Protected Once Again

 So we're good friends with Rabbi Yossi and Nechama, and they take their mezuzot VERY seriously. That's the plural for mezuzah -- the little box Jews keep on their doorways, containing the prayer Schma "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One"). The actual important part is the parchment. I actually grew up thinking the important part is the decorative box that contains the parchment -- many folks only have the box without the parchment, which is pretty funny.

Anyway -- as very religious Jews, they put mezuzot on the entrance to every room in the house. When we moved into Villa Wifey, they wished to do that for us -- I negotiated down to 4 -- the front door, the Ds' bedrooms, and the door from which we enter the house from the garage.

In the way Catholics believe crosses and crucifixes actually protect the home -- orthodox Jews believe the same thing. And -- more or less -- things went well for the past nearly 20 years.

Well, in mid January Wifey had a health issue, from which she is thankfully recovering. When I told Rabbi Yossi -- he said we ought to check the mezuzot -- sometimes they get damaged over the years, and tradition says they lose their protective powers. Now -- perhaps this is scientifically proven absurd -- but I ain't taking no chances -- and so I agreed.

I removed the 4 plastic boxes and dropped them at Yossi's office. He would take them to a sofer, or scribe on Miami Beach, for checking they're still kosher. Well -- in the mean time, Yossi and Nechama caught Covid 19, and so there was a delay.

But -- in an interesting coincidence, we had a new front door installed -- a hurricane proof one -- and would have needed a new mezuzah anyway. Funny how life works.

Well - thankfully Rabbi Yossi and Nechama recovered, and Wifey and I got both our jabs, and so last night they came over to visit. We hadn't seen them in person in over a year -- and we're all new grandparents -- they have a 16 month old granddaughter, and we have our little man -- now 14 months. We met in 1995, and have truly grown in our lives together -- Rabbi Yossi and Nechama Bat Mitzvahed both Ds, performed their weddings, and Yossi officiated at the Little Man's bris. Amazing.

So I poured Yossi and I a couple of vodkas, Nechama had some kosher wine, and Wifey her usual: flavored seltzer. And after some great catch up, about all of the good times and riches and son of a bitches of the past quarter century, we got to work.

Rabbi Yossi and I said the prayer, and we affixed the main mezuzah to the front door, followed by the three more. But alas -- he has become a better negotiator, and this time we went upstairs to affix one to the master bedroom door post. He said it might liven things up in the marital relations department. Hey -- at my age - I'll take all the help I can get in that regard...

I can now happily report we are again in compliance. The sacred words now again affixed to my door posts. And Passover is right around the corner -- where the Torah teaches, the ancient Hebrews were spared the misery of the Angel of Death taking their first born sons, which happened to the Egyptians - to finally let our people go.

Of course -- the best part of the evening was spending time with our old, dear friends, who themselves just bought a new house, just doors away from the Chabad Center. They're renovating it, and hope to move in late Summer.

We recalled that we were their first guests at their first Shabbat dinner in Miami. D2 was 3, and fell asleep on the floor, and peed. Since it was shabbos, we couldn't clean it up, or even take the pee soaked blanket home to wash. They forgave her -- and we joked about that night at her wedding 2 Januarys ago. Thankfully she didn't pee on the floor that night, even though there was a LOT of dancing.

They definitely want us at the first shabbat in the new home. We will, of course, attend. Life goes on. And some protection from the Big Man, never hurts.