The Bishop's Request: A Jewish Merchant's Dilemma

Zalman from Salzburg felt overwhelmed by his predicament. Only minutes ago, he thought his life had miraculously come together. Now, everything was hanging by a thread...

Just yesterday, upon arriving at the bishop of Salzburg's new castle to finalize the sale of horses for the new stable, the bishop received him with exaggerated politeness, making Zalman suspicious. After concluding the deal, the bishop turned to him and said: "Zalman, I trust only you with my horse dealings, and I know your profit isn't much—I see you barely make a living. With seven children, may Hashem bless you, I want to propose a deal. I understand that you Jews place a sacred charm at your doorways—a 'mezuzah' you call it—which protects you from harm. I, more than anyone, know about the plots and schemes devised against you, which seem to dissolve inexplicably. I've heard of a bishop who placed a Jewish mezuzah at his entrance, and no one could breach his fortress. I am certain this mezuzah works. All I ask is for you to obtain such a mezuzah for me to place at the gate of my new castle. Don’t worry, it will be hidden, but it will protect me. There's a lot of tension with Baron Lichtenstein, and I need special protection. If you bring me this mezuzah, you’ll never want for anything again. But if you try to outsmart me, as Jews often do, your situation will worsen."

Zalman left the castle delighted, planning which mezuzah to buy for the bishop, imagining his future. Yet, upon reaching home, his wife posed a simple question: "Is it permissible to sell a mezuzah to a non-Jew?" "Why shouldn’t it be?" Zalman asked. "Just as you can’t perform a circumcision for a non-Jew, or let them observe Shabbat... I don’t know—You must ask a great scholar, though unfortunately, we don't have one around here."

Zalman, feeling his dream shattering, found a messenger heading to Mainz on the Rhine, a Jewish city. He sent a hurried letter to his uncle, Rabbi Yaakov Molin, the Maharil, the foremost Ashkenazi authority. The Maharil wrote a lengthy response to his nephew Rabbi Zalman, but since the messenger was in a hurry, he only conveyed the concise directive: forbidden.

This is what the Maharil wrote in his responsa, section 123: "My wise relative, Rabbi Zalman of Salzburg, asked me for a ruling on whether it is permissible to deliver a mezuzah to a non-Jew, as his bishop strongly requested one to place in his fortress, promising to reward him for life. He was worried that refusal might bring ruin from the ruler. And the Maharil presented several reasons why it is forbidden to deliver a mezuzah to a non-Jew and regretted that the messenger was in a hurry and could not leave a copy of the response with me."

The reasons for the prohibition, according to the Maharil, include the fear that the non-Jew will disrespect the mezuzah, which is sacred, as sages decreed to purchase books, tefillin, and mezuzahs from non-Jews to prevent demeaning them. And even if the non-Jew desires it for protection, who says that after he dies, his son will honor it?

Another reason: When a non-Jew possesses a sacred Jewish object, he might present himself as Jewish, for example, hanging a mezuzah on a house entrance, and Jews might mistakenly trust him and perhaps even eat his food.

But what about danger? Given the bishop’s threat to Zalman?

On this the Maharil writes: "We can evade the non-Jew... to us, it is very sacred, but to them, it is useless... [to us, it is holy and meaningful, to them, it is not at all] and because we are reminded of the unity of Hashem and the yoke of the kingdom of heaven and mitzvot upon entry and exit, that merit saves and protects us, and to them, it becomes a reminder of sin, as they act contrary to our faith. As for the fortress saved by a mezuzah, it was mere coincidence. Our tradition dictates that no harm comes to a Jew who holds firm to his faith and does not deviate from it at all, in the eyes of the rulers, and they view us as genuine."

The Maharil teaches us from ancient Jewish experience that while at first glance it may seem safer to comply with a gentile's demand, the truth is opposite—seeing a Jew firm in his beliefs makes the gentile value him as genuine, trust him even in business, and avoid harming him. If the gentile sees Zalman disregarding his faith and laws, his respect and favor will diminish. Thus says the Maharil, as is our long-held tradition!

In today's world, it’s common for someone owning a rental property, abroad or even locally, to have a mezuzah at the entrance. Should the property be rented to a non-Jew, the mezuzah should be removed to avoid being mistaken for a Jew. One can easily imagine undesirable situations, such as a relationship developing based on the mezuzah at the door—"If he has a mezuzah, he must be Jewish." Hence, the general guidance from scholars is to remove the mezuzah while a non-Jew occupies the home.