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A Blessing on your House

Friday, October 15, 2010 3 Comments »
Fiddler on the Roof is one of my all-time favorite musicals.  I thought of the lyrics to one of the songs this week; it's from Tevya's Dream.  "A blessing on your house, Mazel Tov, Mazel Tov!"

For those of you who may not be familiar with the Yiddish expression, "mazel tov", it is used as a response when someone has had particularly good fortune, or has celebrated a significant milestone in their life.   Someone tells you they just had a baby?  "Mazel tov!"  To the new bride & groom?  "Mazel tov!"  Just got a promotion at work?  "Mazel tov!"  Although it translates literally to "good luck", it's really used to say "Way to go!" or "Congratulations!".  It's always said with great joy and exuberance. 
 
Well, one of my friends, Ms. M.  has come through a particularly rough patch.  She is in the process of reshaping her life and moving forward on new paths.  Part of her journey involved selling her home of many years and moving to a different house.  The journey has not been easy, and the journey is by no means complete, but this Saturday marks a significant milestone for her. 
 
Ms. M. is having a House Blessing.  I'd never heard of a House Blessing before, but what a terrific idea.  She has invited family and friends to her new home to participate in a House Blessing service conducted by her church's pastor. What could be more meaningful than  inviting God to come into your home and be a part of it?  And what a wonderful thing to share with your friends.  The house will be blessed, we will rejoice with her in having achieved this milestone, and we will reaffirm our support of her on her journey. 
 
Way to go, Ms. M.!
 
"A blessing on your house, Mazel tov!  Mazel Tov!"

3 comments:

Pat said...

A college freind wrote on Face Book: "Whenever we moved to a new house, my mother and father always made sure that the first time we went into the house, we took a Bible (so God would be with us,) a penny (for wealth,) a loaf of bread (for sustanence,) and a broom (for cleanliness, of course."

Thanks, Nancy S.!

Denise in PA said...

Mazel tov! Ms. M. - and I wish her the very best of luck in her new home and life! My college-aged daughter and her new roommate are going to be blessing and cleaning their new little rental house soon too - I think it's a wonderful idea!

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

Blessings on your friend, her new home and her new life. Life is GOOD!