How Shulamit Got her Son to Lay Tefillin Every Day
Today Josh and I came to Jaffa to celebrate our 28th (!) anniversary later this month, and to buy a new table from the lovely woman in this photo, Shulamit.
And while we were in her store, Shulamit shared with me the following incredible story:
“I see that you are also a believer. Most people who come in here I don’t tell this to them because I don’t wan’t them to fill my ears with unkind words. But you will for sure understand.
“I live my life with faith. I sit here and open up my Tikkun HaKlali and just say the first words “Hareini mekasher…” and right then a customer will say, ‘I want to buy this chair!’ ‘I want to buy this sofa!”
“I keep Shabbat. No phones, no electricity. And I tell you, anyone who doesn’t keep Shabbat is a freier! I work so hard on Friday cooking for everyone, but then Shabbat starts and it’s magic. It’s not just another day of the week. No calls. Just family. Why give up such a tremendous gift every week!
‘I have 5 children, my daughters wear pants and dress how they dress but they all keep Shabbat. I have grandchildren with names like Nachman and David, and one of my daughters sends her children to a religious gan.
“But I have one son who doesn’t keep Shabbat. I was really upset about it. So I decided that if he doesn’t keep Shabbat at least he should lay Tefillin every day. So I told him a story.
“I told my son, ‘Listen, you won’t believe the dream I had last night! I dreamt that you had on Tefillin, and your face was glowing so brightly! You looked like a great tsaddik!
“And b”H, this story really made an impression on him. It’s been a year and a half since then and my son is still laying Tefillin every day!
“He also spent Shabbat at my other son and saw how beautiful it is, he saw how after synagogue all the kids from the community were playing in the playground next door together. All the families together. He loved it.
“And the truth is, about the tefillin story I told my son, I wasn’t lying. I didn’t have this dream when I was sleeping, but I did have this dream for my son when I was awake! Day and night. And b”H my dream for my son came true.”
Photo by Joshua Weisberg
BEAUTIFUL, B’H!