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The Mezuzah Provides Protection |
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addition to the rewards we are promised for fulfilling the Mitzvah of Mezuzah, our sages
teach us that Mezuzot offer us divine guidance and protection. The Mitzvah of Mezuzah and
the Divine-protection-benefits that the Mezuzah offers us are often confused with one
another. Many do not realize that Mezuzot carry a clearly defined obligation from
the Torah. The protection is an additional benefit to the rewards for the Mitzvah
itself (which are stated in the paragraphs within the Mezuzah.) The Tagim, crowns on certain letters in the Mezuzah, carry mystical meaning. According to the Mishnah Berurah, which quotes the Igeres HaTiyul (end of Siman 36), there are certain prosecuting angels whose names correspond to the letters on which the crowns appear. The little crowns represent the swords and spears with which we can overpower them. Additionally, Seforim explain that when one does a sin, it creates a prosecuting angel who is able to cause harm to a person. The angels created by the Mitzvah of Mezuzah have a great power to protect a person from the prosecuting angels. The Tagim give them added strength they may sometimes need to defend us against the very powerful prosecuting angels we ourselves may have created because of our own careless sins. The Gemorrah in Shabbos tells us that there were only four people who never committed a single sin. Therefore, certainly we can use every bit of protection we can get... and the better the Mezuzah, the better the protection. One can think of a Mezuzah as an army of soldiers offering protection. The better equipped the army,the more protection they offer. Therefore, a Mezuzah equipped with every single Tag(crown),offers far greater protection than one that lacks them. The Talmud relates that when Unkeles, the Ger (proselyte) adopted the Jewish faith, the Roman emperor sent a company of soldiers to arrest him. As he was taken from his home, he stopped to place his hand over the Mezuzah. When the soldiers asked him to explain the meaning of his actions, he replied: "A mortal king lives within and hires guards to stand outside to protect him, but the Holy One has his servants inside while He stays outside to protect them, as the scriptures say: "G-d shall protect you as you come and as you leave, forever..." (Psalm 121,8) The soldiers were so impressed by this remark that they let him go and they, too, became Gerim (Proselytes.) |
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