Jewish Learning for the Day

Today's lesson is:

The Mezuzah 

We have these little gems in the doorway of every door in my office but I never knew what they were, only that a lot of the rabbis that came into the office touched it and kissed their fingers as they walked through the door.  But thanks to Avi and what he refers to as Judaism 101, I'm now much older and wiser.
 

These cases each contain a piece of parchment with the Shema handwritten on it. They're placed on the door frame in order to fulfill the commandment in Deut 6:9 to inscribe the words "on the doorpost of your houses." God's name is written on the back of the scroll. The custom is to touch the mezuzah and then kiss your fingers to show love and respect for God, his mitzvot (kindness), and the gift of his word. I love how seriously Judaism takes the word of God.

 

And that is reason 12,021 why I want to be Jewish.