Mezuza Miracles

Everything that happens to us is G-d communicating what we need to do to get back on course and fulfill our mission in life.

The emotions we feel when things happen–the envy, the outrage we get when bad things happen to us or to others, are mere smoke screens that blind us to the next road sign Hashem put up for us to follow.

Miracle of the Gas Line

"This is going to take some time."

My wife and I started getting our new apartment ready so that, in a month's time, we would easily transition into our new home. Then the gas technician came in to connect the stove to the main line.

The problem was he couldn’t find the main line. Someone forgot to set it up.

We were told that it could take weeks, even months to dig into the insides of the building and set it up. Nobody had anticipated this disaster.

We weighed our options: stay in Netanya for an additional month and pay rent plus mortgage; buy an electric stove and fight to get reimbursed for the costs; stay in a hotel for a month while they tear up the floors…

There was another option: Put up a mezuza.

We thought that we would put up our mezuza once we moved in. Hashem was telling us to put one on right away.

We decided on the spot to put up a mezuza the next day.

Less than an hour later, another worker, doing something unrelated to this project, overheard our conversation and “suddenly” found the gas connection. It was installed in another area of the apartment. We put up the mezuza the next day and the stove was installed.

Miracle of the Super

A day before we were about to move in, we spoke to the head of the building. We said that we needed the lights on in the stairwell so we could use the stairs during Shabbat.

She refused. She told us that it costs too much in electric bills. We asked again. She got confrontational. Then she stormed off.

We were about to get very upset, but then we remembered the lesson Hashem taught us. We noticed that there was no mezuza at the entrance to the building, so we put one up.

A few days later, the same lady told us there were additional electric bills that were retroactively attached to the building, and the tenants had to pay them. These extra expenses had been on her mind when we made the request. She explained that it was simply bad timing that set her off.

She said that we could, of course, keep the stairway light on, and she even offered to reimburse us for the cost of the mezuza!

Lessons

Hashem taught us three lessons:

There are no bad events and no bad people in this world. It may feel like the forces of not-good are everywhere but in truth, it is all a test. Hashem is directing the traffic of our actions toward a great destination. To arrive at the greatest point in history, we need to brave huge tests. There cannot be tests without adversity. There cannot be huge tests without harsh forces pushing against us.

Everything seemingly bad is a message for our own good.

There is no need to get angry at anyone or anything. Everything in life comes directly from Hashem so there is no reason to be angry at anyone. Anger is a destructive emotion that takes away our focus.

Like a boxer who gets hit hard in the face, he cannot get emotional. He simply brushes it off and makes his next move.

Check your mezuzah once every 3.5 years. If you are moving into a new place, make sure the first item you put in your home is a mezuza!