And the LORD said to Cain,
“Why are you distressed,
And why is your face fallen?
Surely, if you do right,
There is uplift.
But if you do not do right
Sin crouches at the door;
Its urge is toward you,
Yet you can be its master.”
It is a universal custom to write the word Shaddai (Almighty) on the other side of the Mezuzah, opposite the blank space between the two sections. As this word is written on the outside, the practice is unobjectionable. They, however, who write names of angels, holy names, a Biblical text or inscriptions usual on seals, within the Mezuzah, are among those who have no portion in the world to come. For these fools not only fail to fulfill the commandment but they treat an important precept that expresses the Unity of God, the love of Him, and His worship, as if it were an amulet to promote their own personal interests.
(א) כנגד הריוח. וכ"כ הטור יו"ד סי' פר"ח בשם הרא"ש ז"ל והזוהר הקדוש כתב לכתבו כנגד תיבת והיה שבפנים והביאו מרן ז"ל וכתב עוד הטור ז"ל שם שנוהגים באשכנז וצרפת לכתוב מבחוץ כנגד ה' אלקינו ה' שם של י"ד אותיות הסמוכות לאותיות של ה' אלקינו ה' באלפא ביתא והם כוזו במוכסז כוזו ע"כ
Writing the name Shaddai is the opinion of many authorities, and in the holy book of Zohar it is said that it should be written opposite the word Vehayah.
In the lands of Ashkenaz and France, there is the custom to write the words God our God God in a code, in this way: Kuzu Bimuksaz Kuzu.
All this does not contradict the teachings of our rabbi, Maimonides....
“Happy is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My gates, guarding at My door posts” (Proverbs 8:34)... , Rav Ḥisda said: A person should always enter two doorways into the synagogue. This statement is unclear. Immediately, the Gemara asks: Does it enter your mind that Rav Ḥisda meant that one should enter two doorways literally? What if a synagogue only has a single doorway? Rather, emend his statement and say that Rav Ḥisda meant that one should enter a distance of two doorways into the synagogue and then pray. In entering a distance of two doorways, one fulfills the verse: Guarding at My door posts, in the plural.
Rabba said: It is a mitzva to place the Hanukkah lamp within the handbreadth adjacent to the entrance.
And where, on which side, does one place it? Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, said: On the right side of the entrance. Rav Shmuel from Difti said: On the left.
And the halakha is to place it on the left so that the Hanukkah lamp will be on the left and the mezuza on the right.
The Sages taught in a baraita: It is a mitzva to place the Hanukkah lamp at the entrance to one’s house on the outside, so that all can see it. If one lived upstairs, she places it at the window adjacent to the public domain. And in a time of danger, she places it on the table and that is sufficient.
(ה) תקס"ט א' דַּחֲנֻכָּה אַחַר הַדְלָקַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה בַּלַּיְלָה אוֹרֵחַ נִכְנַס לְבַעַל הַבַּיִת. וְשָׁאַל לְבַעַל־הַבַּיִת מֵאַיִן פַּרְנָסָתְךָ. וְהֵשִׁיב לוֹ אֵין לִי פַּרְנָסָה קְבוּעָה בְּבֵיתִי רַק מִחְיָתִי מִן הָעוֹלָם. וְשָׁאַל לוֹ מָה אַתָּה לוֹמֵד וְהֵשִׁיב לוֹ. וְהָיוּ מְשִׂיחִים יַחַד. עַד שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ בְּתוֹךְ שִׂיחַת דְּבָרִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִן הַלֵּב, וְהִתְחִיל הַבַּעַל הַבַּיִת לְהִשְׁתּוֹקֵק וּלְהִתְגַּעְגֵּעַ מְאֹד אֵיךְ מַשִּׂיגִים וּמַגִּיעִים לְאֵיזֶה דְּבַר מַעֲלָה שֶׁבִּקְדֻשָּׁה. אָמַר לוֹ הָאוֹרֵחַ אֲנִי אֶלְמַד עִמְּךָ וְתָמַהּ הַבַּעַל הַבַּיִת וְהִתְחִיל לַחֲשֹׁב אוּלַי אֵינוֹ בֶּן אָדָם כְּלָל. אַךְ חָזַר וְרָאָה שֶׁהוּא מְדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ כְּדֶרֶךְ בְּנֵי אָדָם. אַךְ תֵּכֶף נִתְחַזֵּק הָאֱמוּנָה אֶצְלוֹ לְהַאֲמִין בּוֹ. וְהִתְחִיל תֵּכֶף לְקָרְאוֹ רַבִּי, וְאָמַר לוֹ קֹדֶם כָּל אֲנִי מְבַקֵּשׁ לִלְמֹד מִכֶּם אֵיךְ לְהִתְנַהֵג בִּכְבוֹדְכֶם וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁאֶפְגֹּם מַמָּשׁ בִּכְבוֹדְכֶם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם רַק אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן בֶּן אָדָם קָשֶׁה לוֹ לְהִזָּהֵר לְגַמְרֵי כָּרָאוּי, עַל־כֵּן אֲנִי רוֹצֶה שֶׁתְּלַמְּדוּנִי אֵיךְ לִנְהֹג בִּכְבוֹדְכֶם. וְהֵשִׁיב לוֹ כָּעֵת אֵין לִי פְּנַאי, בְּעֵת אַחֵר אָבוֹא אֶצְלְךָ וַאֲלַמֶּדְךָ זֹאת, וְכָעֵת אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לֵילֵךְ מִכָּאן. וְאָמַר לוֹ גַּם עַל זֶה אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לִלְמֹד מִכֶּם כַּמָּה אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לְלַוּוֹת אֶתְכֶם, וְאָמַר לוֹ עַד אַחַר הַפֶּתַח וְהִתְחִיל לַחֲשֹׁב אֵיךְ אֵצֵא עִמּוֹ כִּי כָּעֵת אֲנִי עִמּוֹ בֵּין הַבְּרִיּוֹת וְאִם אֵצֵא עִמּוֹ לְבַדּוֹ מִי יוֹדֵעַ מִי הוּא וְשָׁאַל לוֹ וְאָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁ לִי פַּחַד לָצֵאת עִמָּכֶם הֵשִׁיב לוֹ אִם אֲנִי יָכוֹל כָּזֹאת לִלְמֹד עִמְּךָ. גַּם עַתָּה אִם אֶרְצֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת לְךָ אֵיזֶה דָּבָר מִי יִמְחֶה בְּיָדִי. וְיָצָא עִמּוֹ מִן הַפֶּתַח...
This tale was told in 1809, on the first night of Channukah.
A guest walked into the house, and asked the owner 'How do you make a living?' He started to explain that he has no fixed income, but only drew his life from things in the world. He asked 'what are you learning?', and the owner answered, and they started to talk together until they reached a conversation of words that flow from the heart.
The owner of the home started to yearn and long to reach something of intense holiness. The guest said "I can learn that with you." The owner was shocked and started to think: maybe this person is not human at all. But he looked again and saw that he was speaking normally. He suddenly wished to believe in him, and started addressing him as Rabbi, and said "First of all I wish to learn how to treat thee with honour, and it is not that I wish to dishonour thee, no, God forbid, but yet nonetheless, it is hard for a mere mortal to pay attention continually and fully, therefore I wish to learn how to properly honour thee."
The guest responded: "I have no time at the moment, I'll come back another time and teach you. Now I need to leave this place." He cried: "This too I need to learn from thee, how do I accompany you out?" He said "Just after the doorway."
He started to think, how can I go with him? Now I'm with other people, but once we are alone outside, who knows who he is? And he said "I am scared to go with you!".... and they walked through the doorway.