- Dear Editor,
-
-
- I wonder what Rabbi Stone would answer were someone to ask him,
'what is
- more important, the physical body or the soul'? I further wonder
what
- he would respond were he asked, 'is the purpose of Mitzvoth for the
- physical body or the soul'. I would imagine he would answer 'the
soul'
- is more important. Why, then, does he assume when Chazal state that
a
- "Mezuza is a protection" they mean a protection of the
physical? Isn't
- it possible they mean a protection for the soul? The Rambam states
in
- Hilchos Mezuza 6: 13 that a person should be careful in fulfilling
the
- Mitzva of Mezuza, "and every time a person comes in and goes
out he will
- come in contact with the Unity of the Name of HaShem and he will
- remember that he should love Him, he will then awaken from his sleep
and
- his nonsense of the vanities of the time. And he will know that
there
- is nothing that stands for ever and ever except the knowledge of the
- Rock of the world. Immediately he will return to his senses and go
in
- the straight path." He then shows his idea in the words of
Chazal, that
- a person who performs Tefilin, Tzizis and Mezuza properly will not
sin
- since he has many reminders. Are Chazal saying that a person that
has a
- kosher Mezuza has never sinned and will never sin? No person could
- honestly make such a claim. The Rambam is showing us the true
purpose
- behind Mezuza. A person must contemplate the profound ideas that are
- written on the parchment of the Mezuza whenever he sees it. These
truths
- will cause him to reflect on the reality of life. He will realize
that
- the only reality is true knowledge of HaShem. He will then be filled
- with a natural desire to do that which is true and he will cease
from
- sin. There is no doubt that this idea is the backbone for all the
- various Chazal and other Torah scholars that discuss Mezuza as a
- protection. A person's soul will be protected from harmful ideas if
he
- has the correct concepts of HaShem that are contained in the Mezuza.
A
- Mezuza is not some kind of magical device designed to give a person
a
- sense of security.
-
- I was amazed that Rabbi Stone could quote the Tur YD 285 as a proof
to
- his idea, when the Tur himself at the end of YD 288 in quoting his
- father, the Rosh, states, "and you should not make seals (for
the
- Mezuza) that appear as if you intend to make it into an amulet for
- protection. Rather, he should do the Mitzva properly to fulfill the
Word
- of the Creator, blessed be He, and He will watch us and He will save
us
- at our right hand." He does not say to do the Mitzva properly
so that
- the Mezuza will watch us, rather that HaShem will watch us. HaShem
is
- the only Protector, not a physical object. If as Rabbi Stone claims
a
- Mezuza was meant to protect us physically, why are we obligated to
check
- them twice every seven years? Should we not check them every day or
- even every minute? If we didn't, we would be in constant danger.
-
- Rabbi Stone says that claiming a Mezuza is not for our personal
benefit
- is contrary to Torah teaching. Yet, the Tur continued and quoted the
- Rambam's halacha that Mezuzas are not for our personal benefit. How
- could Rabbi Stone say that they are? Perhaps Rabbi Stone is the one
who
- should be checking his sources.
-
- I would like to respond to Rabbi Stone's comments regarding Rebbes,
as
- well. He claims that it is a degradation to deny the miraculous
powers
- of a Rebbe. He seems to think that the greatness of a Rebbe lies in
- miracle performing. This notion does not come from Torah. The
- greatness of a Torah leader is his chachma. The Torah itself tells
us
- this, "You should seek out from all the people men of ability
who fear
- HaShem, men of truth, hating unjust profit (Shemos 18: 21)."
Again in
- Devarim 1: 13 we learn, "Bring from among yourselves men of
chachma and
- understanding, well known to your tribes, and I will appoint them as
- your leaders." The Torah does not say "men of
miracles". I do not know
- why it is so important for Rabbi Stone to believe that Rebbes can
- perform miracles. I am quite sure he has never actually witnessed a
- miracle from a Rebbe. Perhaps he saw a Rebbe give a bracho to a sick
- person and that person recovered. This could hardly be considered a
- miracle. This type of event takes place in some of the most
primitive
- societies. Witchdoctors cure people all the time with this method.
It
- is a trick of the mind. A placebo. There are many people suffering
from
- all sorts of terrible diseases. If a Rebbe has the ability to
perform
- miracles, why doesn't he go to all the hospitals and cure them? Why
- doesn't he create money and provide it to all the poor people? The
- belief that a person has the inherent ability to perform miracles is
an
- idea that comes from the Other Nations. Let us not imitate their
ideas.
-
- Avraham B. Shimon
|