- Clergy
- Shabbat
The exterior's a little shabby,
could use a coat of paint.
A bit worn after a hard year:
not a lot of curb appeal.
Most people walk right by.
Not you: you see
the mezuzah in the doorway,
the light in the living room.
You see my heart, tender
and afraid no one will ever want—
Tell me again that I'm worthy
even when I feel most broken.
Tell me again that my strength
is beautiful, and makes me whole.
-From Seven Poems for Ma’ariv by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat
I’ve been counting doorways this week. Yesterday I walked through over 50 thresholds. As I invited our meditation class to take a moment and think back through the day, envisioning all of the doorways we passed through, I took on the practice of treating every doorway I passed through this week as if it had a mezuzah installed upon it.
When we take the time to pause in a doorway, to reach out and kiss the mezuzah, we connect to a powerful symbol. The mezuzah is a religious symbol but it holds much more than just a ritual practice. Yes, inside are the words of the Sh’ma, connecting us to God and the people of Israel. It’s also encased in a beautiful outer shell as if to elevate those words that point toward oneness.
This signpost of our people provides us with a meaningful practice for everyday living. When we pass through each doorway, it’s a chance to ask ourselves, “How can I ground myself in what is truly important to me and carry it with me through this passageway?”; “What have I been ‘gifted’ with today that I do not want to bring with me as I pass through?”; “In what ways can I gird myself with strength from my tradition as I enter this next place?”
Not every doorway that we pass through will present us with an actual mezuzah to reach out and kiss. And then there are the literal thresholds that we pass through in addition to the many different ways we can pass from one state to another (ie. opening to a new page of a book, alighting upon a new idea, entering or exiting a highway ramp!). But each transitional space can offer us the chance to reflect, ground ourselves, and make plans of what we bring with us.
I hope that you might have a chance to ponder how many thresholds have you passed through today, taking a moment and see if you can map your day, noting each doorway or gate that you passed through. May we be mindful of each passing and stop to connect with our grounding, reaching out to kiss a real or imaginary mezuzah as we do so.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Kerith Spencer-Shapiro