I am a certified Sofer STaM, living and working in Bergen County. It is my hope to have a continuing column giving you insights into the world of a sofer and how that impacts you.
The mezuzot of your house are more than just things to put on your doorposts. The act of affixing a mezuzah is an outward sign that we put our trust in God on a minute-by-minute basis. God, in return, protects us. According to halacha they should be checked every 3 ½ years to ensure that they have not become pasul.
In Tehillim psalm 12, The Guardian of Israel protects our going out and coming in from now and to eternity. The Zohar comments on this that the mezuzah protects you when you leave the house and when you come into the house. The Zohar was stating that we are not only protected when we are in the house but also wherever we are. The Zohar further states that the double Zayin in mezuzah stands for Zaz Mavet—push away death.
The Rambam writes:
Every Jew must be extremely scrupulous in observing the mitzvah of mezuzah since it is a permanent obligation on him. Every time a Jew enters or leaves the house, he is faced with the Name of God, with proclamation of the Unity of God; he reminds himself of his love for Him. He awakens from his slumber, from being engrossed in vanities and follies of the passing hour, and he realizes that there is nothing permanent or eternal, save the knowledge of the Rock of the Universe. He then returns to the righteous path.
On a mezuzah house call to an enormous house, with three full floors, beautifully done dark wood floors, countertops made of marble, granite or butcher-block wood, we settled ourselves at a custom-made dining room table easily 12 feet long without extensions. There were about 60 doors. When it came to checking the mezuzot, in truth, it was a pleasure. The mezuzot were all of the highest quality, each one mehudar, beautifully written, easy to check. As a sofer I derive a tremendous pleasure when I see quality work done by another sofer. The Ba’al HaBayit came in midway through to ask if everything was okay. We responded, “So far so good…but we aren’t finished…However, we just want to tell you how impressed we are with your mezuzot.” The Ba’al HaBayit responded with the following story.
“As the house was being built we had to meet with various craftsmen. My wife and I met with the plumber to pick out toilets, sinks and faucets. We met for God-knows-how-many hours looking at toilets. There are toilets for $800. There are toilets for $1,000. There are toilets for $1,500. Who knew there were so many toilets? In the end I didn’t go with the cheapest toilet nor did I go with the most expensive toilet, I went with something in the middle, around $1,200. That afternoon, by chance I happened to meet with the sofer to pick out mezuzot. The sofer showed me mezuzot for $50, which he said were l’chatchilah kosher. Then he showed me mezuzot for $70, for $85, for $100 and for $120. The price is not only based on the beauty but on the hidurim (additional extras that the sofer will do that may take more time but also raise the level of intent that sofer would have exhibited, thus making it a more beautiful mezuzah). He said, “my gut reaction was, ‘kosher is kosher’—I was going to go with the $50 mezuzah. As that thought passed through my mind I literally saw myself at the end of my days standing before God. When he reviewed my life with me, we got to this day, and God said to me, ‘You went with the $1,200 toilets and you took the $50 mezuzahs?’
“And that is why we have the best mezuzahs that we could afford!”
The above story is true. It is also illustrative of an attitude or approach to certain mitzvot. How many of us own an expensive house and drive a luxury car yet own an inexpensive pair of tefillin? Many times I have checked houses that could be on Homes of the Rich and Famous yet have mezuzot that I would classify as “I can’t find a reason to pasul it.”
As a sofer, there are many halachot concerning writing, being focused on exactly what one is writing and knowing that it is for the purchaser’s need to fulfill a mitzvah. Consider the quality of the mezuzot on your house, perhaps putting together an upgrade plan over time—and make sure that they are all still kosher.
Rabbi Rephael Hirsch is a Certified Sofer STaM living and servicing the Bergan County area. He checks mezuzahs in your home. He also sells, checks and repairs tefillin and mezuzahs. He can be contacted by phone at: 530-SOFERBC or 530-763-3722 or via email at: [email protected]. His website is: www.soferofbergencounty.com.
By Rephael Hirsch
