Tag #130321 - Interview #78415 (Max Wolf)

To prepare for my bar-mitzvah I took Hebrew classes with a Jewish man. I was able to read Hebrew very well and I could recite the prayers too. When the day came, there was a special service where numerous people were invited. There was a brief speech, and then we put on tefillin, the small leather boxes with sacred texts from the Torah. One is attached to the left arm, one is placed over the heart, and one is put on the forehead. [Actually, there are only two cases: one is attached to the left arm and the other is placed on the forehead. Mr. Wolf probably means that the front side of the former must face the direction of the heart.] This was a classic Jewish ritual signifying the religious coming of age. It was the last tradition I observed.