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The Phylacteries of Dialogue 鈥 转驻讬诇讬谉 讛讚讬讗诇讜讙

Benjamin Z. Rudski 讘谞讬诪讬谉 爪讘讬 专讜讚住拽讬

Introduction:

In Jewish prayer, there is a daily ritual of putting on phylacteries, known in Hebrew as Tefillin 转驻讬诇讬谉. These phylacteries consist of two leather boxes, which each contain passages from the Torah, our sacred text. The first two of these passages come from the book of Exodus. After God frees the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt, He commands them to remember the Exodus and to tie this memory for eternity to their arms and place it between their eyes. The other two passages containing similar instructions are the Shema prayer, derived from Deuteronomy. This prayer, which we recite twice daily, affirms our belief in God and is central to Judaism.

Jewish phylactery

When putting on Tefillin, I first place one box, the arm-phylactery or Tefillin shel yad, on my non-dominant (left) arm. I wrap the attached leather strap seven times around my forearm. Next, I place the other leather box, the head-phylactery or Tefillin shel Rosh, on my forehead, near my hairline and position it to be between my eyes. I pull the attached straps forward to be in front of my body. Finally, I take the remainder of the leather strap from the shel yad and wrap it around my left hand. In the Ashkenazi tradition, practiced by most Jews from Europe, the strap forms the letters 砖讚讬 Shaddai, a name of God that first appears in Genesis 17:1.

Jewish phylactery worn on arm

Benjamin Rudski wearing a phylactery

In my poem, I use Tefillin as a metaphor for interfaith dialogue. I use the shel yad to represent connection to my own faith and the shel rosh to represent looking outward to the Other to learn about their faith. The two come together when the strap from the shel yad is tied, spelling out Shaddai. I have taken this holy name and assigned to each Hebrew letter a pillar of interfaith dialogue: difference, similarity and togetherness.

phylactery worn on hand

The choice of this metaphor fulfills a verse from Psalms 122 that we say every Saturday as part of the Shabbat prayers:

状诇职诪址注址谉 讗址讞址讬 讜职专值注指讬 讗植讚址讘职旨专指讛志谞指旨讗 砖指讈诇讜止诐 讘指旨讱职状

鈥淔or my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say: 'Peace be within thee.'鈥

--

I call upon my Jewish brethren to understand that we should wrap ourselves in interfaith dialogue like we wrap with the Tefillin. For my non-Jewish companions, I hope to help you better understand our daily traditions, including our most intimate prayer rituals. By learning our differences and finding our similarities, we will be able to peacefully live together in understanding.

讜职讛指讗直诪侄转 讜职讛址砖指旨讈诇讜止诐 讗直讛指讘讜旨

鈥淸T]herefore love ye truth and peace.鈥

-- .


转驻讬诇讬谉 讛讚讬讗诇讜讙

讘谞讬诪讬谉 爪讘讬 专讜讚住拽讬

砖转讬 拽讜驻住讗讜转 注讜专 诇驻谞讬

,注诇 讛砖讜诇讞谉, 诪讜诇 注讬谞讬

.注诐 讛讬住讟讜专讬讛 讘诪住驻专 驻住讜拽讬诐

讗谞讬 诪讜讻谉 诇讛谞讬讞 转驻讬诇讬谉

.讜诇讛爪讟专祝 诇注讘专 讜诇注转讬讚

讗谞讬 驻讜转讞 讗转 讛专讗砖讜谞讛

讜诪谞讬讞 讗转 讛-状砖诇 讬讚状 讘讗诪讜谞讛

谞讙讚 讛诇讘, 住诪诇 讛讗讛讘讛

讜注诇 住诪诇 讛讻讞, 讛讝专讜注

.讗谞讬 拽讜砖专 讗转 讚转讬 讗诇 谞砖诪转讬

,讗谞讬 注讜讟祝 砖讘注 驻注诪讬诐

.讻谞讙讚 砖讘讜注 砖诇 砖讘注讛 讬诪讬诐

状诪讛 讛注讚讜转 讜讛讞讜拽讬诐状?[1]

