First Thoughts:

A TefillinSpiritualPrimer

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“The first thoughts of the dayare so important.

Tefillin give us the opportunityto focus those thoughts.”

Many of the quotations areexcerpted from the FJMC film

“The Ties that Bind”

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hen we wearTe f i l l i n we b indourselves to the highestsp i r i tua l l e v e l and

achieve a closeness to God that even thedeepest meditation cannot accomplish.

“The act of winding is very similar tothe act of putting on a bandage.”

“I put on Tefillin and daven every daybecause Tefillin bring me comfort.”

When we speak of “God’s hand”, we arespeaking of God’s action in the world.

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look at the strapson my hand, and Ithink that makes mea Mezuzah and I

carry the word of God.”

Judaism believes the Mitzvot exist to helpus find meaning in our lives.

With every Mitzvah we forge a spiritualbond with God.

In the case of Tef i l l in, this bond isspiritual as well as physical. We literallybind God’s love symbol to our bodies.Our sag e s t ea ch us tha t th ecommandment of Tefillin encompasses allothers. We can actually see and feel thebond.

“It’s one thing to talk about the mitzvot.It’s another thing to feel them on your body”

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lessings forputting onTefillin

The Arm TefillinWhen we say that God wears Tefillin, we aresaying that God’s purpose is bound up withthe concept of Israel.

This blessing is recited before tightening the tefillinon the bicep of the “weaker” arm:

Praised are You, Lord our God, King of theuniverse whose mitzvot add holiness to ourlife and gave us the mitzvah to put on tefillin.

Tighten the arm tefillin and wind the strap seventimes around your arm. Wrap the remainderaround your hand.

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The Head TefillinThe straps of the head Tefillin hang downthe front of the body. This indicates thatGod guides the forces of history, down toeven the lowest level.

This blessing is recited before tightening the tefillinon the head:

Praised are You, Lord our God, King of theuniverse whose mitzvot add holiness to ourlife and gave us the mitzvah of tefillin.

Praised be God’s glorious name throughoutall time.

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“I will betroth you to Me forever.

I will betroth you with righteousness,w i th jus t i c e , w i th l ov e , and w i thcompassion.

I will betroth you to Me with faithfulness,and you shall love the Lord.”

Hosea 2:21-22

The Hand TefillinWe wind the strap into the shape of a SHIN,a DALET and a YOD, forming one of thenames of God, an attribute of creation.These blessings are recited as you wind the strapsof the tefillin on your hand:

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ave you ever trulyloved?Have you ever felt soc l o s e t o ano th e r

human being that every moment togetherwas precious?

Where every moment apart was one oflonging?

Where every letter and memento from thisperson was something to be treasured?

“It’s almost as if God grasps your arm,holds on to you and says, ‘You can dothis, I’m with you, I’m supporting you.’”

“Tefillin for me is breakfast with God.”

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he greatest loveposs ib l e i s the lovebetween God and manand Tefillin are a sign

of this love. Faith and love are verytenuous things. We can speak of themand think about them. But unless we dosomething about them, we tend to forget.Tefillin serve to help us, remember to bea “reminder before your eyes”.

“I like to compare Tefillin to a satellitedish. That’s sort of what I feel like. I’mgetting hooked up to the spiritual satellitesystem. I have this super connection, likeI get every channel. I put Tefillin on andit takes me to another level. I ’m onanother level with God. It’s a feeling Idon’t get with just a Tallit. It’s more.”

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editation onwearing Tefillin:Adapted from the MidrashBreathe deeply with a cleansing breath:

When you lay Tefillin in the morning, youmay want to take a moment and meditateon the presence of the angels, the heavenlymessengers, and the SHECHINAH. Sitcomfortably with your eyes closed and imaginea presence touching your Open Arm. This isthe Angel Michael, drawing you closer to God.Your consciousness rises to a higher level, asyou become more aware of every heartbeat,every songbird outside your window, and youfeel a sense of oneness with the universe.Slowly shift your attention to your BoundArm. Feel the straps pressing tightly around it- you are bound within them. This binding isnot restrictive but liberating, like a loving couplebound in mutual love and respect to one

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another. Do you remember a wedding whereyou were bound up within the couples love?Taste that feeling, transfer it to your love ofthe God of creation. The Angel Gabriel willguide you on this path.

Before you, the Angel Uriel, directs your Vision.Imagine the BAYIT on your forehead as yourThird Eye. Uriel allows you to visualize thefuture, perhaps a glimpse of the Messiah. Letyourself believe the world is not an endlesscycle, but a continuously evolving organismconstantly perfecting itself, becoming not onlythe image of God, it is God.

Feel the place where the knotted straps at thebase of your skull where it joins the spine.Experience the Angel Raphael radiating healingdown the back of your neck, across yourshoulders, down across your chest, past yourinternal organs and into the seat of yourNEFESH, which is the soul’s link to thephysical world. Feel the healing power of

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God radiate throughout your body, yourheart, and your soul.

All around you, the lovely femininepresence of the SHECHINAH - God’sbride and feminine self - surrounds youin love. This is God’s love, expressed in away we can taste, smell, touch - the lovebetween two people; f riends, family,children, our life. God’s love radiates thelove in our hearts into the world. We cansense ourselves being aligned: the mind,the heart and the NEFESH - a straightvertical line reaching toward the heavens.Breathe deeply with a cleansing breath.

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he Jewish peoplewent to God and said,“We wou ld l i k e t oimmerse ourselves in

Torah day and night, but alas, we donot have the time” God responded to theJewish people “put on Tefillin and I willcount it as if you spent all your timewith my Torah”.

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od and man areworlds apart. On asp i r i tua l l e v e l , i twould be impossible

for the two ever to be brought together.

It is only in the physical world that Godand man can interact. In some ways bothcan bind themselves to the same physicalobject or action. In this way they arealmost physically pushed together.

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Mission StatementThe Federat ion of J ewish Men 's Clubs i scommitted to improving the quality of Jewishl i fe ; contr ibut ing to the enhancement o fConservative Jewish identity locally and world-wide; strengthening and building local JewishMen's Clubs; and the increasing of individualand organizational membership for the purposeof providing excellence in education, training,and social and community activity.

Further InformationFor further Information, please visit our internetwebsite, http://www.fjmc.org. We constantlyupdate it with new and exciting programs andinformation, along with information on joiningone of our affiliated men’s clubs.

Video Instruction AvailableThe FJMC has produced an award winningvideo, “The Ties that Bind”, which offerscomplete instructions on the mitzvah of Tefillin.Copies of the video are available at the website(FJMC Store) and through our Internationaloffice, 1-800-288-FJMC.

Involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life

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