In addition to the daily ritual that I am privileged to perform of wrapping tefillin, I always associate tefillin with an important episode in my life. Ironically, it is related to my bar mitzvah but not for the usual reason.
When I became a bar mitzvah, I presented a sermon Shabbat morning that was identical to the one delivered by my three brothers on their bar mitzvah day. It was a Torah discussion written by my grandfather, Torah giant Rabbi Yosef Segal. The topic discussed was about a minor and his potential to fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin under different circumstances. I believe the same sermon was delivered by many cousins and by many boys in multiple generations of our extended family at their bar mitzvah. This Torah discussion and the family custom of giving it the exclusive slot at a family bar mitzvah gave us all a common thread and association. I have always found that connection very meaningful.
