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Faith As We See It

"The more you study God, the more you have a chance to love God. One of the ways of loving God is to know God, and God reveals himself through the Torah. Let's say there's someone who teaches a certain religion at a university. The truth is that there is a level that is truly intellectual, which is fine, but there is a level of study that comes through the head and into the heart and affects the way you feel, that makes you a better person, which is an important thing in society, today more than ever. "There's a story with a certain Jew in the former Soviet Union who was taken to interrogation for practicing religion, which was illegal. They kept him for two weeks. He didn't have his Tefillin. The day he got back home, he put on his Tefillin, and he was so excited he fainted. The Tefillin for me is one of the strongest symbols, sort of like lovers who make a sign, let's say a ring, a symbol that shows their love for each other. That thing, as soon as it's seen, or put on, or held, evokes the passion of their relationship. It's sometimes even more than if the person is in front of you because the symbol is evoking the pure essence of the love. It's the same with the Tefillin." --Orthodox Rabbi Naftali Citron during a morning prayer. Half of the Tefillin is worn on the head, the other half is wrapped around an arm by its leather straps. Continue the photo essay. [ Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]