I have been doing a little reading on the command given by Abba to write His word on our gates and door posts, Deut. 6:4-9 (as I also ponder the meaning of binding them on our heads as frontlets between our eyes and on our arms…but I am still looking for understanding in that part).
I know that there is a “kosher” way to hang a Mezuzah on our door post according to Judaism, however going by scripture, there is no written instruction as to how we are to “properly” write Abba’s commands but it does say we are to write them.
We do have a “kosher” Mezuzah given to us by a friend and I love it because it was a sweet gift. But we have done a couple of things on our own here to keep this commandment that I will share (So please excuse me if you are reading this and you are a “kosher” follower and like to do things that way, I have no problem with that but for me and my house, we are still searching for Abba’s heart in all the things we do as we seek to honor His instructions). I believe Abba is faithful to honor our efforts as we seek to remember His words to us.
Why do I want to write the commandments of Elohiem on my door posts?
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Deu 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Deu 11:15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Deu 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
Deu 11:17 And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
Deu 11:18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deu 11:19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 11:20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Deu 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
So, we write them because we are instructed to AND because there is always blessing for doing what we have been instructed to do.
Some suggest that the Mezuzah is to remind you of the blood of the lamb which when applied to doorposts in Egypt, prevented the destroying angel from entering the home, that is a very interesting thought because Abba’s words bring and protect life. But certainly one intent of having Abba’s words posted on the door posts is to remind those living in the home that the house has been dedicated to Elohiem and those who dwell there should commit to walk according to those instructions given by Him.
**Note, I am really leaning toward actually writing the Ten Commandments on my door posts rather than what we have done so far because it says to “write the commandments” but I’m sharing what we’ve done to date. Also, there are many beautiful Mezuzahs available today so which ever way you choose to honor Abba’s commands, I am sure that both will be a conversation starter that will give you opportunity to teach someone about Abba’s words.
Here’s a little background information about a Mezuzah as described in Orthodox Judaism
The word Mezuzah actually means door post.
According to Jewish tradition there are many “rules” that govern what would be considered a “kosher” Mezuzah” on your door post. A Mezuzah must be handwritten. If it is printed, copied, photographed, or produced by any means other than writing, then it is invalid and may not be used (But in defense of this practice, the scripture does say to “write” the commands).
It must be written with special ink on special parchment in Hebrew and there must be no mistakes or it is invalid and must be buried.
A Mezuzah must contain in Hebrew, in a special alphabet, the following two chapters: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and Deuteronomy 11:13-21. Anything else, or anything more or less is completely unacceptable.
On the back of the parchment is the Hebrew word 'shaddai,' or a Hebrew letter “shin” one of the mystical names for the Almighty. Shaddai is also an acronym in Hebrew for Shomer Daltot Yisrael, which means Guardian of the Gates of Israel.
A mezuzah must be attached on the upper third of the right-hand side of the doorway as one enters, no less than one hand-breadth from the top. A blessing precedes the hanging.
It is to be hung on the inside right door post on a slant pointing inward to the room you are entering and it is said that you should touch it or kiss it each time you go out or in. It is set in place as a reminder of Abba’s words to us, to remember Him.
So back to what we are doing to remember Abba’s command to write His commandments on our door posts at our house…
Having just described "kosher Mezuzah ettiquette" I will tell you that we do not seek to be kosher in light of rabinic tradition. We simply desire to honor Abba's words as He has given them to us. Plainly and simply out of a heart to please and honor him because He is our Heavenly Father. So to have a Mezuzah or not to have a Mezuzah is up to you. I don't feel you must own one in order to honor this commandment. We are simply instructed to write them on our doorposts. I believe each would be acceptable if done in faith that His word is true.
Now back to what we've done:) Here’s a picture of the Mezuzahs the boys and I made a while back beside the brass Mezuzah given to us.
The ones we made are made of Sculpey clay and I got the idea here: http://www.chadiscrafts.com/fun/claymezuzah.html This is a fun site with lots of creative ideas for little kids and adults. These were our first attempts and I think that once we got the hang of working with the clay we could do better. Making our own Mezuzah gives the kids a chance to put Abba’s instructions to work in their own lives and teaches them that every word spoke by Him matters.
Here’s another picture of what we did on the windows surrounding our doorposts.
I painted the first 10 Hebrew letters (religious or biblical text, and calendars in Hebrew will use Hebrew letters as numeric values… each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value so The first 10 letters have a value of 1-10) as a reminder of the “Ten Commandments”. But as I said before, I want to find a beautiful way to display them at the door.
I love to see them there by my door posts because it is a reminder to me several times each day of the strength of Abba’s power and promises that endure for all generations.
I am open for learning in this matter. However you are able to honor Abba's instructions to write His commandments on your door posts, I hope that His words are inscribed upon your hearts above all else.
Blessings, Traci
