Reb Eliyahu Peretz graduated from yeshivah, married, settled in Kiryat Gat, Israel, and became attracted to the thriving Lubavitch community which had enhanced the religious life of this largely secular community.

As his connection with Lubavitch grew, he decided to write the Rebbe in order to introduce himself and to request a blessing for himself and his wife.

The blessing arrived in due time, with a word of advice: “Check your tefillin.”

New as he was to Lubavitch, Reb Eliyahu saw no urgency in carrying out the Rebbe’s directive. Moreover, he knew that his tefillin had been written by a well-known, expert scribe.

About eighteen months later, on Erev Rosh HaShanah, Mrs. Peretz gave birth to the couple’s first child. Unfortunately, the tiny boy had meningitis and was in critical condition. Weeks passed, but the baby’s condition did not improve. Reb Eliyahu wrote a second letter to the Rebbe, this time including an urgent prayer for his son’s health. He received the same directive he had neglected for a year and a half: “Check your tefillin.”

This time, Reb Eliyahu rushed his tefillin to an expert scribe. He looked over his shoulder as the small scroll was unrolled. The tefillin were written beautifully, but both men could clearly see an error. In the verse:1 “Sanctify unto me all your firstborn…” the word ‘firstborn’ was missing. Shortly after the error was corrected, the boy recovered.