“May it be Your will that the commandment of putting on tallit be considered as worthy as if I fulfilled it as well as the six hundred thirteen commandments that are dependent upon it.”

“May it be Your will that the commandment of putting on tefillin be considered as worthy as if I fulfilled it as well as the six hundred thirteen commandments that are dependent upon it.”

I neither purport to be a good Jew, or even a good person. I never pretend to have all the answers, or even any answer. But during this point in the calendar, it’s quiet. But that’s fine by me. To me, the big holidays are kind of secondary. Anyone can show up to shul for Pesach, Rosh HaShannah, and Yom Kippur. Anyone can build a sukkot or light a menorah. And indeed these are important. But given the above prayers, which I recite daily, I think G-d wants a more steady, less flashy, day-to-day role in our lives. At least I hope so. I hope that by keeping my faith in these two simple rituals, maybe He’ll cut me some slack on that day I lay down my tools and have make a reckoning for my life’s work.

But to me, the daily rituals of donning a tallit, and laying tefillin is what truly makes me Jewish. To me, it is the right way to approach G-d. I think if we all take some time to do these small favors in the presence of the Almighty, the world just might be a better place.