With people spending more time in their homes because of the coronavirus pandemic, sales of home-related goods from paint to furniture have skyrocketed. Now there’s a project to help Jewish households get a hold of the most important home-improvement items of all: a mezuzah for their doorway.
Mezuzahs are small parchment scrolls upon which the Hebrew words of the Shema prayer are handwritten by a scribe. They are then rolled up, placed in a case and affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes, designating the home as Jewish and reminding those who live there of their connection to G‑d and their heritage. In Jewish tradition mezuzah has always been connected with safety and security, something everyone can use an extra dose of nowadays.
But not everyone lives in a metropolitan area where mezuzahs are easily accessible or even available at all. That’s why Chabad-Lubavitch’s Merkos Suite 302, which provides programs and services for Chabad emissaries and institutions worldwide, came up with a new initiative that allows people to gift a mezuzah to family and neighbors, friends and colleagues.
“Chassidic tradition teaches that when when two people get together something good should come out of it for a third person,” explained Rabbi Mendy Ceitlin, who, together with Rabbi Mendy Plotkin, spearheaded the project at Merkos 302. “Mezuzah is one of the surest ways of protecting home and hearth; what more positive outcome could there be than to have a growing circle of people sharing that with others?”
Dubbed Project Protect, each kit comes with a high-quality, kosher parchment with the words of Shema written by a qualified sofer, a Jewish scribe, on it. Also included are a mezuzah case and instructions for how to affix the mezuzah to the doorpost. Normally, the parchment alone can run more than $40. Through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, the entire kit is only $26.
“The mitzvah of mezuzah is a simple way we can strengthen our connection to G‑d,,” said Rabbi Mendy Plotkin, who is spearheading the project at Merkos 302. “We bring G‑d directly into our homes, and thereby transform it.”
Dave Rich of Johns Creek, Ga., didn’t wait for someone else to gift him a mezuzah. Instead, when he heard about the project from Rabbi Gedalya Hertz, youth and teen director at Chabad of North Fulton, Ga., Rich went ahead and gifted himself with two new mezuzahs.
“I’ve been in this house for 28 years and ... had only one mezuzah on the front door,” he said. “I felt compelled to have more, and this opportunity allowed me to fulfill the mitzvah.”
Rich has found that having the new mezuzahs, including that one on the garage door the family uses most often to enter and exit their home, has had a concrete impact on him and his loved ones. “I’m much more cognizant when I enter my home and leave my home to kiss the mezuzah. My wife, Anita, is the same way. I think it really does what it’s supposed to do: put G‑d in the forefront of your thoughts.”
Plans to Provide Many Thousands With New Mezuzahs
Hundreds of people nationwide have ordered a mezuzah since the launch of “Project Protect” with the goal of reaching many thousands in the long term.
“We’ve gotten a great response,” said Ceitlin. “The people who have gotten it are very touched that someone is thinking about them and that want them to not only be protected, but have a tangible connection to their Judaism.”
Among those who have already received a mezuzah is a college student who “teared up” when she learned about the gift. “She said she always wanted one and just never got around to it,” related a “gifter.” And she is “so appreciative that she can now put one up on her college dorm room, so really, thank you so much!”
Inspired by the Rebbe’s Call
The concept of encouraging and assisting every Jew to have a kosher mezuzah on their doorway began in 1974, when the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—launched his global mezuzah campaign. Ever since Chabad emissaries, activists and volunteers have, inspired by the Rebbe’s call, assisted Jews around the world with putting up mezuzahs at their homes, offices, storefronts, warehouses, college dorm rooms and everywhere in between.
At the time, the Rebbe explained that in the Shema prayer it says that fulfilling the mitzvah of mezuzah “assures long life for you and your children.” In other words, a mezuzah protects the Jewish person and home even when its inhabitants are not at home.
“Very often, when someone came to the Rebbe asking for a blessing and health, he would instruct them to put up a mezuzah or check your mezuzah,” said Plotkin. “We know how important a good, kosher mezuzah can help with your health and happiness.”
The current project is part of a wider initiative from Merkos 302 called “Mitzvah Society” that will enable more Jews to partake in mitzvot from the comfort of their home. Future initiatives will include a Shabbat kit and a Chanukah Ambassador of Light kit, but the mezuzah project will remain a mainstay.
“Nothing says ‘I care about you,’ ” said Plotkin, “like gifting someone something as beautiful and important as a mezuzah.”
To learn more about “Project Protect” and order a mezuzah for someone, visit mezuzahitforward.com.
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