passages blog # 9

i have almost all my research and i meeting with my expert again today or tomorrow.  this week i will be working on my presentation.

passages blog # 8

While I scheduled when I was going to meet with my expert I noticed that he had a beautiful pair of tefillin cases. After that I noticed that everything he does that is connected with Judaism had something special added to it. Such as his Talis or his esrog for succus. My dad even told me that when he leads the prayers he pronounces every word carefully and correctly. For example most people cannot truly pronounce the Jewish letter ayin. It is a guttural sound made in the back of the throat. He taught himself to pronounce all the Hebrew letters as they should be. That is a level of devotion to Judaism that I hope to have.

passages blog # 7

i have put off working in my presentation because i wanted everything together before i started. so this week will be dedicated to making the power point and tying up loose ends. I will be meeting with my expert tomorrow at 5:30 after soccer practice.

passages blog #6

I finished my 1st book on Tifillin, i will start marking what i need for my presentation today.I am a bit frustrated with the Jewish Holidays, since i cant work on anything during those times. But i guess its all a part of being a Jew so i will roll with the punches and hopefully punch back.

passages bog#5

I need to make a meeting with my expert. Hopefully that will happen this week. I am almost done with the 1st part of my research. I asked my dad why he puts on his Tefillin, what meaning does it have to him. How he replied was partly expected.
“Because god commanded me to, and it’s a way I can connect with him.” But there was one more thing he said that surprised me.
“Every time I put on my Tefillin I feel as if my father is with me again. It’s a way I can connect to my past.” At that time I realized that Tefillin is so much more than some ritual. It’s a way that Jews connect to each other, every morning we all bind ourselves to god, to each other.

passages, blog #4

As I start my research on Tefillin I am already amazed on the symbolism and intricacies of Tefillin. I am beginning to understand when they say a scribe has to learn for years before he makes Tefillin. Hopefully this passage will bring more meaning to my prayers. There will be more on this in later blogs.

passages, blog #3

I needed to research tefillin, I wondered where I should start. The internet is annoying, especially looking for Jewish things. Partly because you don’t know if you’re getting an answer from a reformed Jew, conservative Jew or orthodox. So I asked my dad for books on Tefillin, and being the great Jewish guy that he is, he had a good sized book on Tefillin. He even went to my Shul library and picked up another one the he thought would help. By the end of this passage I am sure that I will owe a huge thanks to my dad.