The Broken Mezuzahs That Revealed a Powerful Personal Message

Hashem sends us messages all the time. Some are soft and subtle. Others come through stronger signs or challenges. They can arrive through people, events, or even accidents. Our role is to pause and notice and to look deeper when something feels off.

But what happens when we’re too busy or distracted to notice? Sometimes, the messages come anyway. That’s exactly what happened to Moshe Amar, a 44-year-old Torah teacher and father of five from Bnei Brak, who gives regular Torah lessons in the city of Netanya.

One of Moshe’s favorite hobbies is tennis. But recently, that simple joy came to a painful halt when he tore a tendon in his leg. The pain was intense, and recovery was slow. Just when he thought he was getting better, his other leg suddenly became injured too.

“As someone who lives with emunah, faith and yirat Shamayim, a sense of awe for Hashem, I naturally began to reflect,” Moshe shares. “I asked myself, what could I be missing? What is Hashem trying to tell me through this pain?”

That moment of cheshbon hanefesh, honest soul-searching, led Moshe to an unexpected thought: “Check the mezuzahs in your house.”

He followed through and what he found left him speechless.

“The two mezuzahs that turned out to be invalid were from my bedroom and the living room exactly the places where I spend most of my time. But what really struck me was that both were damaged in the exact same place, in the word uv’lechtecha (when you walk), specifically at the letter tav. The word literally refers to walking and here I was, with torn tendons and struggling to walk.”

Why did that thought to check the mezuzahs come to him then?

“The Shulchan Aruch says that mezuzahs should be checked twice every seven years. I suddenly remembered it had been three years since I last checked them. I don’t have any logical explanation for the timing but clearly, Hashem gave me a nudge.”

When asked whether things improved after replacing the mezuzahs, Moshe speaks with both humility and clarity.

“The pain went down over time,” he says, “but that’s not the point. Replacing the mezuzahs wasn’t a magic fix, it was something we’re supposed to do. We’re commanded to fulfill Hashem’s will whether or not we see an immediate salvation.”

He adds, “If healing does come, that’s Hashem’s mercy. But we shouldn’t treat mitzvot like a transaction. We don’t do them to ‘get something’, we do them because that’s what we’re here for.”

Moshe also points out that healing isn’t only physical. “If there’s a spiritual root to the issue, and we don’t address it, the pain could return in another form, God forbid. That’s why it’s so important to look not just at the body, but also at the soul. Go to the doctor, take the medicine but also check your mezuzahs, work on your middot (character traits), and do what you can to reconnect with Hashem.”

In his case, the word uv’lechtecha, "when you walk" stood out clearly. “I realized that since I drive to Netanya every day for my Torah classes, I spend one and a half to two hours on the road. So I decided without making a vow that I’ll no longer use that time to chat on the phone or doze off. Instead, I’ll try to dedicate that time to Torah study. I felt that this was the message Hashem was sending me.”

Moshe’s conclusion is heartfelt: “I’m grateful for the chance to grow. I feel blessed to strengthen my learning, to walk on healthy legs, and to use my time in a way that brings me closer to Hashem.”