His mother had some negative experiences as a girl, and became virulently anti-religion, so Danny* grew up without a shred of Yiddishkeit, although he didn’t inherit his mother’s apathy.
He moved to Utah as a young man, and met Chabad there. He felt drawn to Yiddishkeit, and enjoyed celebrating Pesach sedarim, Rosh Hashanah tefillos, and Shabbos meals. A few years later, he moved to another state, and lost contact with the shluchim. Unfortunately, his Judaism fell by the wayside as well.
Over twenty seder-less, megillah-less, Shabbos-less years had passed before Danny met us, and reignited his interest in Judaism. It was amazing to witness him fall right back into Jewish practices with ease and familiarity, as if twenty years hadn’t passed. He visited often, and joined every shiur, event, and program.
On Rosh Hashanah, Danny decided to make a long-lasting commitment to wear tefillin every day. He bought himself a pair, and
