The Mezuzah is a small piece of parchment inscribed with the biblical passages that attest to the unity of God. The reverse side of the parchment is marked with the word Shaddai, a name of the Almighty. The container and parchment within it are affixed to the door frames of Jewish households in conformity with Jewish law and as a sign of faith.

The positive commandment (Mitzvah) to fix a mezuzah to the doorpost of one’s house is derived from two Biblical passages. The context of the first of these passages (Deuteronomy 6 :4-9) clearly points to an instructional role for the mitzvah, to encourage us to devote our attention to the Divine unity and the love of God. No protective function is in any way suggested.

The second passage (Deuteronomy 11 :I3-21) – does link a material reward as a benefit of observing the mitvah, (" . . that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children . .) but the mezuzah itself does not generate any benefit by the mere virtue of being positioned strategically at the doorway. A long life is not promised specifically for mitvah of the mezuzah, but for an all-embracing commitment to the totality of the Divine commandments.

In fact, the Torah implicitly rejects the notion that Divine names are possessed of any inherent powers. Other pagan religions and magicians considered the utterence of divine names to be a source of supernatural power, which could control and coerce the gods themselves.

The Torah teaches the exact opposite. God is seen as the exclusive source of all power, and His

name(s) is in no way possessed of independent potency.

In an analogous case - the blood sprinkled by the Israelites on their doorposts prior to the “slaying on the firstborn of Egypt – as God had instructed, "And the blood shall be for you as a sign" (Exodus 12:13) it was not a sign for God.

Mezuzah is effective as a mitzvah only when its observance is indicative of a general devotion to the service of God. No particular mitzvah act or mitzvah-object can generate a protective effect or act as an amulet, when a man is unworthy of Divine beneficence.

And when he is worthy, it is God who will protect him as a gesture of His personal concern, NOT because he/she fixes a box with a piece of parchment in it to his doorframe. The prime purpose of the mitzvah is to act as a reminder of one's religious commitment.

The obligation of affixing a Mezuzah is a “kiyyum aseh” (a positive act) as opposed to (an issura) a forbidden violation. Performing the mitzvah is a vehicle of religious inspiration, not the activation of a self-sufficient security device.

An idea currently being circulated and promoted in certain “religious” communities is an awful misconception that the Mezuzah is a “protective” device. This claim which assigns mechanistic potency to the Biblical inscription on the parchment within, or to Divine name Shaddai inscribed on the outer side, and imputes inherent defensive power to the actual object of the mezuzah itself, and is no different from the pagan symbols of witchcraft or amulets which have been used by idolatrous beliefs as a deterent againts evil. When taken to its extreme, this perspective calls for being "bodek mezuzot" (examining the condition of the inscription) in the wake of tragedy, suggesting that the unfortunate circumstances might be attributable to the inoperative defenses of an invalid mezuzah.Thus, the mitzvah appeals as a pressing practical expedient, addressed to the individual's concern for his personal physical security and that of his family.

This invalid perception of mezuzah has been widely popularized during the past several years in the literature of the Lubavitcher movement, particularly since the terrorist attack at Ma'alot in

1974, and more recently since Entebbe. Following the rescue at Entebbe, and a discourse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in which the protective view was articulated, a flyer was circulated which suggested that the ordeal of the hostages may be linked to the collective inefficacy of their mezuzot.

There are many unthinking Jews who believe that the mezuza has some “power” of protection. If one were to ask these people what would happen if one were to set fire to a mezuza, they will respond, “of course it will burn.” The obvious observation is that “If a mezuza cannot protect itself, how can it protect anything outside itself?”

Foolish people who look to the mezuza for physical protection have already been admonished by Maimonides, (Hilchos Mezuza, 5:4). There, he calls such people fools for seeking protection. He states that they take a commandment which was designed for the lofty purpose of guiding us towards profound ideas on the Unity of God, His love and His service, and they make it into an amulet of benefit. Maimonides states that such people have no share in the next world .

These unfortunate individuals make the same error as those who wear red bendels. Just as the Tosefta in Talmud Sabbath (Chap. 7) says red strings on fingers are prohibited, so too those who mock God’s command of mezuza. The thrust of Rambam's critique of the protective view of the Mezuzah is that those who wrongly assert that the Mezuzah has protective properties have treated a major mitzvah, which is “…the affirmation of the unity of the name of the Holy One Blessed Be He . . . as if it were an amulet for their personal advantage ...").

To quote the Shulchan Aruch, in the Gilyon M’harsha, Yoreh Daah, 289, page 113 on the bottom, “if one affixes the mezuza for the reason of fulfilling the command, one may consider that as reward for doing so he will be watched by God. But, if one affixes the mezuza solely for protective reasons, it in fact has no guidance, and the mezuza will be as knives in his eyes”. These are very strong words, but the reason is paramount.

The lesson is that God is the only source of protection, and that physical objects have no power. If one thinks that they do, such object, even a mezuza, will have the opposite effect.

It is of the utmost importance that above all, we have the correct notion of God. He alone is the only source of power in the universe. Magic, enchanters, psychics, voodoo, etc., are all hoaxes. There is no such thing as witchcraft. God’s distinction is exclusive. To assume other powers in the universe means to assume a diminution in God.

It is particularly abhorrent to suggest that through the ages, any of the (Tzorros), trials, tribulations, pogroms, murder and suffering which the Jewish people have endured could in any way be attributed to the absence or presence of a “kosher” mezuzah. It makes a mockery of the devout and holy people who had endured more horror that any people thoughout history. If there is a god who would cause a woman to be barren, a child to be sick, a young mother or father to die from cancer, bad luck or any of the tragedies which have befallen the Jewish people throughout history on account of any individuals missing a letter on a piece of parchment attached to their doorpost, despite them being otherwise observant and well intentioned human beings, then such a god is laughable.

The notion that mezuzas have powers is actually the opposite of its real purpose. Mezuza, tefillin and tzitzis are mere physical objects that serve to redirect man’s attention and awareness towards God. We are to remind ourselves of God as we enter our homes and see the mezuza. We reflect on our frail bodies as we don tefillin.

If we understand the mitzvos by in depth study as God desires, we will protect ourselves from all foolish notions, which unfortunately circulate with appeal among our brethren. As long as one abandons Torah study and simply “follows the leader”, Jews will remain victims of nonsensical notions and forfeit their “World to Come.” Only he or she who uses their mind will learn what is real, and will abandon that which is false, and which the Rabbis collectively admonished us to repel.

The Ibn Ezra says on the Aseres HaDibros in Shmos that if we find something with no reasonable understanding, even a mitzvah, we abandon it. We do not perform that which is nonsense. This is not God's will.

Clearly, mezuzah, together with tefillin and tsitsit when combined with tefillah (prayer) comprise initiatives of a spiritual nature, whose purpose is to elevate man beyond the short-range concern for his immediate material circumstance to a transcendent relationship with God. Mezuzah is concerned with the quality of Jewish life, not its security

Despite the honest intentions of those who would have us believe that having a kosher Mezuzah is the cure for all manner of physical, and metaphysical maladies, this practice and teaching distorts a noble the religious concept into a form of magic.

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

Dr Martin L. Gordon
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