Hi,
"When one places a mezuzah one does not intend to guard the house, but rather to fulfill the mitzvah of Gd. The automatic result is protection of the home."
(Rabbi Yosef Karo, Kesef Mishneh to Laws of Mezuzah 5:4)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
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The automatic result of the mitzvah, or of the mezuzah itself? There are two ways to read this: either that the reward of the mitzvah includes extra protection, or that one should hang the mezuzah because it's a mitzvah even though the mitzvah protects. The former is philosophically simpler, the latter is simpler reading of the yerushalmi in Pei'ah about rebbe's gift to Artavan. (Although analyzing Rebbe's proof-text gives you wiggle room.)
ReplyDeleteRecalling that the mechaber was indeed a mequbal,and therefore might well be ascribing metaphysical power to an object, I don't now.
(Meanwhile, writing this comment took forever because my "tzeva adom" alarm is going off every few seconds. Hashem yeracheim.)
R' Micha-
ReplyDeleteWhich way to read it is unclear to me. Even the greater context in the Kesef Mishneh leaves it vague.