Rabbi and Mrs. Margolis felt excited. They had just unpacked the last box (a strange mix of Tuvia’s Pokémon cards, random loose granola bars and sports equipment), and finally had time to relax in their new home. Rabbi Margolis sat on the couch with a cold water bottle and his wife sat down next to him, drinking seltzer. “Margalit, look at us!” the Rabbi began. “The new principal of the Margaret Margulies Academy and the new rabbi of Congregation Ahavat Avocado! Aren’t you proud?” Mrs. Margolis smiled. “Of course I am, Menashe. I am so thankful to Hashem for this opportunity and for our first house. Tuvia and Tzippy seem happy too, which was my biggest worry. Baruch HaShem!” She paused, and then continued. “By the way, we still haven’t found the mezuzahs. Can you call the movers tomorrow and see if we left any boxes behind?” Rabbi Margolis smiled. “Of course, of course.”
Good to his promise, Menashe called Maccabee Movers the next morning and found out that yes, one box was left behind. The owner of the company asked if he could send it with a truck coming the Margolis’ way in two weeks, and Rabbi Margolis happily agreed. However, when he told his wife, she was less pleased. “Menashe, I feel weird having no mezuzot on the doors, especially knowing we could have asked Maccabee to ship the box overnight.” Rabbi Margolis, however, had a fair response. “Sweetheart, you know Moshe from Maccabee Movers is making a wedding for his son in a month. He’s probably just trying to save as much as he can in the meanwhile. Plus, I called my rebbe; he said that in this situation it’s OK to wait.” And with that, the mezuzah issue was put on hold.
Two weeks later, the mezuzot had not yet arrived, but according to the shipping tracker, they would get there by Friday. During this time, the Margolis family seemed to settle into a happy routine. Tuvia and Tzippy were enjoying school, and both Menashe and Margalit were happy with their jobs. On Wednesday evening, after the children had gone to bed, Rabbi and Mrs. Margolis sat down to talk. Each had a challenge with which they hoped the other could help. “I don’t understand,” began the rabbi. “The people here have been so nice and respectful, and the turnout at my shiurim and davening has been great. Both the men and women all seem well educated and knowledgeable about the right way to daven. Yet, there is a lot of talking during tefillah, both on Shabbat and during the weekday. That’s my challenge; what’s yours?”
Margalit’s challenge turned out to be about talking as well. A veteran teacher at Margaret Margulies Academy was having trouble with her class. “She does everything right. Her classroom is a comfortable place to learn, she sets clear expectations and instructions, and follows through with enforcing them. The kids just won’t stop talking from the moment they enter the room. I don’t know what to tell her, and I don’t want to start threatening and punishing.” Rabbi Margolis smiled. “I might say we should check whether the word ‘v’dibarta’ in our mezuzah is missing, but…” Margalit reluctantly smiled back. “Haha, very funny. Any real advice?” But after an hour or so of conversation, neither Menachem nor Margalit had a good solution for either problem. Nonetheless, it was nice to talk and to share.
Finally, Friday came, as did the mezuzahs. Rabbi Margolis was home when they arrived, and he immediately began putting them up. However, before saying the bracha for the first one, the rabbi closed his eyes and put some thought into the mitzvah’s meaning. After a minute, he opened his eyes with a start, and started laughing to himself. “Of course, it’s the mezuzah, it’s the mezuzah!” said Rabbi Margolis with a chuckle. Halfway through mezuzah-fying his home, Margalit came home. “Margalit, come here!” shouted her husband excitedly. “I’ve solved our problems! It was the mezuzah after all!” Mrs. Margolis gave her husband a suspicious look, after which he hopped off the ladder and told her exactly what he meant.
Rabbi Margolis explained to his wife that part of the meaning behind mezuzah is to give us a sense of purpose when we walk into a house or room. Having Shema on the doorpost reminds us to keep Hashem in mind when we walk into any new situation. The tone must be set right at the beginning, when we walk into the room. Rabbi Margolis advised his wife to tell the teacher to meet her students at the door to the classroom each day and remind them of their obligation to the class. Additionally, Rabbi Margolis decided to update a sign posted by his shul’s main door. The sign, which originally read “Welcome to our shul, please make yourselves at home,” now also said “but please remember this is Hashem’s home first.”
Parshat Shoftim does not discuss the mitzvah of mezuzah, but it does include a reference. The parsha begins by telling us to post shoftim—judges—at the gates of the city. The word for “at your gates”—“b’sha’arecha”—is also used to tell us where to place a mezuzah. This teaches us the importance of setting the tone right when a situation begins—at its “gates.” Let us all put a little more effort into entering our homes, our shuls, and all situations with the correct focus.
Yair Daar is the director of Student Life at Bicultural Hebrew Academy High School. He can be reached at [email protected].
