When I came to know Yeshua as Lord and Messiah, I asked the Father to show me other places in the Bible that speaks proving that (Yeshua) is Messiah. At this time I did not even know what (Torah) meant. We do not realize how many hidden secrets have been kept away from us because we do not know the Hebrew Roots of Faith.
For years I spend time going back to that day, keeping in mind always that it is by circumcision of the heart I will receive all understanding. I never prayed for wisdom but rather for understanding to have a clear vision and open heart to observe and learn each day forward.
Seeking daily I tried to block all confusion about taught religion and rather seek the truth what is right and wrong. During this time Yahweh clearly gave me a vision of a doorpost covered with blood.
The night of my Baptism, I prayed for the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and Yahweh’s presence into my life. On the wall was a silver plate engraved with Matthew 7:7-10 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
This made me realise the captivity of the Israelites in Egypt and how they have dwelt between all the false gods of Egypt and being blinded by them. Yahweh had to move them out of Egypt first to bring them to understanding.
We have to go back to the Hebrew Roots of Faith to understand it all. The course most have taken lead us into that desert and we had to get out there first to receive a clearer vision without the false gods destructing our attention.
On this journey to the truth, finding my roots (Hebrew Roots), I realized there is absolutely no easy way to learn except going the narrow path and seeking daily.
The Mezuzah symbolizes the BLOOD of the LAMB, Yeshua’s BLOOD! By it, EL Shaddai /Yeshua will not allow the DESTROYER to come near our homes.
From an early age, Jewish people have learnt to kiss the Mezuzah each time they enter or leave the house. After having this knowledge, I understand why. YESHUA and His sacrifice for us – His BLOOD, are on each Mezuzah!
One of the scribes asked a question to Yeshua: “Which is the first commandment of all?” And Yeshua answered: “The first of all the commandments is...”
If I had to ask any believer “What is the answer of Yeshua to the scribe?”
He would answer: “You shall love the LORD Your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
What did Yeshua really say? “Hear O Israel Yahweh our Elohim , Yahweh is One! Shema Israel You shall love Yahweh your G-d with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with ALL your strength.” Deut 6:4-5; Mark 12: 28-30.
The word Mezuzot means doorposts. It derives from the word MOVE in Hebrew. The question is, what is to be ‘MOVED’ from the Jewish/Hebrew homes when one put this Mezuzah on the doorpost?
“Then Moses called for the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts (Mezuzot) with the blood (of the lamb) that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For YHVH will pass through to strike the Egyptians. And when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the doorposts (Mezuzot), YHVH will pass over the door and not allow the DESTROYER to come into your houses to strike you.” Exo 12: 21-23.
The Mezuzah is a sign of the blood put on every doorpost (Mezuzah) of a Jewish/Hebrew home. The PASS-OVER LAMB’S BLOOD! Yeshua’s blood.
So really the Jewish people are till today, holding to this tradition/law without knowing, that it is the BLOOD of the real LAMB of God, they are putting on each and every doorpost of their homes!
Yeshua said: “I am the living One ; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold THE KEYS OF DEATH and Hades!” Rev 1:18. So... the BLOOD of the LAMB was to MOVE DEATH itself! And so is the purpose of the MEZUZAH.
MEZUZOT = Door Post
ZaZ = Moved
MaVet = Death
MeZuZot = Death Moved
A mezuzah (from the Hebrew for "doorpost") is a small parchment inscribed with short Torah passages in Hebrew. The parchment is rolled up, placed in a decorative case, and attached to the doorpost of the Israelite homes.
The word "mezuzah" technically refers to the scroll only, but in common usage it means either the scroll, the case, or both together. Because the first passage written on the mezuzah is the Shema ("Hear O Israel..."), the mezuzah itself is sometimes also referred to as the Shema.
The practice of hanging mezuzot (the plural of mezuzah) on doorposts is mandated in the Torah and is observed by most Jewish families, even those who are not otherwise very observant or traditional.
Purpose of the Mezuzah
In Deuteronomy, after receiving the Ten Commandments from G-d on Mt. Sinai, Moses tells the Israelites:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our G-d, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ... Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-6,9
The primary purpose of hanging a mezuzah is to fulfill this biblical command. The mezuzah also serves as a reminder of Yahweh's laws and presence and is a symbol of Jewish identity. During first-century Jewish historian Josephus wrote in his Antiquities, "The greatest benefits of Yahweh are to be written on the doors... in order that his benevolent providence may be made known everywhere. According to Maimonides, the great 12th-century rabbi and philosopher, "By the commandment of the mezuzah, man is reminded of the unity of Yahweh and is aroused to the love of him."
Jewish Literacy, "When a Jew enters his house, he sees the mezuzah and is thereby reminded how he should act in his home. Likewise, when a Jew leaves the house, the mezuzah reminds him of the high level of behavior he is expected to maintain wherever he goes.
The issue became a matter of controversy in 1974, when Arab terrorists murdered 25 Jewish children inside a school in Israel. After the tragedy, it was discovered that the 25 mezuzot hanging in the school were not kosher (see below), and some Orthodox Jews interpreted that and similar incidents as a lesson to all Jews to ensure their mezuzot were kosher. The implication that Yahweh will punish those who do not have proper mezuzot has been widely denounced and few Jews would agree with such a notion. However, the mezuzah is still generally regarded by many as having protective powers or treated as a lucky charm.
