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MEZUZAH CAMPAIGN ● TALKING POINTS MEZUZAH CAMPAIGN ● TALKING POINTS

Insights

• The Divine mandate of Mezuzah, to affix a scroll of inscribed by a pious, highly trained scribe, “on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates” (Exodus 6:9; 11:20) is included among commandments through which ones life might be a path toward the love of G-d. The Mezuzah is most commonly associated with the blood of the paschal sacrifice that the enslaved Israelites spread of the doorposts and lintels of their homes, an overt sign of their identity as a precursor to their exodus from Egypt. The relationship between the Mezuzah and affirmative Jewish identity of the home and family has never ceased. If anything, its urgency has become infinitely greater in an open society that begs assimilation.

• The Alte , Rabbi Shneur of Liadi, sets the backdrop for his magnum opus of Chasidic philosophy, Tanya, by underscoring that the infinite Divine forces of the universe are embodied in the microcosm of each human being, and vice versa. In its most basic sense, a home devoid of G-d’s presence is simply a collection of people. When that collection is surrounded by the spiritual aura of the Mezuzah, it becomes the point of connection between people and G-d, between the microcosm and the Divine. The home is no longer a collection of people, but a family with a Jewish soul. It is no longer merely a home, but a home enlivened by a G-dly spirit. The encircling spirit of the Mezuzah unites the family to celebrate the essential ideals of : – study, Avodah – worship, Gemilut Chasidim – acts of lovingkindness. Minds are drawn together through and the how- and-why of living a consecrated life through mitzvot. The family is united through shared opportunity for prayer at synagogue, blessings, niggun and celebratory dinners on Holy Days. Lovingkindness likewise makes the family one through charity, visiting the sick and homebound, bringing comfort to the mourners and so on.

• The word “Mezuzah” itself is apparently an oxymoron. Its root seems to come from “zuz,” meaning “to move away.” On the other hand, its prefix, “m” infers “permanence” or “stability.” Thus, the seeming oxymoron of “Mezuzah” appears to be “the stable place from which one moves away.” Mezuzah, however, is only a seeming oxymoron because, better understood, the Mezuzah is the nexus between the place of ultimate stability – ones home and family – and moving forward into a large, confusing and often hostile world. The stability of the Jewish home inspired by the Mezuzah prepares each man and woman with a sense of stability as s/he moves forth into a foreboding, yet alluring world, typified most by the expression, It’s a jungle out there!”

• We have learned since Sunday school that the presence of Mezuzot on the door of a Jewish home encircle the home with an aura of Divine protection. Indeed, the acronym for G-d’s name most closely associated with the Mezuzah, Sh-D-I, represents Shomer Daltot Yisrael, Guardian of the Doorposts of . On the other hand, we might also think of the Mezuzah as “protecting the Jew from himself.” It is, after all, the most overt sign of ones Jewishness. may be a function of privacy. Likewise the yarmulke, tzitzis, and Chumash. The Mezuzah, however, makes the irrefutable statement that one is beholding a home of who have sufficient pride to display their Jewish commitment. Whether the Mezuzah is respected or denigrated by a Jew or gentile, it nonetheless means that this is a home that broadcasts it Jewish identity without self-consciousness. It confers upon its residents a responsibility to live by higher values, for now s/he is openly associated by a potent symbol of Jewish presence, thus also a hedge against assimilation, today’s greatest threat to the integrity of Jewish peoplehood.

• A significant sidebar to Mezuzah and affirmative Jewish identity: One would assume that in the particularly open environment of the university campus, the overt statement of Jewish identity conveyed through the Mezuzah on ones dormitory door would be a foregone conclusion. Yet, quite the opposite has been true, as the issue has been submerged in Jewish self-consciousness, derision, even incidents of anti-Semitism. At the initiative of , Jewish students and professors are conducting Mezuzah campaigns on key campuses. These campaigns have not only stimulated an unimaginable increase in placement of Mezuzot, but significantly opened the door to numerous activities promoting , fellowship and pride.

