The Paranormal

[Lynn]

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

Andrew, Hon, I'm Jewish remember?

You're not quite correct in your understanding. The scroll (klaf) inside the Mezuzah case does not contain Holy Prayers. Below I pasted an explanation by a Rabbi whose words are far better than mine.


From Rabbi Shraga Simmons: "On the doorpost of every Jewish home rests a mezuzah. Some may think it's a dainty decoration or a good luck charm. Put one up to keep the evil spirits away!

Actually, a mezuzah is a daily reminder ― and a public declaration ― of Jewish identity and faith.

Though mezuzah literally means "doorpost," it commonly refers to a scroll of parchment containing biblical verses, placed on the doorpost.

The mezuzah recalls the Exodus from Egypt, when the lamb's blood smeared on the doorpost "identified" the Jewish homes that God passed over during the plague of the first born.

From that day forward, the mezuzah has always identified a home as being Jewish. Travelling throughout the world, one can often seek out fellow Jews by looking for a mezuzah on the door. In areas where Jews have been exiled (e.g. Eastern Europe and Middle East countries), many doorposts still bear the mark of a mezuzah removed.

The scroll contains the first two paragraphs of the "Shema" prayer, declaring the oneness of God, and commanding us "to write [these words] on the doorpost of your house and on your gates" (Deut. 6:4-9). The second passage (Deut. 11:13-21) teaches that Jewish destiny, both individually and nationally, depends upon fulfilling God's will.God told us to put these verses on our doorpost, to remind us of His "instructions for living."

Many people have the custom to touch the mezuzah when walking through the doorway, and then to kiss their hand. As we pass by, we focus on God's instructions posted on the wall."

I am Jewish, too, and I just wanted to add a couple of thoughts. As with anything Jewish, there is much that is subject to interpretation and debate. The mezuzzah is something that does provide protection, according to what I was taught. I was also taught that it comes from the story of Passover, when the Jews placed lamb's blood on their doorposts to signify that they were Jews so that G-d would "pass over" their homes and spare their first born sons during that plague. This was not just for identification, but also for protection, since an "all knowing" G-d would not need to be told who was Jewish and who was not. The scroll inside, if it is kosher, has been prepared according to certain rules by a scribe, and if it is ever to be discarded, it should be buried in the same way as any holy book would be. So, inasmuch as any Jewish text is holy, I think the scroll in a kosher mezuzah would be considered so. When my daughter was ill, and there was no explanation, one of the things that our rabbi suggested (and others, too) was to make sure that a mezuzah was placed on our daughter's bedroom door.

Just some other thoughts on the subject.