“And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.” (Deut. 6:9)
In biblical times, the doorpost of a house displayed a family’s values and identity. This is why God commanded the blood of the first Passover Lamb to be applied to the doorpost of each Israelite household: (Ex.12: 21–22)
The custom of ‘writing’ God’s Word on their doorposts has been observed for over 3000 years of Jewish history. Over time, this was replaced by a small container attached to the right-hand side of a door’s entrance known as a ‘mezuzah’ (Heb:“doorpost.”) Inside each mezuzah is contained a rectangular piece of parchment called a ‘klaf,’ made from a specially prepared skin of a biblically clean (kosher) animal. The ‘klaf’ is scribed with Hebrew lettering from Deut. 6:4–9 and Deut. 11:13–21. Often, the container displays the Hebrew letter ‘Shin’ on the outside, which stands for ‘Shaddai’ (Almighty God). The three Hebrew letters that make up the name ‘Shaddai’ (שַׁדַּי) is an acronym for ‘Shomer Daltot Yisrael’ (‘Keeper of the Doors of Israel’).
The mezuzahs decorating our own home are made from Jerusalem stone and have accompanied us in our travels around the world over a period of 40 years. In every place we lived, our identities were ‘nailed’ upon each doorpost acknowledging that our bodies are the outer shell that houses the essence of who we are in Him.
When Yeshua was asked which command was the most important, He replied from the same text in the mezuzah: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength.” (Mark 12:29; Deut. 6:4–5).
There is no specific reference to the mezuzah in the Brit Ha’dashah but its message resounds throughout its pages. True meaning is derived through the shed blood of Yeshua whose love demands a response.
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