Today on Daily Bitachon, we continue our directives on how to make a proper kabbalah. We have spent a lot of time on this because it is not an easy concept. Our next rule is that we need to be mindful and add meaning to our kabbalah. A small action should not be purely mechanical; performing an action on autopilot causes it to lose its transformative power.
External Additions vs. Internal Transformation
To illustrate this important distinction, let us look at an example. Suppose someone's kabbalah is to purchase a pair of Rabbenu Tam tefillin. That is certainly a commendable practice, a genuine chumra, just like deciding to begin consuming only chalav Yisrael. These are worthy practices, and they should not be diminished. At the same time, such actions may not create friction or demand internal resistance. It costs money, you put them on, and it requires a few extra minutes.
There are two primary categories of kabbalot: one represents an added enhancement in religious observance, while the other centers on working on oneself and undergoing internal transformation.
The Inherent Power of Action
Even so, external additions should not be underrated; taking on an action does generate change. A relative once asked Rav Ben Tzion in his younger years, "Should I wear Rabbenu Tam tefillin?" The Rav answered affirmatively. When the man replied, "But I am not a Chassid," the Rav responded, "Put them on, and you will become a Chassid." Similarly, the Shulchan Aruch states that a Yarei Shamayim (God-fearing person) should review the Chumash with Rashi and Targum. What should one do if they do not yet feel like a Yarei Shamayim? Perform the practice, and through the action, you become one. Performing an action holds power, and we should not dismiss that.
Full Presence in Our Actions
Returning to the necessity of internal connection, consider a personal experience involving Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the Mashgiach of the Mir Yeshiva. Rav Yerucham's son, Rav Simcha Zissel Levovitz, lived in Monsey and published Rav Yerucham's sefarim, including Da'at Chochma U'Musar and Da'at Torah.
On Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul in Monsey, upon entering a basement with Rav Simcha Zissel, he did not kiss the mezuzah at the door. Noticing the observation, he explained: "You are probably wondering why I did not kiss the mezuzah. My father, Rav Yerucham, did not kiss the mezuzah because his Rebbe, the Alter of Kelm, did not kiss the mezuzah."
They were individuals of absolute truth (Emet). They maintained that if one kisses a mezuzah, one must be fully present and filled with genuine intent at that exact moment; if they did not experience that internal reality at that second, they avoided an insincere motion. Rav Simcha Zissel clarified that this was their unique standard—if everyone lived by that measure, many mitzvot might be neglected, so ordinary practice should certainly include kissing the mezuzah. The essential takeaway remains: to let an action truly affect you, you must be mentally present.
Infusing Action with Intent
When someone adopts a new practice—such as a stricter standard of kashrut—merely checking off the box is only a baseline. Genuine internal growth demands reflection. Ask yourself why you are doing it and what deeper meaning it holds. That intent transforms a routine action into a catalyst for character refinement.
The Rambam on the Awakening of the Mezuzah
The Rambam (Yad HaChazakah, Hilchot Mezuzah 6:13) emphasizes that a person must exercise great care regarding the mezuzah because it is a constant obligation upon everyone. Walking in and out of the home, one encounters the oneness of God (Hashem Echad) and recalls His love (V'ahavta). This reflection rouses a person from spiritual slumber and the pursuit of transient vanities, bringing the realization that nothing endures eternally except the knowledge of Tzur Ha'olam, the Rock of the world.
The Rambam notes that having tefillin on the head and arm, tzitzit on the garment, and a mezuzah on the door provides ongoing reminders that protect a person from sin—functioning like guardian angels, as expressed in the verse, "The angel of Hashem encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them" (Tehillim 34:8). This protection is not merely physical, but spiritual.
A Call to Awakening
Rav Wolbe points out that the Rambam uses the phrasing "wake up from your sleep" in three specific contexts: regarding the mezuzah, the sounding of the shofar, and during communal distress. The mezuzah carries the transformative wake-up power of the shofar. When a kabbalah is approached with that level of conscious awareness, it creates lasting personal change.
The Ramban and the Fundamentals of Faith
The Ramban (Shemot 13:16) explains that the mezuzah serves as a testimony to the miracles of the Exodus (Yetziat Mitzrayim). When one affixes a mezuzah with proper intent (v'nitkaven b'inyana), one actively affirms three foundational principles:
- Creation from Nothing (Chiddush Olam): God created the world.
- Divine Providence (Hashgachah): God knows and supervises all occurrences.
- Prophecy (Nevuah): God communicates His will to humanity.
Connecting the Mezuzah to Yetziat Mitzrayim
The Mezuzah and the Exodus
Pause for a moment and consider what just transpired: you kiss the mezuzah, and it immediately connects you to Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt). This raises an interesting question: why does a mezuzah evoke the memory of the Exodus when the text of the mezuzah does not explicitly mention Yetziat Mitzrayim at all?
While the Exodus is explicitly written in our tefillin, it is absent from the mezuzah. The Mechilta explains that placing a mezuzah on the doorpost commemorates the blood placed upon the doorposts during the Exodus. When you kiss the mezuzah, you recall the blood placed on the doors in Egypt—a moment when the Jewish people demonstrated total reliance on God, displaying fearlessness in the face of danger by openly confronting Egyptian idolatry. Thus, kissing the mezuzah directly connects back to that supreme act of faith in Yetziat Mitzrayim.
Others suggest that the declaration "Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad" is itself the core message of the Exodus. In either case, Yetziat Mitzrayim is intrinsically tied to Kriat Shema, as its third passage explicitly concludes with the remembrance of the Exodus (Zecher Yetziat Mitzrayim), which serves as our daily affirmation. There is an unmistakable bond between Shema Yisrael, V'haya Im Shamoa, and the message inscribed within the mezuzah.
The Three Pillars of Faith
How do we derive the core fundamentals of faith from the Exodus? Yetziat Mitzrayim establishes three central truths:
Creation: When God altered the laws of nature, it demonstrated that He created the world, as only the Creator possesses the power to change nature.
Divine Providence: God's direct intervention and punishment of the Egyptians proved that He is fully aware of all occurrences and actively supervises them.
Prophecy: God speaking directly to Moshe Rabbeinu established the reality of divine prophecy (nevuah).
These three principles form the bedrock of our faith: God created the universe, He exercises ongoing providence through reward and punishment, and He communicates through prophecy.
Echoes in the Rosh Hashanah Musaf
These exact three principles form the core structure of the Musaf prayers on Rosh Hashanah—the most pivotal Musaf of the year:
- Malchuyot: God is the King of the universe who created all existence.
- Zichronot: He remembers all deeds, overseeing reward and punishment.
- Shofrot: The shofar of Har Sinai, demonstrating prophecy and divine revelation.
Reflect on what occurs in that single instant: by kissing the mezuzah with proper focus, you tap into the essence of the Rosh Hashanah prayers, the message of the shofar, and the foundational lessons of Yetziat Mitzrayim. That is the transformative force of an action performed with genuine kavanah (intention). It is vastly different from merely kissing the doorpost on autopilot as you enter and leave.
Levels of Kabbalah and Personal Transformation
External additions and stringencies (chumrot) are inherently valuable, and adopting positive practices—whether buying an extra pair of tefillin, consuming chalav Yisrael, acquiring special matzot, or seeking the finest lulav and etrog—is certainly praiseworthy and adds sanctity (kedushah) to one's life.
However, there are distinct levels of commitment. A kabbalah designed to create true internal growth operates on the level of avodat Hashem (inner service of God). It is not merely an external checkmark, but a mindful commitment that actively elevates and transforms the person from within.