Why I think boys that wrap tfillin are sexy.

Growing up I had no dad (thats right another NY-er with daddy issues) When I
would stay at my aunts' houses I would sleep on the couch, waking up in the
morning to my uncles wrapping tfillin quietly and praying. it was the one
moment in the day when I would see them, quiet at peace, before work with
the day full of hope ready to make a commitment to life. for 15-20 minutes
every morning it was them and g-d and no one else. realizing that they are
just a small part of something bigger and more important than any single one
of us alone.

Living in a city where the guys are full of bravado and the girls are full
of Fiji water and Altoids, nothing appeals to me more than the idea of a
moment of peace and a moment of hope doing something that has been done for
generations before and hopefully will be done for generations to follow.

One of my favorite poems by Harvey Shapiro

The Generations

His son stood, holding and rocking the baby,
swaying back and forth, combined
with a little sideways shuffle,
which he had never done in shul,
since he never went to shul,
though his father had and his father had,
so the prayer that bound them all
was still being said.