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.

Passages, blog #2

I started to look for experts and emailed a Tefillin maker. It set me back when he said he had no time to answer questions until after my passage was done. Luckily I found someone at my Shul who knows how to repair them and therefore knows almost as much as a real scribe.

Proposal for Passage

I am doing a passage on Tefillin. what i plan on researching and presenting is

·         What are Tefillin?

·         The scrolls that are in the Tefillin

·         Why they are picked

·         Symbolism of Tefillin

·         commandment comes from the written Torah

·         How to make them, and what they are come from the oral tradition. The written Torah does not give any details.

·         How they are made

·         Different traditions on how they are made.

·         The process: pictures

·         Role of the scribe, his training, years of it.

·         Demonstration on how to put it on and put it away