CTeenConnection

Written by: Michael Mandel

Every day I put on my pair of Tefillin and feel a strong and great connection to G-d and my Judaism. I feel as if all of my Jewish ancestors feel so proud of me. Many years ago they had experienced Anti Semitism and were scared that their Judaism would be gone—I am preserving it by taking part in this holy mitzvah. At first, after my Bar Mitzvah I thought it would be annoying and difficult to do. However, after spending time in my local Chabad house and participating in daily Shacharit services at school, I began to learn how to put them on correctly and to feel proud of my Judaism and Tefillin. After my Zaida Z”L passed away when I was fourteen, I inherited his pair of Tefillin. Whenever I wear my Tefillin I feel connected to him and that he is very proud of me conserving his Jewish roots.

The Mitzvah of Tefillin is a holy mitzvah that G-d commanded every male Jew over the age of thirteen to take part in every day except for Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Chol Hamoed. Tefillin can create a strong bond between a person and G-d. According to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, a Jew just needs to put Tefillin on once in his life to go to Gan Eden after he passes away. There are two black boxes needed for this mitzvah and within them are holy prayers from the Shema and the Torah that Jews recite daily. In 1967, the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged people more to do this mitzvah to support Israel during the Six-Day War. In the end, there was a great victory for Jews and Israelis as we won against the strongest Muslim nations. Now more than ever, when we, our family members, friends, and members of the Jewish community need all of G-d’s brachot to stay safe, happy, and healthy we should take it upon ourselves to do this every day. Even a few minutes of Tefillin can change the world forever.