Mitzvahland Judaica

Tefillin is one of the most important Mitzvot of the Torah . It has been observed and treasured for thousands of years, right down to the present day. The Torah mentions it more than once, but most explicitly "You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they should be for a reminder between your eyes." Tefillin  consists of two small leather boxes attached to leather straps. The two boxes each contain four sections of the  Torah  inscribed on parchment. These passages cite: The Shema  - pronouncing the Unity of The One G-d. Vehayah  - expressing G‑d's assurance to us of reward that will follow our observance of the Torah's precepts, and warning of retribution for disobedience to them. Kadesh  - the duty of the Jewish people to always remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage. Vehayah  - the obligation of every Jew to inform his children on these matters. One of the boxes (the "hand  Tefillin ") is placed upon the ...

The  Mezuzah No, it’s not a Jewish doorbell. It’s a home security device called a  mezuzah , and it’s wired into the Ultimate Protection Agency. The software inside this gadget is a scroll with the words beginning, “Hear O  Israel , the L‑rd is our  G‑d ; the L‑rd is one.” Those powerful words sum up the mandate of a Jew: to infuse the world with G‑d’s oneness. Regarding these words, G‑d has commanded us, “And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your home, and on your gates” (ibid., verse 9). Hence the  mezuzah :  a parchment scroll inscribed with the verses of the  Shema  prayer is affixed to the right doorpost of every room in a Jewish home. Why a Mezuzah ? In addition to its role as a declaration and reminder of our faith, the mezuzah is also a symbol of G‑d’s watchful care. The name of G‑d,  Sha-dai , which appears on the reverse side of the parchment, is an acronym for the Hebrew words which mean “Guardian of the doo...

To understand the significance of the M ezuzah , we must first explore the text written in it. As we have said before, these are the two  Torah  portions:  Shema and  Vehayah . These two portions, along with a third, comprise the prayer  Shema Yisrael... –  “Hear, O’  Israel ...”– which every observant Jew recites every day at least twice, in the morning and in the evening. This is the main Jewish prayer , the first a child learns and the last a Jew utters before returning his soul to the Creator. Let us look closely into these portions of Torah . Shema Text Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our  G‑d , the L-rd is One. And you shall love the L-rd your G‑d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the way, when you lie down and whe...