THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEFILLIN
Tefillin are a manifestation of a Jew’s physical connection to his Creator – a spiritual
conduit linking them powerfully yet intangibly. The Midrash tells us that just as
a Jew wears tefillin that contain his affirmation of faith; the Creator puts on
tefillin that affirm His love of the Jewish people.
To a young Jew becoming a bar mitzvah, the tefillin should be an object of
intense spiritual excitement. Unfortunately, in the modern world they are
often seen as archaic remnants of a past age relegated to the underwear
drawer after the initial photo-op; no longer relevant in the high-speed
world of computers and video games.
Tefillin are a manifestation of a Jew’s physical connection to his Creator – a spiritual conduit linking them powerfully yet intangibly. The Midrash tells us that just as a Jew wears tefillin that contain his affirmation of faith; the Creator puts on tefillin that affirm His love of the Jewish people.
To a young Jew becoming a bar mitzvah, the tefillin should be an object of intense spiritual excitement. Unfortunately, in the modern world they are often seen as archaic remnants of a past age relegated to the underwear drawer after the initial photo-op; no longer relevant in the high-speed world of computers and video games.
Tefillin today are made with very sophisticated equipment and technology. Heavy leather is formed in hydraulic presses; sophisticated computer-controlled machinery is used to shape, mold and color the tefillin. But, did Moshe Rabainu make his Tefillin that way?
Moshe Rabbeinu did not have hydraulic presses, nor was there machinery in the Sinai desert. Yet Moshe, of course, put on tefillin – as have Jews for untold generations since then. So how did Moshe Rabainu make his tefillin?
Let us follow in the footsteps of Moshe Rabainu – hand-crafting our own tefillin in a way that Moshe might have done. Let us together make a pair of kosher tefillin while discovering the spirit of the mitzvah of tefillin and learning the Halacha involved in creating and wearing them.
Let's make the connection.
