Loaner Tefillin

My local Chabad rabbi, and dear friend, has leant me a pair of tefillin while I wait to have my parshiyot inspected. If they're still kosher they will get enclosed in new gassot batim, akin to the pair I am using now.

I've never worn gassot before. Let me tell you, it's like I'm wearing tefillin for the first time. Some serious cages are going to be rattled with these things on.

Thank you Rabbi for all your help, and lending these tefillin to me. L'chaim!

When I picked up the tefillin from him we talked a bit about the Haftorah for Shoftim, how incredible it is, like a shockwave that knocks your soul into gear.

In that brief chat I realized something that I hadn't really put into words. I love Torah. It's so laden with treasure, for me mostly undiscovered. But the Naviim...that's where I feel the soul of HaShem unfiltered, unmasked, speaking to us directly through these amazing avatars.

On Shabbat we touched on the question of why there are no prophets now, why is HaShem not speaking to us? In other words, where are the Yeshayahus, the Yechezkels? So I anwered that the problem is not that HaShem is not speaking to us. The issue is our ability to hear what the G-d of Israel is saying to us.

I need to make more time for that.