The Tefillin Project was created to give the opportunity to every man from age 13 and older to have and use their very own pair of Tefillin. Just as Israel is the birthright to every Jew regardless if you have ever been to Israel not, Tefillin is the Birthright of every Jewish male - the right of passage to adulthood. What is this right of passage, and why is it so strongly symbolized in the putting on of Tefillin?
The right of passage is the maturity level that is reached by both body and soul at the age of 13, as they begin working as partners to connect, elevate and transform the world we live in by way of Mitzvot - from honoring your partners, to helping the poor, to eating Matzot, studying Torah, etc.
Tefillin, which is donned on the head, and on the arm (next to the the heart), act as a daily reminder that our head and heart, while at times feel at odds, can ultimately work well together. When they do, we are creating in a most perfect way, our right of passage.
Also, The arm and the head are the two basic instruments of life: action and knowledge. The Tefillin represent the "binding" and dedication of these instruments of life to serve G‑d.
We hope you or someone you may know, will benefit from this opportunity to have your own pair of Tefillin and wear them daily. May your heart and head work in harmony as you begin to transform our world into a better place with the light of Torah and Mitzvot.
Just before the outbreak of the war, an active campaign to push observance by Jewish males over 13 years of age to do the "mitzvah" of tefillin was launched by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the "Lubavitcher Rebbe" of New York—leader of a Hasidic sect with branches throughout the world.
Since the Six Day War in June which resulted in the creation of a unitedJerusalem as part of Israel, more than 400,000 members of the Jewish faith are estimated to have observed the commandment to wear Phylacteries—tefillin In Hebrew—at the city's Western, formerly known as the "Wailing” Wall.
The Boston Globe - November 24, 1967
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