The Handprint of Hope: A 2,000-Year-Old Journey of Survival

The handprint above may look unremarkable, but whenever I see it, I am awestruck by how the Jewish people have persevered in keeping Judaism alive despite all odds.

The handprint is the ancient mezuzah of the Bene Israel community of Bombay.

According to the community's tradition, in 175 BCE, a boat carrying Israelites from the Galilee was shipwrecked off the coast of India. Perhaps they were escaping Hellenist persecution that caused the Maccabees to rebel. Only seven couples survived. 

They settled in the villages along the Konkan coast, on the mainland near Bombay. Though they had lost all the holy objects and texts they may have had with them, they still observed the traditions and laws they remembered, including kashrut, circumcision, Shabbat, and holidays. They recited the only prayer they remembered—"Shema Yisrael"—at auspicious occasions, and marked the doorposts and lintels of their homes by dipping a hand in lamb's blood as their ancestors did to escape the Angel of Death before the exodus. 

The handprint became an astonishing, life-affirming symbol of redemption and survival, one that they renewed every Pesah (Passover). 

Today, Jews all over the world place a mezuzah (literally, doorpost) at the entrances to our homes to mark this miracle of survival and remember our redemption daily. Its contemporary form also dates back centuries: A tiny scroll with the words of the Shema are enclosed in a protective, decorative case. But the Bene Israeli handprint connects us viscerally with its biblical origin. 

The mitzvah of mezuzah is spelled out in Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21. The Torah tells is to write the words of the Shema (and the paragraphs following it) on the doorposts of our homes and upon our gates.  

Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Ehad.

Listen, Israel: The Lord is Our God. Adonai is One.

We, too, can reaffirm the power of redemption this Passover. As we cherish the perseverance of our ancestors, we hold onto our faith in the survival of the people of Israel--Am Yisrael--and take action to help bring about the healing of the world.

Tizkoo L'Shanim Rabot and Hag Sameah!
May we all merit many years. Happy Pesah.