Bar Mitzvah Tefillin

Bar-Mitzvah Tefillin Set

What significance should the Tefillin have for a Bar Mitzvah boy on the occasion of this special milestone and for the rest of his life?

The commandment of Tefillin is derived by the sages from the verse in the Bible, "and you shall bind them as a sign upon your arms and they shall be a reminder between your eyes." Love is a very powerful attribute. Yet us human beings have difficulty with such abstract concepts; despite the fact that we can understand the feeling of having every decision and thought molded by concern for one's beloved, it is hard to quantify or display this love. Out of this difficulty was born the wedding band. The wedding band is essentially a simple piece of gold or silver that can be bought and worn by anyone. However, society designated the wedding band as a sign of committed love.

Similarly, G-d's love for His people affects every decision He makes as He wishes to benefit His people. He is aware that as mortal beings this abstract love can be hard to grasp so he gave us Tefillin as a tangible sign of His eternal love. Wherever a Jew may be he wears his Tefillin and they are far more than two leather boxes and straps; they are a sign of a Divine bond.

Every weekday morning, the Jewish man from the age of thirteen is obligated to put on his Tefillin. By doing so he unites his intellect and emotions- this is illustrated by the placement of the Tefillin boxes opposite his heart (the seat of his emotions) and on his head (home to his intellect). By uniting them he is making a gesture of thanks to G-d. he is synchronizing all of his faculties for the rest of the day, aligning them in G-d's direction.

At the age of thirteen, a boy is emotionally and intellectually ready to grasp this message and to begin his adolescence with a very clear direction- directed each and every day towards G-d.