Hashem Sent Tefillin to the Park: A True Story

Sometimes we overlook the small miracles in life. Maybe we’re too busy or too distracted to notice them. But Eitan Asraf, a talented and well-known photographer, has learned that these quiet miracles are actually the biggest gifts of all. They hold joy, hope, beauty, and meaning. If we don’t notice the small ones, we might not recognize the big ones either.

Eitan shared the following true story on his Facebook page, “Eitan Asraf – Life from an Angle You Haven’t Known”:

“I want to share something very moving that happened to me today. It’s completely real. For the past six years, I’ve put on tefillin every morning with love. Tefillin are the small black boxes with holy verses inside that Jewish men wrap on their arm and head during morning prayers, a mitzvah (commandment) that connects us deeply to Hashem.

Yesterday I didn’t sleep at home, and I had accidentally left my tefillin behind. This morning I woke up in the city center and began my busy day of meetings in Tel Aviv. Between meetings, I kept searching for a place to put on tefillin. I stopped at several synagogues, but all of them were closed. I even looked around the intersections for Breslov chassidim, who often carry extra tefillin to help people fulfill the mitzvah. But no luck.

By 3:30 in the afternoon, I had just finished a meeting in Ramat Hachayal and had thirty minutes before the next one. Right near the building was a peaceful park, so I decided to take a little walk. I found a bench and sat down. Like I often do when I have a few quiet moments, I opened Instagram and started scrolling. But then it hit me, I hadn’t put on tefillin today.

My heart sank. I looked up at the sky and turned to Hashem. I said, ‘Hashem, You know I tried today. I did everything I could to find tefillin, and I just couldn’t. My next meeting starts soon, and I probably won’t manage it today. Please, dear Father, accept my Shema Yisrael as if I had put on tefillin today.’ So I covered my eyes and said the Shema, the most important declaration of faith we say each day: ‘Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.’

When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t believe what I saw. About 20 meters away, standing among the trees, was a young man, he didn’t even look religious wrapping tefillin.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I got up, walked over to him, and asked gently, ‘Can I borrow your tefillin?’ Without hesitation, he said yes. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.

The message? Hashem hears us. We just need to ask sincerely, with our whole heart. He’s right there, waiting to answer.”

When I finished reading Eitan’s post, I was deeply moved. I reached out to thank him for sharing such a powerful moment. He replied humbly, “There are certain things I don’t compromise on. One of them is noticing the small miracles and being grateful for them. That’s a rule I live by.”

When I asked him if he considers himself a maamin, a believer, his answer was clear: “How can anyone live in this world, see all the amazing things happening around us, and not be amazed by the One who created it all? Of course I believe in Hashem. He’s a loving Father. We must never forget that.”

Eitan grew up in a warm Moroccan Jewish family, full of love for Torah and mitzvot. “Shabbat, tefillin, kiddush, the Jewish holidays, all of that is part of who I am,” he said. He even used to visit the home of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, a great Sephardic kabbalist, when he was younger. “How could I not go? My parents were tzaddikim.”

But Eitan’s emunah (faith) doesn’t stop at words. He keeps Shabbat, prays every day, studies Torah regularly, and uses his talents to bring others closer to Hashem. His photographs and social media posts reach thousands of people around the world, sharing light and inspiration through beauty and perspective.

He may have conquered Israel’s top media circles, and even exhibited his work in galleries abroad, but you’ll never hear him say it’s his own doing. “It’s not me. Everything good I have, it’s from Hashem,” he says. On his page, he once wrote: “A magical photo comes from looking at life from a different angle.”

And he’s right. Sometimes, life is just a matter of angles. When we look at things from the right perspective with gratitude, faith, and trust in Hashem, our entire world becomes more beautiful.