Master of the Universe, and we, along with our families and belongings, are merely guests in His world. Thus, it is written:

If a man affixes a mezuzah, did I not give him the house?

As a host par excellence, He stands outside the house and guards His guests and their belongings.

Let us turn again to the Talmudic narrative about the Parthian King Ardavan and Yehudah HaNasi (see The Knowledge of G-d [2nd paragraph]). As the narrative continues, the King’s daughter later fell ill (in the words of the Talmud she was possessed by a demon). The court’s physicians failed to relieve her condition. Ardavan, remembering the words of the Jewish sage, ordered that the mezuzah be affixed to the doorpost of the princess’s room, whereupon she was immediately cured.

This and the following talmudic aggadah (narrative) serve as evidence that the belief in the protective powers of mezuzah is not a superstition or an invention of medieval kabbalists, as some critics would have us believe, but is deeply rooted in the Talmudic and Rabbinical Judaism.

A well-known story from the Talmud involves a famous ger (proselyte, convert), Onkelos2 the son of Kalonymos, a nephew of the Roman Emperor Titus:

When Titus, outraged by the conversion of his nephew to Judaism, sent his advisors to try to persuade him to return to the Roman religion, Onkelos was so convincing in his argument that all of the Emperor’s envoys became proselytes themselves. Caesar then sent legionnaires to arrest Onkelos and instructed them not to engage in any conversation with his nephew. When the legionnaires escorted Onkelos out of his home, he smiled and placed his hand on the mezuzah. Observing the bewildered soldiers, Onkelos explained that a mortal king has servants standing outside his house on guard. The King of Kings, however, is Himself guarding His servants outside their homes. As King David sang in his Psalms: “G‑d shall guard thy going out and thy coming in from now and forevermore.” (Psalms CXXI, 8). These words made such a profound impression on the legionnaires that they too converted to Judaism.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, points out the instant effect the mezuzah had on the Roman soldiers. The Rebbe explains that this quality is unique to mezuzah. It is said that tefillin have the power to induce fear in an enemy, but only the mezuzah can affect the soldiers of an evil empire instantaneously to become converts to Judaism – the antithesis of evil. This ability to have a profound and immediate effect on people is unique to mezuzah.

Another profound testimony to the protective power of the mezuzah is found in the Talmudic discussion of the laws pertaining to an Idol-Worshipping city, Ir HaNidachath. Torah law enjoins the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court, to condemn such a town, with all its inhabitants and their belongings to total annihilation:

...Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein... (Deuteronomy XIII, 16)3

However, the Sages of the Talmud teach:

No city containing even a single mezuzah can be condemned.

One mezuzah can save the entire idolatrous city from destruction!

An interesting illustration of the mezuzah’s power to protect one’s life is found in the Talmudic discussion wherein a rabbi asks if women are obligated by the mitzvah of mezuzah, and another rabbi answers with a rhetorical question:

Men have to live; do not women have to live as well?!

In the Law and Classical Rabbinical Writings

The Biblical notion of the protective powers of the mezuzah is reiterated in the Mishnah and elaborated on in the Talmud. It is further strengthened and elevated to Jewish law, Halakhah, in the Shulchan Arukh 4:

He who is careful and particular in the observance of mezuzah – his days and the days of his children will be lengthened.

Furthermore, the Code of Jewish Law rules that the mezuzah, aside from its reward of longevity for oneself and one’s children stated in the Bible, has the effect of guarding the house and its inhabitants from any harm. The Beth Yosef 5 calls this an open miracle.

Rabbeinu Bachya writes:

To impart in our hearts the principle that Divine protection pervades Israel at all times, day and night, the Torah has commanded us to place the mezuzah at the entrance of our homes. We will thus be cognizant of this principle of Divine protection whenever we enter a home, and we will be mindful that this protection is constantly with us. Even at night, His protection surrounds our house and protects us while we sleep.

He writes further:

G-d is called “The Guardian of Israel,” as it is said, “Behold, He that guards Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” (Psalms 121:4). Since G‑d is supreme above all and rules over the six ends [of the universe, i.e., above, below, east, west, north, and south], the psalmist mentioned the expression ‘guarding’ six times in that psalm.6

Ibn Ezra writes:

In time of trouble, G‑d saves those who serve Him out of fear. However, G‑d protects those who serve Him out of love, from encountering trouble.

