By COLlive reporter
Lubavitcher Shmuly Kasowitz was in West Orange, New Jersey, last week giving a Torah class at the local Jewish Community Center on behalf of his brother, Shliach Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz.
After the class, which touched on subjects of faith in the Creator, an elderly gentleman asked if he would be able to put on Tefillin.
Kasowitz, happy to put words to action, answered “of course you can!”, and immediately started putting on the Teffilin.
As the Tefillin was being taken out and unwrapped, the person said his name is Nathan Schlasberg, that he is 90 years old, and that this would be the first time in his life that he is doing this Mitzvah.
Schlasberg took his time making the blessing and saying “Shma Yisroel” and as he ended, people present began singing “Siman Tov Umazal Tov.”
“This is your Bar Mitzvah,” Shmuly Kasowitz declared.
A clearly emotional Schlasberg responded: “I was an officer in my shul and they were grooming me to be the president of the shul, but when they found out that I hadn’t been Bar Mitzvahed they disqualified me from being president.”
The elder man explained that although they spoke Yiddish at home and all of their friends were Jewish, “my father was very anti-religion and didn’t want to send me and my bother to Hebrew school.”
Apparently, it never occurred to the board of directors of that shul to offer the man to put on Tefillin and move on with the election.
“We would never be zoiche to help other yidden in this way if not for the Rebbe’s instructions and his sending us on his Shlichus,” noted Kasowitz.
nachus
So funny that while #5 and #14 asking what is the source for calling it a bar-mitzva, they reveal that they have no idea about the source of the term “bar-mitzva”. I would ask them – “where does it say that a Bar-Mitzva is a 13 yr old boy?”
Telling someone the first time he puts on tefillin is his bar mitzva might not have a source, but it sure makes sense.
If you have something that is so important to share on a beautiful story, keep in mind that there is a nice way to do it. Thanks for sharing this story Shmuly, keep it up!
Your wedding was beautiful and so is this article
Great story Shmuly, keep up the good work, and Mazal tov on your wedding.
So proud of you! Love us in Manchester…
We r very proud of u. Keep up the good work.
What is the mokor of this that it’s a “bar mitzvah” when someone puts on tefillin for the first time? I believe it is called a “karkafta” having removed the person from the category of “karkafta deloi monach tefillin” (a skull not yet having put on tefillin).
what is your problem? whats wrong with calling it his Bar Mitzvah? when he fullfills the mitzva of tefilin the time he becomes a man of mitzves which before that he lacked it.
Shmully is a VERY special young man – I got the pleasure of meeting him – I can see what inspired the man to put on Teffilin!!! Shmully Love you always man! Good luck in all that you do – you are one special person
PAINTBALL SHOOTING!!!
Mazal tov on your bar mitzvah!
mazel tov
from h.a. go on with the helekeh arbet ure already for shlichs good job
Wow, What a nice story!
Shkoach!
…that doesn’t believe in tefillin. Since when is having a bar mitzvah celebration necessary in the first place?
By the way, I know shluchim have this shtick that when you put on tefillin for the first time they call it your “barmitzvah”, but it sounds like some lubavs have fallen for this and think it’s a real inyan.
Bli ayin hara the man looks 70! hope I look that good at 90!
shmuly ur the bomb!!
the elderly man looks amazing for his age
may he go mchoyil el choyil in all areas and live chaim nitchiyim with Moshiach NOW
thanks shmuly,
now on to kollel with you