Yonkers barber Slava Shushakova’s mezuzah had been on his shop’s door for many years. Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz checked the old mezuzah, fixed any damaged Hebrew letters, checked that every letter was properly formed, certified that the mezuzah was kosher, and re-installed it on the barbershop’s doorway at 797A Yonkers Avenue, across from Yonkers Raceway, thus bringing great delight and joy to the barber.

A king sits on his throne with guards standing outside to protect him. Jews believe that by affixing the mezuzah to the doorway, our King is outside, protecting us as we are inside.

It is customary to have a mezuzah checked twice within every seven years, as human error, or cracks can develop, and Rabbi Hurwitz was glad to fulfill this important mitzvah.

Shushakova noticed that other barbers had raised their haircutting prices, and that customers were hurting from the higher prices. In response, Shushakova lowered his basic haircut price to $15, which attracted a great many more customers who had been letting their hair grow longer in between haircuts.

Robert Kalfus can be reached at [email protected] or 917 379-4165.