,讘讞讬驻讜砖 讛住讘专转 讛注谞讬讬谞讬诐

.讗谞讬 拽讜砖专 讗转 讚转讬 讜转讜专转讬 注诇 诇讬讘讬

.讜讗讞专 讻谉, 讛拽讜驻住讛 讛砖谞讬讬讛 砖诇讬

,讗谞讬 诪谞讬讞 注诇 讛专讗砖, 谞讙讚 诪讜讞讬

讘讬谉 注讬谞讬, 讛-状砖诇 专讗砖状 讛讜讗 讗讜专讬

讘讬谉 注讬谞讬 讛诪专讗讛 讗转 讚专讻讬

.讜驻讜谞讛 讗转 诇讘讘讬 诇驻谞讬 讗诇 诪讞专

,讗谞讬 驻讜谞讛 诇驻谞讬 讜专讜讗讛 讗转 讛砖讘讬诇

.讛讜讗 注拽讜诐 讜诇讗 转诪讬讚 讻专讙讬诇

讛讬砖 讻讗谉 讙讘讜诇讜转

?讗讜 讛讗诐 讻讜诇谞讜 驻讜注诇讬诐 诇讟讜讘讜转 讙讚讜诇讜转

.讗讱 讬砖 讚讘专 砖讘专讜专 讗诇讬

讗谞讬 注讜诪讚 讻讗谉 讘转驻讬诇讛

讜讗谞讬 专讜讗讛 讗讜转讱

注讬谞讬 诪讜诇 注讬谞讬讱

驻谞讬 诪讜诇 驻谞讬讱

.谞砖诪转讬 讗诇 谞砖诪转讬讱

住讜驻讜 砖诇 讚讘专, 注诐 讚转讬 讜讻讜讞讬

,讜诪讜讞讬 讜砖讗诇讜转讬

讗谞讬 诪住转讜讘讘 讗诇讬讱 诇讛拽砖讬讘 讜诇讚讘专

.讜注诇 讛讬讚 讗谞讬 住讜祝-住讜祝 拽讜砖专

砖诇讜砖 讗讜转讬讜转

砖讬谉 鈥 砖讜谞讛

讚诇转 鈥 讚讜诪讛

.讬讜讚 鈥 讬讞讚. 诇注讜诇诐

The Phylacteries of Dialogue

Benjamin Z. Rudski

Two leather boxes catch my eye

On the table, by my side,

Capturing history on parchment.

I am prepared to wrap my tefillin

To tie myself to our past and future.

I open the first

And faithfully place the Shel Yad

Near my heart, the symbol of love

On the symbol of strength, my arm

And I tie my traditions to my soul.

I wrap seven times,

Matching the seven days of the week.

鈥淲hat are these laws and the traditions?鈥

Searching for all the deeper meaning,

I tie my religion and Torah to my heart.

Next, I turn to the second box

And I place it on my head, near my mind,

Between my eyes, the Shel Rosh is a light,

Between my eyes, it shows the path,

Turning my heart from today to tomorrow.

I look before me and I see the path.

It is crooked and irregular.

Do borders divide us

Or do we all work for a greater good?

Yet there is one thing clear to me.

I stand here in prayer,

And I see you.

My eyes towards your eyes.

My face towards your face.

My soul towards your soul.

Finally, with my faith and my strength,

And my mind and my questions,

I turn towards you to listen and to speak

And I tie my Shel Yad to my hand.

Three letters:

Shin 鈥 Shoneh 鈥 different

Dalet 鈥 Domeh 鈥 same

Yud 鈥 Yachad 鈥 together. Forever.

[1] . English is not a direct translation.


Benjamin Rudski is a second year PhD student in the QLS program. He is an Ashkenazi Jew from Montreal.

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