Ch & Ch Blossoms Diary: A mezuzah story

      
        The LORD will watch over your coming and your going
        from this time forth and forevermore.           Psalm 121:8

 Note:  This story does contain challah!

A few months ago, all the doors of the apartments in our building were changed.
It was in the planning for a while, and at last we got new green doors to replace the old (green doors!) that had started to creak and jam and some other concerns for which it was unanimous in the building that we would change them all.

The workman and his team did the work efficiently and smoothly and thankfully now we all have new doors.  As it was a big work that was being done in the doorway, where the mezuzah is on the door frame,  I prayed a blessing on the workmen, and for a blessing on all those getting new doors that they would sanctify their homes and hearts to the LORD!! and that the mezuzah would be fine through it！

You are to write (these words) on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
                                                                                     Deuteronomy 6:9

For those who don't know what a mezuzah is, it is the little "box" with a scroll in it containing the "Shema", words from Deuteronomy 6:4~9 that gets affixed on the doorposts.  It is a commandment to speak these words and teach these words and keep them on our heart and to put those words "on the doorposts of your house".  It reminds us of the LORD's sovereignty in our lives and homes.  As we are human, these "physical" reminders of God's presence in our lives serve a beautiful and holy purpose.  Beautiful in that there really are so many beautiful mezuzot (link HERE to some you can see on a Judaica site!).  Holy because when you enter the house after all the worldly things we run around doing outside and then you come to the threshold of your home, you look up and see that simple yet beautiful box and know that is a reminder to focus on the things above.  It makes coming into your home a sacred act and brings new meaning even to the doorway, and to that simple act of entering the door ーーreach up and give it a little touch and then your hand a sweet kiss !!!

 a few months later---。。。

After the new door was put in, the old "screen door" that is on the inside  looked even more shabby in contrast , and I had been realizing for some time I wanted to change that too.  I had been trying to arrange with the workman who did the doors for us to put in the new screen door, and finally this past week it was done.  When he came in to do the work, he  and his co-workman started to quickly and methodically take down the "door frame".  I was surprised and hadn't realized that there was a separate door frame that went just with the screen door, and that is the place where I had affixed our mezuzah!!

So I was watching as my mezuzah was going out of the house with the door frame!!  I quickly interrupted!! And said to him, that--pointing to the mezuzah--  that has to stay!! Of course I had no idea to communicate that it was a "mezuzah".  I am sure that even with all  of doors he has replaced and door frames, this would be his first encounter with a mezuzah, and I decided unless he asked, I wasn't going to explain as this would be difficult in Japanese.  But I needed to let him know it was important to me and to ask him to handle that area of the door frame with care, and that I would remove it.  Once he saw how it was attached he took a knife blade and carefully removed it as I watched.  It was just attached with a heavy duty double stick tape.

I have to add here, that I had been praying for this workman that somehow God would give him a revelation of Himself, through his encounter with the mezuzah.  Maybe he would see a TV show on the Jewish people , as sometimes on the Japanese TV there are such documentaries, and that he would encounter the meaning of a mezuzah in that way, or in a dream Yeshua would appear and tell him what it was, or any way that the Holy Spirit would show Himself!! That was my prayer.  Dear LORD, please if in any way reveal a knowledge of you and a YOUR love in this encounter.  I believed a divine encounter was being set-up here, as he was doing this work that concentrated on the door post of our home.

He finished the work, and said he needed to come back to paint some areas on the door frame.  After that,  I paid for the work right away at its completion.  Then he said he needed to come back again to bring me the receipt.  I said he could leave it in the postbox, but he was insistent about bringing it in person. I figured that was a formality and proper closure for this business.  But when he came to the door next time, he had brought me a bag of bread!!

As I  received the bread,  a divine light fell on  the scene and I could feel the presence of the Holy spirit.  Bread! An encounter with bread so unexpectedly like this, that took place within the door posts of the house.   In the glow of the moment,  I wanted to give him something, and remembered I had a challah.  I usually give one of the  challah to someone on the weekend of each Shabbat, but that last week I had one "saved" in the freezer for when an opportune time came!   I ran and got it, and explained about it being frozen, but in any case he was glad to receive it and bowed a thank you, as is customary in Japan.  I did the same to thank him, and the divine light remained on us in that doorway until our thanks were completed, bread exchanged, and we each turned in or out leaving from the space of the doorway to go on our ways!!

PS Oh my goodness, I just realized something! Does anyone recall my recent upload for the Red Bean Challah? He gave me red bean bread!!! (as well as other kind of coffee cake bread).

About the photos below!
  When I was in Israel I loved seeing the "physical" reminders of God's commandments everywhere, and on every doorway is a mezzuzah.  I saw beautiful ones, old and new.  Somehow though I didn't take any photos of them, just "experienced" them!.   So although I didn't actually take any pictures of a mezuzah, I did a little detective work into my photos from Israel, and when you zoom in on the doorways in these photos,  below, you can see on the right side of the doorway, facing slightly in to the shops, a little long thin rectangular box!! That is a mezuzah!!

Can you find the Mezzuzah in each?  Hint, in the first photo there are many mezuzot in the shop window!!

can you see the mezuzah affixed to the doorways on these two shops?  above, a Jewish art and fashion shop, below a bagel shop! both in Jerusalem

Blessings and a happy day to you filled with new and divine encounters in your comings and goings!
Shalom!

Love,♡
Shayndel

The mezuzah on this doorway is a little harder to see at first, but there it is if you can zoom in, between the red door frame and the beautiful blossoming at the entrance

I am the door*! If anyone comes in through Me, he will be saved.  
He will come and go and find pasture.    
John 10:9

*or, Gate

Concluding remarks and observations of what I learned through the meeting with the workman!

 God's commandments are gifts for all who desire and choose to walk in His ways.   They are  "new" each time we lovingly do them.  Not only that, but when we do them and do them lovingly and obediently without asking for explanations of why, He reveals to us something about Himself, and how they are so "now" as He is the same as always and forever.    His mercies are new every morning!

Sometimes the commands in the physical can help us to do the commands of the "spiritual".  I.e, my conclusion here is that  observing the command to affix a mezzuzah to my door, brought about this moment that He was able to manifest a "Love thy neighbor as thyself" experience!!  Without the mezuzzah, I can honestly say that I think this exchange with the workman would have been "business as usual", unless I was to have that spiritual insight on my own about the doorway (which I am sure I wouldn't have without the "training" from the commandment of the Mezzuzah through which he teaches us ).   But who knows?  Only God knows!!

From down here on earth, I find that the mezuzzah is a gift and a blessing, and draws me closer to the God of Heaven.

photo from in Israel: Capernum,
Yeshua's town where he often taught in the synagogues, this shows the remains of one of the synagogues where he taught.