Hi all, my name is Rebecca E. and this is the story of the most romantic (yes you heard correctly, romantic!) Mezuzah I have ever seen, owned or even heard of.
It all started around this time last year, when my boyfriend Josh and I went to his parents summer home in the Hamptons for what seemed like just another “escape from the city” weekend at the time. Turns out Joshy had a ring in his pocket (O. M. G. Stunning!) and wedding bells in his heart. He wasted no time, proposing to me on the very first sun-drenched beach we visited. My reaction was perhaps a little less ladylike than I would have preferred (I would like to apologize to the nice elderly couple that was sitting next us, I am truly sorry if I startled you with my screaming and carrying-on…) but, in my defense, I had been ready and waiting for this moment for a long time and was quiet overcome with joy. It was happening. It was really HAPPENING!!!
Now to the Romantic Mezuzah.
Josh and I received many gifts, trinkets and packages in the weeks and months leading up to our big day (special thanks to my dear aunts, all five of whom felt simultaneously inspired to send us toasters… love you guys anyway! ). But there was one small gift-wrapped box, with an embossed card bearing the name of an old college friend, that first caught my eye and later stole my heart.
As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, that box contained a Mezuzah. But this was no ordinary Mezuzah, rather it was a Mezuzah that had been specially designed to hold within it’s exquisitely ornate frame the broken fragments of the glass traditionally smashed by the groom on his (our!) wedding day. From the moment I saw it, I knew it was genius. I had always known about the glass-breaking custom, and despite the classic explanations (which totally make sense by the way) I have always felt like it symbolized a final (albeit pretty minor) adversity that would bring an end to all trouble and suffering in the young couples lives forever (or at least until their first kid became a teenager…).
Now, thanks to this thoughtful gift (which also included beautifully designed cups for the actual breaking), my home is now guarded not only by the spiritual energy of the Kosher Mezuzah Scroll, but by the cherished memory of our first moment as a married couple as well, a memory held forever in the glass shards we collected under the Chuppah (marriage canopy) and poured into the Mezuzha case.
I pass this Mezuzah countless times every day, and each time I see it I am reminded, each time I see it my heart is filled with a glowing warmth, each time I see it I smile.
So if any of you out there reading this are looking for the perfect wedding gift for that friend or relative check out the Wedding Broken Glass Mezuzah – Ani Ledodi by Gary Rosenthal Collection (don’t forget the special cups they make for breaking), and give the couple the gift of a memory they will cherish forever!