This reflection was originally written for our religious school newsletter by Chaya Silver, Youth and Education Director. We’re sharing it here so our community and visitors can learn from this lesson at any time of year. Photo from JewBelong.

Experience has taught me that transitions, even when they are welcome, are treacherous. They involve change, and let’s face it, while some people handle change with grace, most of us find the process unsettling. Transitions can be complex. For example, if we had a terrible day at school or work and walk into a happy bustling house at dinner time, our negative attitude can quickly ruin the mood of the entire household. Many times, I have watched a teacher in a crummy mood enter a classroom where students are joyfully engaged in learning, and after just a short while, the teacher’s mood transforms from crummy to content. 

Transitions are an unavoidable fact of life and range from small moments (driving home from work) to momentous ones, such as the welcoming of a new baby or the loss of a family member. To be someone who navigates transitions well, it is best to remember to navigate them with attention, open-mindedness, confidence, and wisdom. Our Jewish tradition utilizes a modest token to help with this practice, the mezuzah. These small amulets are hung on doorways and entrances and are easily seen when entering or exiting a home. These days, the cases for mezuzot (plural) come in all forms, colors, shapes, and designs. However, no matter what the case looks like, it is what is on the inside that matters. 

Traditionally, inside each mezuzah is a scroll that contains verses from Torah. In the passages, we are reminded to keep our most important values uppermost in our minds, hearts, and actions when we go out into the world and when we return home; in essence, when we go through transitions. There are many stories and traditions associated with mezuzot, and each has something to teach us. The reason I touch a mezuzah when I enter or leave my home or go from one space in a building to another is to remind me that transitions are perilous. The mezuzah reminds me that seeing the holiness in other people is a core value in my life and that human interactions are most successful when they come from a place of loving with our whole heart, all our faith, and all our resources. If you haven’t put a mezuzah on your doorpost, you may wish to consider how this small symbolic Jewish item can make life’s transitions a little less perilous and a little more meaningful.

L’shalom,

Chaya Silver, Youth and Education Director