Reb Meir Heizler, the rosh yeshivah of Emek Hatorah, once noticed a friend of his trying to convince a non-observant Jew to put on tefillin. The recipient was no easy candidate. It seemed like for no money in the world would he agree to that immeasurable mitzvah. They stood there for several minutes exchanging reasons why or why not to put it on, but the non-observer wouldn’t hear of it. He was set in his ways.
After 10 minutes of back-and-forth, Reb Meir went over and interrupted them. He greeted the refuser and asked: “The entire ordeal he’s asking of you is a mere two minutes. Why stand at the curbside for so long discussing it? Do him this favor and go on with the rest of your day.”
The man was stunned. After he caught his breath, he said, “Give me a few minutes to think this through, and I’ll get back to you.”
After another 10 minutes, he returned with a positive response. Reb Meir’s friend wrapped the black straps around this forlorn Yid’s hand, glad that another Yid was wearing tefillin.
As soon as the tefillin, the whole tone of the conversation changed. The once-egoistic personality melted into a soft-spoken demeanor — something they certainly didn’t expect from the previously adamant refuser. While saying the passages of Shema, the man turned his face away from them. His teardrops accumulating in his eyelids, as he was uncomfortable to be bawling before them. He was visibly moved to the core.
After he concluded, he asked the rosh yeshivah for resources where he could inquire more about Yiddishkeit. He explained that after putting on the tefillin, he was overtaken by a wave of emotion. Something unexplainable. “It sparked a light to bring me to a better place. And to be better. And to drive further.”
Reb Meir asked him, “If you don’t mind me asking, can you explain what triggered your change of mind? What seemed to be the impossible turned into reality in just several minutes. How?”
“When I first heard that this would connect me to the Almighty, I was filled with trepidation. That was too awestriking. But once you told me that all you’re just asking of a simple favor, that I was happy to do. Once I did that single mitzvah, I was determined to do more. I wasn’t going to suffice with just one. And that’s what triggered this new beginning.”
And that’s Just One Mitzvah.
