Blessing the Home and Affixing a Mezuzah

BLESSING THE HOME AND AFFIXING A MEZUZAH

Upon affixing mezuzah to your front door, your children’s bedroom doors, and your bedroom, recite:

ךֶלֶמ וּניֵהֹלֱא הוהי הָתּאַ ךוּרָבּ רֶשאַ םָלוֹעָה .הָזוּזְמ ַעוֹבְּקִל וּנָוִּצְו ויָתוְֹצִמְבּ וּנָשְׁדִּק Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Majesty of the world, who has made us holy with Your commandments and instructed us to affix a mezuzah.

BIRKAT HABAYIT – BLESSING THE HOME

.רַעַצ אוֹבָי אֹל רַעַּׁשַה הֶזְּב

.הָרָצ אוֹבָת אֹל הָריִּדַה תאֹזְּב .הָלָהֶּב אוֹבָת אֺל תֶלֶּדַה תאֹזְּב

.תֶקוֹלְחַמ אוֹבָת אֺל הָקָלְחַּמַה תאֹזְּב .םוֹלָׁשְו הָכָרְב יִהְּת םוֹקָּמַה הֶזְּב Let no sorrow come through this gate. Let no trouble come in this dwelling. Let no fright come through this door. Let no conflict come to this space. Let there be blessing and peace in this place.

הֶוָנ םוֹקָּמַה הֶז אֵהְי .םוֹלָׁשְל ןָּכְׁשִמ ,הָוְלַׁש הָּל ַחוּנָּת הֹּפ הָוֲחאַָה ךֹרְדִּת ןאָּכ הָחְמִׂשְו תַחַנ וּשְׁגָּפִי הֹּפ .הָחָלְצַהְו הָכָרְּב םִע הָרוֹקַּה תאֹז לֵצְּב .הָרוֹתּ לוֹק ןֵנוֹרְתִי הָּנִּפַה וֹזְּב ,ןוֹעָּמַה הֶזְּב .הָניִכְּׁשַה הָיוּרְׁש אֵהְּת Let this place be an oasis, A dwelling for peace. Here equanimity will find a seat, Here friendship will stride. Here satisfaction and joy will meet.

In the shade of this ceiling Torah song will be appealing. In this corner, in this home, The Shechinah Presence will roam.

THINK

Jews have been affixing mezuzahs (or in Hebrew mezuzot) to their doorways for millennia. While mezuzah literally means “doorpost,” it refers to a parchment inscribed with two sacred texts that is placed in a case (called a bayit) and attached to a doorpost. A mezuzah is a touch point that unites Jews across place and time, proclaiming a home as a sacred space. It represents the Jewish values of faithfulness and trust, peace and love, commitment and human dignity, and reminds us as we move through the rooms of our lives to uphold these values.

REFLECT

Inside the bayit, or “house,” of the mezuzah is a scroll with the words of the Shema, words that emphasize the Oneness of the Almighty and invite us to both recognize and emulate that Oneness. Are we ourselves One? Are we the same person at home as we are outside its doors? Where are we our best selves? Many of us reserve our best for others, behaving in ways at home that we wouldn’t in public. The Oneness of God invites a more holistic approach–to treat our family with respect, and to see in others our potential family.

CONNECT

Do you have a mezuzah? If not, start with one door in your home, most likely your front door, and affix one. If you already have a mezuzah, do you remember to acknowledge it when you come and go? Start by remembering to look. Then reach out to touch it. We often refer to rituals as “practices” but forget that they take practice! From visual acknowledgment to tangible recognition to a pause that inspires you to be your best self at home and on your way, the mezuzah reminds us to stay connected and grow as we move between the rooms and spaces of our lives.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Welcome. Help me provide a welcoming space for my family, for my friends, and for the stranger as well. May anyone who comes here find open arms and learn something new, discover a safe space and a warm embrace. May we know that even when someone leaves here, a part of them remains, having forever changed this place. Thank You, God, for this home, and for all the movement inside and out!

— Lani Preis, Atlanta, Georgia