Unexpected Payment at the Auto Shop: Tefillin as Currency

Five pairs of tefillin were recently returned to their rightful owners in some very unusual ways. In one instance, two pairs were given randomly to a Jewish man in Safed by a police officer who found them. Upon investigation, it was revealed that they belonged to a young scholar from Migdal HaEmek, who had lost them four years prior.

This type of scenario might seem understandable. But how exactly do tefillin end up with an Arab resident of Al-Eizariya (near Jerusalem) who decides — of all things — to use them to pay his mechanic for car repairs?

Believe it or not, this scenario is apparently possible too. 

By the grace of Hashem, the tefillin ended up in the hands of a mechanic who understood their importance and quickly brought them to the local Chabad House. There, a search for their rightful owner began. The key to locating him was a sticker from 'Machon Pe'er', which helped track down the owner (who had likely purchased new tefillin by then) and return his old pair to him.