Mezuza

In this past week's torah portion it tells of the mitzva of mezuza. the Talmud relates that Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi once sent a mezuza as a gift to the king of Persia, explaining that the small scroll would protect him from harm.

The commandment to affix a mezuza upon one's door posts was given only to the Jewish nation. A non-Jewish king, therefore, would not be fulfilling a religious principle by possessing a mezuza. As such, he would also be ineligible for any reward resulting from the performance of a mitzva. Why then did Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi promise the gentile king that the mezuza would guard and protect him?

When a person obeys G-d's command by fulfilling a mitzva, the reward he earns is a separate and distinct entity, additional to the essential nature of the mitzva itself. For example, the Torah states that the reward for the mitzva of mezuza is long life.

Yet besides the reward promised by the Torah, each mitzva has its own special attributes and characteristics that have nothing to do with reward, but are important parts of the mitzva itself. The mezuza's attribute is protection. Our sages explained that when a kosher mezuza is affixed to the door post, G-d Himself watches over the occupants of the house, even when they are not at home.

A mezuza is written solely for the purpose of protection, and, by its nature, it protects.

With this in mind, it becomes clear that even when no fulfillment of a religious precept is involved, a mezuza still possesses this attribute of protection. It was for this reason that Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi sent the mezuza as a gift to the Persian king.

From this we learn the crucial importance of having kosher mezuzot. The Jewish people, is always in need of special defense. Every additional mezuza affixed to a Jewish home extends G-d's Divine protection to the entire Jewish nation.