Question of the Week:
I received the following anonymous question exactly as presented here, unedited and in the original:
im not a jew but we have somthin the jews might like to buy of us. it is a
scrol made of deers leather with hebru writing on it, i do not no anything
about this religous item and was wondering if you and your jewish
community would be interisted in this, if yes get back in contuct. i have
evidence of this item and was wondering who to turn to if i would like to
sale such an item. thank you
I didn't get a good feeling from this question. It seems this guy has found or probably stolen a Mezuzah. It is a holy object, and if he throws it away or defaces it, that would be a serious desecration of G-d's name. On the other hand, Jewish law forbids paying too much to redeem a holy object, as it will only encourage more theft. So I needed to come up with a way to encourage the return of the scroll without overpaying.
Here's my response:
Answer:
The scroll that you are holding is a ticking time bomb.
It has little monetary value, as it cannot be used anymore. At most you may get a few dollars for it.
But it is a holy object. It has power. The highest power. And if it is mistreated it brings bad luck. Have you noticed a few things have gone wrong since you got it? As long as it is not in its rightful place, it is dangerous.
For your own safety, I suggest you immediately put the scroll in a plastic bag and tie up the bag. Then look for a house with a similar scroll affixed to the doorpost, and leave the bag in the mailbox.
I wish you only blessing, once you return the scroll.
Rabbi Moss
Do you agree with my response? Can you suggest a better one? I'd love to hear....
Sources:
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 39:7 (not to overpay)
Minchas Chinuch Mitzvah 423:2 (stolen Mezuzah can't be used)
Sefer Shmiras Haguf Vehanefesh 216 (dangerous to mishandle a Mezuzah)
Tehillim 18:27 (Veim Ikesh Tispatol)
Rashi on Bereishis 29:21 (Gam ani achiv beramous)