Shabbos 61a: Tefillin And Shoes

לזכות ר' יצחק מנחם בן גיטל מירל בריינדל לאה לרפואה שלימה בתוך שאר חולי ישראל

The gemara - strangely - compares the mitzva of putting on tefillin to the act of putting on shoes. What is THAT all about?

There was a Yid [not a "professional Rabbi" but a huge talmid chochom] who lived in Yerushalyim who was a talmid both of Rav Kook and Rav Yitzchak Zeev Soloveitchik. His name was Rav Moshe Leib Shachor and he wrote a very special sefer called Avnei Shoham [and many others]. In Parshas Lech Lecha he explains: The gemara [Chullin 88b] says that in the merit of Avraham refusing to take the booty from he king of Sodom and said "אם מחוט ועד שרוך נעל" - I will not take a thread or shoelace, he merited the mitzva of tcheiles on the tzitzis [thread] and tefillin straps [shoelace]. So whenever we tie our left shoelace first, we remember the generous heart of Avraham Avinu who didn't want to take anything. This also explains that the same mishna [60a] forbids going out on Shabbos with a [hobnailed] sandal and with tefillin.

GEVALDIK!! We put on our shoes in the morning and connect to the sterling character of Avraham Avinu:-)!

אשרינו מה טוב חלקינו ומה נעים גורלנו!!!