The other day, we knocked on a door. We did not know the people who live there, but it turns out that they were expecting us. How did it happen?
The Jewish family that lives in that house is associated with the local temple. In fact, the father, Glenn, is a guitarist there.
While watching TV, Glenn came across a televangelist talking about tefillin. The image triggered something within him. Deep down in the recesses of his childhood memory, he remembered seeing his grandfather wearing those same black boxes on his head and arm.
Intrigued, he called his rabbi to learn more about them. But the conversation did not yield much information. Nor did it lead him to actually wearing—or even seeing—a pair of tefillin. So Glenn filed away the incident and promised himself that he would learn more about tefillin, should the opportunity arise.
And, just two days later, there we landed on his doorstep, tefillin in hand. They greeted us warmly and we soon began chatting like old friends.
We helped Glenn and his son, Jeff, put on tefillin for the very first time. It was an emotional moment for all of us. Glenn was so moved by all that had transpired that he is planning to purchase a pair of tefillin of his own, so that he can wear them each and every day.
After all, who would believe that Glenn's wonderings (sparked by a non-Jewish preacher, no less) would end in us landing on his doorstep!? But G‑d works in mysterious ways.
Incidentally, we came to their house just before the sun was about to set. As tefillin are not worn at night, and we are pretty much on the northwestern tip of the United States, it is not at all inconceivable that these two Jews, who put on tefillin for the first time, were the last in the entire world to do so that day!