• The Mezuzah consecrates the Jewish home, but the home also consecrates the Mezuzah. The most intimate point of connectedness between G-d’s spiritual power from above and human striving from below is the home. The Mezuzah elevates each mundane element of the home to the level of the Divine. Even the most humble kitchen is no longer a simple staging area for serving a meager meal. It becomes a place for commemorating the ennobling values of and brings forth dinners over which the sublime gifts of , Holy Days and simchas are celebrated. Likewise, the sanctity of ones home confers holiness on the Mezuzah, making it a generator of spiritual power worthy of surrounding the home with its aura. A home uplifted by a G-dly spirit makes the statement that a Mezuzah is no longer merely an inert slip of leather encased in an elaborate, expensive artistic showpiece.

• As Newsweek recently underscored in its cover story, the renaissance of spirituality has become the focus of international renewal. Thus, the practice of Mezuzah is being enthusiastically reappraised in the Jewish world as a nexus between the infinite and the mundane. Its historical and Biblical authenticity makes them particularly attractive, as it is perceived as a mystical bond with eternity. Such an articulation of spirituality through Mezuzah is not a newcomer to Judaism, but has certainly become a force to reawaken the Jewish soul.

Significance of Outreach

• While affixing the Mezuzah is a key Biblical commandment, the impetus to share its significance and beauty with fellow Jew has become a special calling of the Chasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement. The notion of “Chasidic Judaism” is largely misunderstood as simply a euphemism for “ultra-orthodoxy,” even by many Jews. Chasidism is indeed a form of , maintaining that the Jewish Bible (Torah) and Rabbinical tradition are Divinely revealed and completely binding in theology and practice. The moniker “ultra-orthodox,” particularly as it relates to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, could not be further from the truth.

• Inspired by Rabbi Israel , nearly 300 years ago, Chasidism lifted the somber veil off the stoical, intellectually elitist Judaism that had estranged so many simple, salt-of-the-earth Jews. Chasidism replaced the dark sobriety with joyous worship, warmth, and a non-judgmental place for everyone. Indeed, the Baal Shem Tov encountered the Messiah in a vision in which the Messiah declared that he would come to bless the world only when the wellsprings of this joyous, all-embracing Judaism would overflow its bounds.

• Some of the Baal Shem Tov’s disciples ultimately turned self-protective and inward. The Chasidim of Lubavitch (choosing the additional Kabbalistic name, “Chabad”), disciples of the Alte Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, have retained a fervent commitment to reach out non-judgmentally, and even at their peril, to Jews everywhere There they bring the message of Judaism’s beauty, enlightenment and the centrality of G-d and His commandments through all of life’s endeavors.

• Seven generations later, the energy of outreach has attained a fever pitch under the insistent guidance of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, simply know as “The Rebbe.” The Rebbe’s charisma and Divine inspiration galvanized an army of Rabbis and their spouses to convey Judaism from metropolitan areas to Jews in the smallest Third World communities, prisons, soldiers under fire, even refuseniks suffering Soviet tyranny, at the peril of their own incarceration, even death.

Mezuzah Outreach, Present Tense

• Over his four decades of leadership, The Rebbe’s mandate and organizational skills have established an international network of educational, cultural and outreach entities, many, but certainly not all of them, focused on a local or regional Chabad House guided by one or more Rabbinical couples who bring extensive strengths to their community. Most often, the couple begins their program from the ground up in areas heretofore relatively untouched by strong Jewish influence. This may entail extreme self-sacrifice, intensified by raising children in a locale often bereft of opportunities for intensive , playmates and other resources.

• At the same time, The Rebbe – with Divinely-inspired insight – has frequently declared particularly intensive campaigns, typically coordinated by the local Rabbinical couples. The campaign’s purpose is to encourage the performance of a particular as a stimulus for strengthening the Jewish spirit’s relationship to G-d and fellow Jew, and often responds to a particular spiritual or temporal crisis.

• Recently, a magnanimous contribution establishing a Mezuzah Bank has enabled every family who wishes to place a on the doorpost of their home, may receive one as a gift through the Bank.

• Thus, the current intensified Mezuzah outreach campaign focuses on encouraging Jews everywhere to avail themselves of the gifts of and Mezuzah Bank. The local/regional campaign is directed by the Chabad Rabbi in charge, whose responsibilities include community and media relations, curriculum development and education, coordination of activities with other Jewish entities, develop a high profile for the program, serving as conduit for procurement of Mezuzot, building one-on-one relations with program participants, creating activities to network program participants.