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Images like this one stir something up in me, an odd set of emotions. First of which is astonishment at the mix of old and new, of peace and war, and the applicability of ancient time honored tradition in the lives of modern men. You can read more about the history of tefillin, there is much to know, but it is also one of the things that is so very Jewish in nature. The literal interpretation of:
And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
But what is more important to roll about in your mind like a raffle drawing drum is the verse:
In order to prolong your days and the days of your children on the land that the Lord promised your fathers that he would give them, as long as the days that the heavens are over the earth.
I am just so moved by the adherence to tradition while at war; it isn�t even that, it is the understanding that keeping tradition is a way of showing that we are not deterred. I can only compare it to the banal, pathetic, and soulless request after 9/11 to please go shop for the good of your nation. Compare these two activities in your head: taking time to shop to help your nation vs. making certain you pray to help your nation.