samuelj

the tefillin are in good shape. the are made from sheep’s hide. (dakos) the straps are thin and worn and will need to be replaced soon. the boxes themselves are in (what seems to me) great condition. the tefillin are what is considered “rashi” tefillin. this is based on how the order that the scrolls are written and inserted into the arm and head tefillin and can be identified by where the sinew used to seal the boxes protrudes from the base. on another note my union decided to hold the lateral transfer posting early and told no one about it. so now i am fucked and have to continue to drive 200 miles a day to and from work until next january. i’m not feeling very happy or prayerful or spiritual at the moment.

the tefillin i bought supposedly belonged to an IDF rabbi who acted as a field doctor during the 1950’s and 1960’s. if this is the case, i think it is quite interesting but since i can’t verify this, i can take the word of the person i bought them from or make the assumption that they are lying for whatever reason they see fit.

i borrowed 3 books from temple when i was there last week. a conservative siddur, judaism in theory and practice and what is a jew. (i have read the last one a few times before) my wife bought me the hebrew/english tanakh as few weeks back. i have also just ordered a set of tefillin. (made a best offer on ebay that was accepted) waiting to see if i can get any history on them and the kosher status. other than that, i’m just strolling right along.