Chanukat Habayit:
More Than Mezuzah
By RABBI ELLIOT PACHTER
Chanukat Habayit is the Jewish
ceremony of dedicating a new
home. Its name is similar to the
holiday which we are now
celebrating. Although Chanukah and
Chanukat Habayit have very little to
do with one another, they share a
common history.
In the Bible the term Chanukah
is used to indicate the ceremony
marking the official opening of the
portable Tabernacle, and later the
Temple. In Hebrew, the Temple is
called Beit Hamikdash, and its
dedication is ChanukaT Habayit,
literally "Dedication of the House."
The holiday of Chanukah
commemorates the re-dedication of
the Temple after it had been
dedication is Chanukah Habayit,
reminds us that every home is
potentially as sacred as the Holy
Temple.
Moving into a new home
requires a lot of preparation. There
are closing papers or leases to be
signed, funds to be obtained,
utilities to be turned on, change of
address forms to be filed, furniture
and possessions to be "shlepped."
There are the countless hours of
searching for the home, measuring
the dimensions prior to moving day,
making the repairs. There is
unpacking, hanging pictures,
learning the neighborhood. Then
there is the process of gaining
comfort in the new surroundings
until one truly feels "at home."
Where does Chanukat Habayit
fit in?
Chanukat Habayit is intially the
recitation of the appropriate
blessings and the affixing of a
mezuzah upon the doorpost. But it
is truly much more.
Chanukat Habayit means that
word of Torah are in plain view each
time we, or our guests, enter our
home. Chanukat Habayit means that
we have chosen to model our home
after the holiness of the Temple.
I learned a great deal about the
significance of Chanukat Habayit
recently from my father, Sidney
Pachter. My father is neither a rabbi
nor a Jewish scholar. But he is a
Jew who was challenged to explain
this mitzvah to the fullest extent.
This past summer my father
was a participant in Imun, a
program of the Conservative
movement to enhance the skills of
laity. One of the assignments was to
prepare a d'var Torah on a life cycle
event. My father assumed that this
would be something like: brit milah,
bar mitzvah, a wedding or funeral.
He was quite surprised to be
assigned the topic of Chanukat
Habayit. What follows is a slightly
modified form of his d'var Torah:
What can truly make this
ceremony into a memorable life-
cycle event? A home will be no
more than a house if its dedication
falls short of providing a new
Temple to the Lord. It should be
structured with the vital steel beams
of our existence — the ritual
observances of our tradition. The
heating system should be fueled by
acts of lovingkindness.
The builders of this fine home
have made a house. It is the
responsibility of those who dwell
therein to make this home as worthy
of God's existence as the Temple
itself.
A few months ago I became the
rabbi of Congregation B'nai Moshe
and consequently had the privilege
of participating in two ceremonies of
Chanukat Habayit. The first was in
honor of our new family home. The
second was the dedication of our
new synagogue building.
All who have ever participated
in the creation of a new synagogue
building, whether it be a
congregation's first home or a move
to a new location, will attest to the
mystical spirit which pervades such
an experience. After the weeks,
months and years of physical labor,
the climactic affixing of the
mezuzah helps us to focus on the
true meaning of the occasion.
Chaukat Habayit is a challenge
to make our homes and
synagogues, and even our
workplaces, sites which are worthy
of God's presence. We fulfill this
mitzvah by creating buildings which
contain the world of God and
people who live accordingly.
Rabbi Pachter is spiritual leader of
Congregation B'nai Moshe in West
Bloomfield.
Famous Facts
Q. What unusual vow did Henry Hayneman take?
Henry Heyneman, a Jewish
native of Munich who had
emigrated to Boston before the
Civil War, vowed that he would
walk from Boston to Washington,
D.C., to celebrate when the Union
Army captured Richmond. The
good news came in April 1865,
and Heyneman set out from
Boston with a light knapsack on
his shoulder and an American
flag in his hand. Unfortunately,
the newspaper that reported his
departure does not say how or if
he completed his journey.
Compiled by Dr. Matthew and Thomas Schwartz.