As part of a community-wide project, TBE congregants came together to create more than 150 mezuzot for the doorways throughout our building. Made from glass, each mezuzah has a unique design. Most of our doors feature two mezuzot at different heights, so that people of all ages and heights can participate in the tradition of touching or kissing the mezuzah on the way in and out of the space.
The Hebrew word mezuzah means doorpost, and it is a sign and symbol that this space houses people committed to living a Jewish life. It reminds us that these spaces are holy places, and we should act according to our values both when we enter these rooms and when we go out into the world.
Traditionally, a mezuzah must be placed near the outside of a doorway “so that people might encounter [Hebrew: vayifga] the mezuzah immediately” (Menachot 33a-b). This became Jewish law. The Talmud’s words allude to the same story in Torah for which our community is named. When Jacob arrives at Beit El (“the House of God”), we read, vayifga hamakom: “He encountered the place” (Genesis 28:11). When Jacob has a vision of a ladder and angels connecting heaven and earth and exclaims, “How awe-inspiring this place is! Certainly, this is the house of God and the gateway to heaven!” (Genesis 28:17). The mezuzot remind us that when we arrive in our makom, we should be like Jacob, remembering that this is a holy place.
[Read more here from ReformJudaism.org about the tradition of touching a mezuzah when you enter a room.]
