What makes a Jewish home unique? The very first thing is the mezuzah on the front door. The story is told about a Roman prince who searched for truth and came to the conclusion that he wanted to convert to Judaism. He traveled to the land of Israel where he began to study with the Jewish sages and became a full-fledged Jew.
When word of this came to the emperor of Rome he was livid. How dare his nephew throw away the luxuries of palace life and take on the religion of the downtrodden Jews. He immediately sent his soldiers to bring Onkelos, his nephew back to Rome.
Onkelos was well known in the palace where he grew up. He was a very bright and friendly young lad and the favorite of the court. When the soldiers came to Israel and sat down with Onkelos, they asked him what made him do such a thing as to become a Jew. Onkelos explained the beauty of the Jewish religion to them and answered all their questions with insight and clarity. Indeed, the soldiers were so inspired that they decided to remain in Jerusalem and study more. Eventually they too converted and became Jewish.
When news of this came to the Roman emperor, he chose another group of soldiers to go fetch Onkelos. His instructions were clear. “Here is the edict for his arrest,” he said. “Now do not speak a word with him, just show him the edict and bring him back with you. That is my command.”
The soldiers came to Israel and found Onkelos at home. True to their mission, they presented him with the edict from his uncle without uttering a word. Onkelos began to pack a few things and followed them to the door. At the door, he raised his hand to the mezuzah attached to the door and kissed it. At this moment, the superstitious soldiers could not hold themselves back. They blurted out, “Onkelos, what kind of a curse are you putting on us?!”
Onkelos calmed them down and said, “Please come back into my house and I will explain to you what I was doing.”
Onkelos told them, “Your king sits in his palace and guards stand at the door day and night to watch over him. However, our G-d, the true King of the universe, stands at our door and at our gates and watches over us by day and by night.”
Tell us more, the soldiers requested, happy to be in the company of their beloved Onkelos.
Onkelos told them about Judaism and the many moral laws and G-dly wisdom of the Torah. He told them about the importance of helping each other and always doing good deeds. They listened attentively and when he was finished decided they wanted to learn more. Indeed, this group, too, converted to Judaism.
At this point the emperor realized he better not send any other legions.
Onkelos continued to study the Torah diligently until he became one of the greatest leaders of the Jewish people. Still today we study the interpretation of Onkelos on the Torah and he is considered as one of the greatest sages, who is a direct link to the teachings of Moses, our first leader.
