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August 9, 2002/Elul 1 5762, Vol. 54, No. 47
You can take it with you
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
We're moving.
Not far, just two zip codes, just four miles away. It's a short distance to travel, but a much longer emotional passage.
It was time for a change, my husband and I agreed. Remodel or move. The carpet was faded, the kitchen dated, the comfortable furnishings worn. And the kids were gone. Only the remnants of family life remained, bulging out of our closets, gathering dust on our shelves, overflowing our storage bins.
Our four children had been home to sift through the piles of school projects, photos and books. They had put aside their most sentimental possessions, leaving the disposal of the rest to our discretion. So here we sat, fingering hand painted challah covers, rereading award-winning high school essays, running our hands over the bronzed patina of athletic trophies, as if they were magic lamps that could miraculously transport us back in time.
This house - and all its beloved detritus - was home for 17 years. Now it was time to pack up and move on.
And probably take most of it with us.
No, not just the collection of Ben and Jerry's containers (almost every delectable flavor), the accumulation of beer cans from all over the world, the dried roses from boyfriends long gone, the framed prom photos, the dog-eared Judy Blume collection, the school theater programs, creased and worn. But the recollections of numerous first days at school, first dates, first starring roles. The memories of birthdays and anniversaries, of sukkah parties and Passover seders. The stuff that makes a house a home.
And the stuff goes with you wherever you go.
We were reminded of that on a recent afternoon spent counting the doorways in our new home, then affixing mezuzot onto each of its portals. As we pressed a self-stick case onto each door frame, we felt the strangeness that comes with change ease, the comfort that comes from familiarity take its place. This house, too, could be home.
The mezuzot contain a declaration of belief in God and a promise to follow the mitzvot, the holy commandments. The outside of each parchment is marked with Shaddai, a divine appellation as well as an abbreviation for the Hebrew words, shomer d'latei Yisrael, guardian of the gates of Israel. The mezuzot are said to protect or guard those within a home, affirming God's presence while reminding of our sacred obligations.
Great location, fabulous design, deluxe amenities can entice us to sell one house and buy another. And we often do. But, it is what we do inside the house that matters and makes it home.
Maimonides taught that a mezuzah is a constant reminder that nothing endures forever. Nothing physical, that is. So where we choose to live is immaterial. But the infinite richness of family life well-lived goes on forever. Packed in cartons, impressed on our memories, it's carried with us wherever we go.
Contact the writer at vicki_cabot@jewishaz.com.
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