From a talk Rabbi Goldie Milgram gave to a gathering in an alley of Shargorad, Ukraine, during her first teaching assignment:

“When we Jews come to the door of our homes, we aren’t meant to run right in and spill the shmutz of the day out onto those inside. Instead we are taught to pause before entering our homes and to notice that little box on the doorpost that is called a mezuzah. Inside that little box is a tiny scroll with a section of Torah written upon it. It is from devarim, ‘Deuteronomy,’ and includes the message shema v’ahavtah, ‘Listen so that you can love.’

“The mezuzah is actually a Jewish consciousness-shifting tool, reminding you to pause at the doorways of your homes, to pause and remember to enter shema v’ahavtah, listening so that you can love.”

Pause in your religious imagination and listen at the doorposts of your home. What do you hear?

Walk through your home. Is there a particular room that most needs to be renewed spiritually?

Consider taking this walk with other occupants, including children of all ages, and listen to what they recall without becoming defensive. Listen so that all can love.

Goldie Milgram in Meaning & Mitzvah