Today's class has been Dedicated in memory of Shemuel ben Rahel, Samuel Sasson, by his children on his 25th yahrzeit.
The Gemarah, in Masechet Avodat Zara (11a) tells the story of the famous Onkelus HaGer (the convert), who was well known for his Targum on the Torah. He was the nephew of a great Roman Caesar, but he converted to Judaism. So, the Caesar sent his troops to bring his nephew back from the Jews. Onkelus ended up speaking with the troops, however, and they stayed and converted as well. Caesar then sent another troop, and the same thing happened. The Caesar advised the next group not to even talk to Onkelus, because he was too influential. So, the third group went to get him, and was careful not to speak with him, but as Onkelus was being brought out of the house, he kissed the mezuzah. The men got curious and asked him what it was. Onkelus answered that the custom of the world is that the flesh and blood king stays inside, while his servants guard him from the outside. But Hashem does the opposite. His servants are inside, and He guards them from the outside. He quotes a pasuk,
ה׳ ישמר צאתך ובאך מעתה ועד עולם
G-d will protect when you, you walk out of your house, and when you walk in, from now until forever.
Those troops converted as well, and the Ceasar stopped sending troops.
We see an important lesson from this; One that impressed Onkelus, and all those Roman troops so much that they converted- all from a simple mezuzah!
But if you think about it, Hashem is watching over us, and protecting us, and it’s very important to think about this when you enter and leave your house.
I would like to add even more depth to this, by pointing out that it’s not a coincidence that the pasuk that Onkelus quoted in reference to the mezuzah is from the famous Shir HaMaalot (Tehilim perek 121).
As we have said in the past, to truly appreciate any perek of tehilim, we have to know when it was said, the background and the context.
So we will take a closer look at this chapter, in order understand the context of when it was said the very first time.
(Of course, David HaMelech was the final writer of Tehillim, divinely inspired by G-d, but there were earlier authors)
שִׁ֗יר לַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת אֶשָּׂ֣א עֵ֭ינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִ֑ים מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי׃
I lift my eyes to the mountains; and I ask, from where will my help come?
The Midrash in Parashat Veyetzeh says that this Mizmor was said by Yaakov Avinu when he was on the run from Esav, on the road. He lifted his eyes up to the mountains-
הרים mountains can also be read as הורים parents- he was wondering about his Shidduch. When it was time for his father Yitzhak to marry, his grandfather Avraham sent Eliezer with ten camel loads of gifts. But now Yaakov had no money.
מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי
From where will my help come? He asked.
But then he said, I don’t have to figure out different ways for G-d.
עֶ֭זְרִי מֵעִ֣ם ה' עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃
My help comes from G-d directly, the One that made the heaven and earth.
He will take care of my shidduch, in ways I will not even understand.
And that is what happened.
He continues with pesukim of hizzuk:
אַל־יִתֵּ֣ן לַמּ֣וֹט רַגְלֶ֑ךָ אַל־יָ֝נ֗וּם שֹֽׁמְרֶֽךָ׃
He will not let your foot falter, He will not sleep
He will watch you. Why?
הִנֵּ֣ה לֹֽא־יָ֭נוּם וְלֹ֣א יִישָׁ֑ן שׁ֝וֹמֵ֗ר יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
G-d is the Watchman of the Jewish people. He is always watching over us. He does not nap or sleep.
We say this at night, in Arbit, before we go to sleep:
Hashem guards the Jewish people forever.
ה׳ שֹׁמְרֶ֑ךָ
Hashem is your Guard,
But there is a catch-
ה׳ צִ֝לְּךָ֗
G-d is like a shadow.
The Midrash says G-d is like a shadow means that like a shadow, whatever you put out, you get back. Put up one finger, you get one finger. Put up two fingers, you get two fingers. Whatever you put into the shadow is what you get back.
So too with Hashem, the amount of reliance you put in, and the amount you have G-d on your mind, that is how much protection you’re going to get.
עַל־יַ֥ד יְמִינֶֽךָ׃
Hashem is on your right side.
With that protection, all the forces of nature will not bother you.
יוֹמָ֗ם הַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ לֹֽא־יַכֶּ֗כָּה וְיָרֵ֥חַ בַּלָּֽיְלָה׃
The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon by night.
ה׳ יִשְׁמָרְךָ֥ מִכָּל־רָ֑ע יִ֝שְׁמֹ֗ר אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
Hashem will guard you from all evil; He will watch your soul.
The Midrash says this means, “I’ll watch you from Lavan, I’ll watch you from Esav.”
ה׳ יִשְׁמָר־צֵאתְךָ֥ וּבוֹאֶ֑ךָ מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
Every time you go in and out if the house, Hashem will protect you.
That refers to the mezuzah- as we quoted from Onkelus above.
Rashi tells us, based on a Gemarah in Masechet Pesachim, that each one of the Avot referred to his place of connection with G-d in a different way. Avraham Avinu called it Har HaMoriah -a mountain
Avraham was like a mountain.
Yitzhak Avinu viewed it as a Sadeh- a field. He went out to pray in the fields.
Yaakov Avinu called it a house - Bet Elokim. And that is why the Jewish people are called Bet Yaakov
Yaakov was the first one that set up a household - a Bet Yisrael (Yisrael was another name for Yaakov)
And a mezuzah goes on a house.
That is why this Mizmor, that Yaakov Avinu wrote, ends off with the pasuk of mezuzah. How many people realize that?
־צֵאתְךָ֥ וּבוֹאֶ֑ךָ מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
Every time you go in and out if the house, it’s the Shemirah of the mezuzah that protects you. Yaakov Avinu is the one that wrote the mizmor, because he’s the one that established the first Bet Yisrael, (and possibly the first mezuzah) His pasuk is the pasuk that Onkelus HaGer quoted, as a special protection; and that protection that is invoked by the mezuzah.
The protection of the mezuzah, that shemirah, is something so special that when a goy hears about it, he is so impressed by the mezuzah, he thinks: G-d watches over you? The king stands outside your house and watches over you?
You do not guard the king, the king watches over you?
I want to be a part of that religion!
That’s the power of the mezuzah, Be’ezrat Hashem, tomorrow we will continue to discuss exactly what it is about the mezuzah that protects us and the special shemirah of
־צֵאתְךָ֥ וּבוֹאֶ֑ךָ מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
Every time you go in and out of the house, Hashem will protect you.
Have a wonderful day.