The Mezuzah Scroll
Rabbinic law has established special regulations for the preparation of the mezuzah scroll, which are the same as the rules for the Torah scroll. The scroll cannot be printed using your computer or handwritten with a Bic ballpoint. In order to fulfill the commandment of the mezuzah, an observant Jewish scribe (called a sofer) must painstakingly write the 22 lines of 713 letters on kosher parchment using a kosher quill.
The mezuzah parchment comes from the skin of a kosher animal, usually a lamb or a goat. The quill is taken from a kosher fowl like a goose or a turkey, and the black ink is specially prepared from vegetable ingredients. The text must then be written perfectly and in the correct order.
The text inscribed on the mezuzah is the passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (some sources mention only the former). Translated into English, the mezuzah scroll reads:
Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources. And these things that I command you today shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you go on the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm and they shall be an ornament between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
And it shall happen, if you obey my commandments which I command you today, to love G-d within all your hearts and all your souls that I will give the rains of the land in its proper time, the light rains and the heavy rains, and you will gather your grain, your wine and your oil. I will give grass in your fields for your livestock. You will have enough to eat and you will be satisfied. Guard yourselves, lest your hearts lead you astray and you will serve other gods and you will bow to them. Yahweh will then become angry with you and will withhold the rain, and the land will not produce its bounty. You will quickly be lost from upon the good land that Yahweh has granted you. You shall place these words on your hearts and on your souls. You shall tie them as a sign on your arms and they shall be head ornaments between your eyes, and you shall teach them to your children to speak about them when you dwell in your house, when you travel on the road, when you lie down and when you arise. You shall inscribe them on the doorpost of your houses and your gates. So that you and your children may live many years on the land that Yahweh has promised to your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
On the back of the scroll, the word Shaddai, the name of Yahweh, is written in Hebrew. The Zohar, the text of Jewish mysticism, explains that this is appropriate because Shaddai's three Hebrew letters - shin, dalet, yad - stand for the phrase shomer daltot Yisrael, "protector of the doors of Israel."
The mezuzah scroll is placed in the case so that the shin of Shaddai shows through a small window, or, more commonly, the shin is engraved on the case itself (see photo, left).
It is also customary to inscribe the words kozu bemuchsaz kozu on the bottom of the back side of the mezuzah scroll. These are cryptic, magical words that were added in the mystically-inclined Middle Ages.
The three mystical words are formed by replacing each Hebrew letter in the phrase Adonoy Elohaynu Adonoy ("the Lord our G-d is the Lord") with the letter that follows it in the Hebrew alphabet. Jewish scholars, including Maimonides, opposed this practice as sheer superstition, but the custom continues today.
The Mezuzah Case
In order to protect the mezuzah scroll, it became customary to roll it up and place in a small case that could be affixed to the doorway. Except for the custom of including the Hebrew letter shin near the top (see above), there are no special rules for the mezuzah case and there are a wide variety of styles available today.
Where to Hang a Mezuzah
A mezuza must be affixed to the doorways of all permanent dwellings, which is generally defined as buildings in which people eat and sleep. The most common place to hang a mezuzah is on the doorway to one's home, but Jewish authorities generally teach it ought to be placed on all doorways of buildings (e.g. synagogues, schools) and rooms within buildings (e.g., the living room, dining room, bedroom; not bathroom, closet, utility room) where people eat or sleep.
Mezuzot are not affixed to the sukkkot, or booths, as these are only temporary dwellings. In Israel, it has become customary to affix mezuzot to the entrances of all public buildings, since parties and celebrations are often held there.
In addition to placing them on doorposts, many modern Jews also wear miniature mezuzot on necklaces, tie bars and cuff links. The mezuzah has become one of the primary symbols of Judaism, so this practice might be compared to the common Christian practice of wearing cross necklaces or other jewelry as a symbol of their faith. In addition, as indicated above, many Jews regard the mezuzah as a protective amulet or lucky charm.
Rituals and Practices Associated with the Mezuzah
A mezuzah is to be placed on the right side of a doorpost at or above eye level (defined as the upper one-third), which reflects its purpose of reminding Jews to remember and reach towards Yahweh. The mezuzah is hung in a slanting position (30°) with the top pointing towards the inside of the home or room. The general explanation for the slant is that there was a disagreement among rabbis as to whether it should be hung vertically or horizontally, which was resolved by placing it diagonally.
As with any Jewish ritual activity, there is a short prayer that should be said when affixing the mezuzah: "Blessed are you, Lord, our G-d, king of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah."
A mezuzah can become invalid or nonkosher if it becomes cracked or faded, so Jewish families usually have a scribe check the mezuzah once every few years.
It is a general Jewish custom to kiss holy objects as a gesture of reverence, and this extends to the mezuzah. Commonly, a Jew entering her home or synagogue will touch the mezuzah with the fingertips and kiss the fingertips that touched it. This is often accompanied by the prayer, "May G-d protect my going out and coming in, now and forever."
Mezuzot are almost always removed when a home is sold to ensure the sacred objects are not desecrated. However, if the home is being sold to another observant Jewish family, the mezuzot are left up so that the new owners will not have mezuzah-less doorways before they have a chance to buy their own. |