The practice of the mezuzah finds it’s origins from a passage in Deuteronomy – “You shall love the lord God with all your heart and with your soul and with your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart… you shall write them on the doorsteps of your house and on your gates.” The mezuzah is a practice that Jews partake in which they purchase little tiny scolls calligraphied with the sixth and eleventh chapters of Deuteronomy encased in a wooden box nailed to their doors. This is one of the eleven practices that Lauren Winner writes about in her new book “Mudhouse Sabbath.”

Lauren Winner is a Jewish girl who converted from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, and found that she really missed the spiritual practices that she grew up with. She set out to incorporate some of those practices into her new faith. In the book, each of the eleven chapters is marked with a different Judaic practice such as Shabbat (Sabbath), Avelut (mourning), tzum (fasting), hachnassat orchim (hospitality), etc…

The idea of course, is not to feel obligated by spiritual practices, nor do they justify our faith. Rather, they are disciplines that help enrich our daily observances and help us focus our attention on God. They are the rhythms and routines of the day that are practiced individually and in community. Judaism has a lot to offer on this, and we as Christians, can learn much from the rich traditions of the historic people of God. As Lauren states: “Practicing the Spiritual disciplines does not make us Christians, instead, the practicing teaches us what it means to live as Christians.”

The book does not get theologically or historically deep on the practices and their origins. Lauren writes in a very conversational style and in many ways, very personal to how she applies the spiritual disciplines. The book is very short and a quick read, and is really carried by short stories in Lauren’s life. It is a fun book to read and helps you think about the importance of spiritual disciplines, particularly how the Jewish community has carried through Biblical minded traditions throughout the years. It helps me only further my obsession to wrestle with the priority of seeing the life of God formed in the people of God!

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