Mezuzah, a sign of eternal love between Israel and the Creator, therefore prevents any trouble from entering a Jewish home.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, explains that, unlike other mitzvoth, such as honoring one’s parents, for which the Torah promises longevity, the protection afforded by the mezuzah is not a reward for the mitzvah but rather an immediate and essential result of its observance, as the Sages teach us that:

The very purpose of mezuzah is the protection of the house and its inhabitants.
.
.
.

--- End quote ---

muman613:
Here is a good discussion of the protective power of the mezuzah...

http://www.shortvort.com/eikev/10767-the-protection-of-the-mitzvah-of-mezuzah


--- Quote ---About the mitzvah of mezuzah, which is found in this week's Torah portion, Eikev, the Talmud relates that Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi once sent a mezuzah as a gift to Artaban, king of Persia, explaining that the small scroll would protect him from harm.
At first glance, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi's gesture seems odd. The commandment to affix a mezuzah upon one's doorposts was given only to the Jewish nation. A non-Jewish king, therefore, would not be fulfilling a religious precept by possessing a mezuzah. As such, he would also be ineligible for any reward resulting from the performance of a mitzvah. Why then did Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi promise the gentile king that the mezuzah would guard and protect him?

A similar question may also be asked about the common practice, dating back to the time of the Mishnah, of inserting a mezuzah scroll into one's walking stick, also done for the sake of the protection it afforded. A walking stick is certainly not included in the commandment of mezuzah. If there is no commandment, there is certainly no reward. How, then, did the mezuzah afford protection?

A distinction must be made between the reward a person receives for performing a mitzvah and the intrinsic attribute of the mitzvah itself. When a person obeys G-d's command by fulfilling a mitzvah, the reward he earns is a separate and distinct entity, additional to the essential nature of the mitzvah. For example, the Torah states that the reward for the mitzvah of mezuzah is long life: "That your days be increased and the days of your children."

--- End quote ---

muman613:
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-mitzvos-mezuzah.htm


--- Quote ---Our feeling of security should come from the recognition that we have a protector in heaven, rather than relying entirely on some mechanical device, devised by man. The Ribbono Shel Olam watches over our homes if we do His will. The mezuzah attached to our doorpost is our protection. It is a direct link to the "Central System". Certain letters are inscribed on the outside of this mezuzah scroll which say, among other things, that through this mezuzah scroll the house is protected. However, the house is only protected if the mezuzah "system" is intact; if it is made according to the specifications under which it is intended to work. One frayed letter may invalidate the whole protection system, in which case, the mezuzah is completely useless. One has not performed the mitzvah which he or she thought they were fulfilling at the time the mezuzah scroll was attached to the doorpost and thereafter, and the blessing that we say when affixing the mezuzah was recited in vain.
--- End quote ---

http://dafyomi.co.il/yoma/insites/yo-dt-011.htm


--- Quote ---1) THE "MITZVAH" TO PLACE A MEZUZAH ON CITY GATES
QUESTION: The Gemara says that the word "bi'She'arecha" (Devarim 6:9) teaches that a Mezuzah must be placed even on the gates of provinces (Medinos) and cities (Ayaros). The Beraisa, when it mentions that such gates require a Mezuzah, says, "Yesh ba'Hem Chovas Mitzvah la'Makom" -- "they have the obligation of the Mitzvah for the Omnipresent."

The Beraisa's expression is unusually elaborate. Why does the Beraisa not say simply that these gates are "obligated to have a Mezuzah" ("Chayavin b'Mezuzah")?

ANSWER: The SI'ACH YITZCHAK answers that the Gemara teaches that the Mezuzah arouses Divine protection for Jewish homes and their inhabitants (Avodah Zarah 11a). Similarly, the Gemara later (11b) says that fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Mezuzah brings long life. (Tosfos in Menachos (44a) writes that for this reason even a rented home requires a Mezuzah; see Insights to Yoma 11:4.)

Since the Mezuzah affords Divine protection, one might have thought that a Mezuzah is necessary on the door of one's residence but not on the gates of the city. Since one's home is already protected because of the Mezuzah affixed to its door, there is no need to affix a Mezuzah to the gates of the city. The Beraisa therefore teaches that while it is true that the city gates do not need a Mezuzah for the sake of protection, they still need a Mezuzah because of Hashem's Mitzvah -- "Chovas Mitzvah la'Makom."
--- End quote ---

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