The m’zuzah (mezuzah) is a small container that is attached to the doorframe of a home. It is a sign that the home which has this on their doorframe honors God and is dedicated to His will for their lives. God required His people who feared His name to publicly display His commandments in a container on the m’zuzah of their houses. The scripture about the m’zuzah comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our G-D, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your G-D with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on your doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” God told Israel (Christians are the modern-day Israel grafted in) to love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength, but He also told them to put the commandments on their hearts, tell their children talk about them at home and away from home. Verse 9 is the main text for this lesson, “write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” The Hebrew word m’zuzah (mezuzah) is the word for the doorjamb or doorframe of a house. The doorpost of a house in the Bible represented the family and what it stands for. What other sign do you remember that God required to be placed on the m’zuzah, Exodus 12:21-22? How unique is the doorframe of your house?

Over time, placing the commandments in a container became the custom, to protect God’s people. The Israelites, unlike many Christians today, reverenced the word of God. So much so, that they could not even say or write the names of God, they wrote it G-D or YHWH. How far does your reverence for G-D go? How flippant are you about the things of G-D, i.e.: your Bible, the temple (your body) where G-D resides (if you are a child of G-D’s)?

The m’zuzah is actually the written parchment with the Scriptures written on it. There are two passages of scripture written on the parchment (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21.) Of course, the parchment has to be Kosher (1 a: sanctioned by Jewish law; especially: ritually fit for use <kosher meat 2: being proper, acceptable, or satisfactory) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The box is just the container, but for ease of learning, the whole container will be called the m’zuzah. As Judaism developed, the rabbis determined which verses of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) would be written on the parchment. After thousands of years, the scripture has stayed remarkably consistent. The m’zuzah is a constant reminder to follow YHWH. Most often, even on the m’zuzahs that I have found today, the Hebrew letter shin is on the outside of the container. It is the first letter of an attribute of G-D. It is the first letter of the word Sh-D-Y (Shaddai) which means, almighty. It meant to the Israelites, “watchman of the doors.” Who better to watch over the door than Shaddai… the Almighty one! Does the Almighty One watch over your home? Have you invited him to, or are you still trying to do it yourself?

A m’zuzah can be placed on every doorway of a home except the bathroom (for defilement reasons.) It is common to see m’zuzahs on public building and synagogues in Israel.
Because of the great respect the Jews have for G-D’s word, it is customary to see them touch the m’zuzah as they pass through the door and kiss the fingers that touched the word Shaddai. It shows their love for G-D. How do you show your respect for G-D, publicly and privately?

There is a real significance in the New Testament regarding the m’zuzah. Jesus (Yeshua) affirmed the truth contained in the m’zuzah when he was asked a question by a Pharisee, “which commandment is the most important?” (Matthew 22:34-38.) Yeshua quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (one of the passages in the m’zuzah) when he answered the Pharisee’s question. Also, in John 10:7-10, Yeshua said m’zuzah when he talked to the disciples about being the gate. Jesus is our m’zuzah, the Almighty One, the Shaddai over our lives and homes! Jesus spoke in Hebrew (Aramaic), so He would have said m’zuzah, but it was translated into Greek for our New Testament into the word thura, which means, “doorway or doorpost.” Paul, in Ephesians 2:19-22, would have had in mind the m’zuzah when he talked about Yeshua being the “cornerstone” for the “holy temple for the Lord.” Is Yeshua the m’zuzah of your life today? If not, He can be, by telling Him and showing Him you want Him to be.

Are you, your family, and your home dedicated to the glory and obedience of G-D? Do you kiss the Shaddai of your life every day as you come to him? Revelation 3:20 says, “Look! Here I stand at the door (m’zuzah) and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends” (NLT). The meal is your daily bread, precious ones. What does the delivery person or other visitors see when they approach your house? Is there a witness for the YHWH there? It may be your only opportunity to say what you want to say to them. Will you ask YHWH what He wants you to apply to your life and doorpost as a result of what you have just learned? He wants to be your m’zuzah, will you allow Him?

El Shaddai,
Forgive me for holding back, my lack of regard, my not reaching out, touching, kissing, or showing my love for you. May I lavish my love upon you in obvious, tangible ways, so that others are drawn to you?
In Yeshua’s name,
Amen