I was emotionally touched as I helped Simon wrap the seventh loop around his arm. One experience I will always remember is when I wrapped my Tefillin for the first time when I turned 13 with my father. I remember not having a clue of how to put them on, but that is was something I was excited and driven to do.
Before davening on Friday, I asked Simon, a Hungarian student from Scheiber Sandor Gimnazium, if he wanted to put Tefillin on. He was nervous and replied with, “maybe later” so I went on with the morning prayers and thought nothing of it. Once davening concluded and I had put my Tefillin away, he approached me and asked if I would help 
him wrap Tefillin for the first time. I said we had to get to breakfast and that they were put away, but he insisted that I help him wrap. I couldn’t take this opportunity from Simon and felt obliged to help Simon wrap Tefillin. As I helped him wrap them, he was so interested and asked so many questions on the specifics of how and why we put Tefillin on; I even needed Rabbi Soskil by my side to help answer his curious questions. This was a very heartfelt moment that I will never forget.
When we returned back to America, I asked Simon what he had felt during that experience. Simon told me that he “felt proud, relaxed, and thankful”. Simon also told me, “I was happy I helped you achieve/ do a mitzvah”. What particularly stunned me was how he was doing it not just to fulfill his mitzvah of wrapping Tefillin, but to help me accomplish a mitzvah. I was utterly amazed at Simon’s outlook on how he fulfills Mitzvot. I am very glad I was given the opportunity to help a Jewish teenager wrap Tefillin for the first time across the world: not many people can say the same. ~ Louis M.
