“And From the Abundance of the Mitzvah of Tefillin” • The Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi

This morning, the Tefillin-laying ceremony took place during the Bar Mitzvah celebration for the great-grandson of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, in his holy residence.

This morning, Sunday, the 24th of Sivan, Parshas Korach, the ceremony of laying the Tefillin (putting on Tefillin for the first time) took place in the home of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a (may he live long and good days), for his great-grandson Shmuel Isaac, son of Rabbi Nachman Rubinstein, and great-grandson and grandson of the Mashpia (spiritual mentor), the Chassid Rabbi Yehoshua Ber Rubinstein shlit"a.

The Tefillin-laying ceremony took place at Netz HaChama (sunrise), as the Bar Mitzvah boy merited that for the first time, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, bound the sign of the Tefillin on the arm and head of the precious youth.

It should be noted that before laying the Tefillin, the Rav shlit"a instructed the youth to say the 'Leshem Yichud' (prayer of spiritual intent). When he reached the section 'May it be extended upon me to have long life...', the Rav shlit"a began to deliver words of Torah, telling the story of Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Wallis zt"l (of blessed memory). This is the well-known story of how he requested, as his final wish before being executed, to put on Tefillin, and in the merit of crying out 'May it be extended upon me to have long life...', he merited to be saved from the Holocaust and live a long life. The Rav shlit"a spoke at length about this. Interestingly, the father of the Bar Mitzvah boy—Rabbi Nachman Rubinstein, may his light shine—has a brother-in-law who is a descendant of Rabbi Wallis zt"l. When Rabbi Nachman Rubinstein mentioned this, the Rav shlit"a was greatly enlivened by the connection between these matters.

Before you is documentation from the Tefillin-laying in his holy residence: