Tefillin might be my favorite mitzvah.
Not just because it’s a physical way to literally tie into Judaism and to prepare for prayer and not just because it’s the same action that my father, sheyichyehi, my grandfather, and my ancestors have done since Sinai. Tefillin is special to me because, thanks to the Rebbe’s tefillin campaign, it is the mitzvah I have had the zechus to personally share with the most fellow Jews.
In 1967 as The Six-Day War loomed, the Rebbe launched tefillin campaigns encouraging Jewish men of all backgrounds to fulfill the mitzvah. Though some initially couldn’t recognize the genius, the entire Jewish world has embraced the tefillin campaign, and Jews from every stream help others to wrap.
In yeshiva, every Friday, I would take time from my studies to visit local businesses, encouraging them to wrap. This incredible act has continued in my adult life and has brought me together with so many fellow Jews. From the 98-year-old Holocaust survivor wrapping for the first time, to the refugee of Soviet Russia who first expressed interest in the days after October 7, from heroes of the IDF serving on the front lines to the Jew sitting next to me on a flight to Charlotte last week, tefillin has given me a connection to so many brothers.
The Rebbe taught us to appreciate every mitzvah, and more importantly every Jew.
There are many ways to tell a fellow Jew you love them.
My favorite is: Excuse me, have you wrapped tefillin today?
