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is there a passuk in the Vhumash that says that the nations will fear the jew wjen he has Tefilin on?

Asked on November 4, 2026

Answer

Yes, absolutely. The pasuk is found in Sefer Devarim, chapter 28, verse 10. It says: "And all the nations will see that the name of Hashem is upon you, and they will fear you." The Gemara in Masechet Berachot, page 6b, explicitly tells us that Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol says this refers to the tefillin shel rosh, the head tefillin. When the nations see the name of Hashem on your head through the tefillin, they will fear you. But listen carefully - this is not automatic. It's not just about putting on the tefillin like you're putting on a hat. The Torah says the nations will fear you when the name of Hashem is upon you, but the rest of the verse gets fulfilled only when you're actually fulfilling what the tefillin represent. When you're thinking about Hashem at all times while wearing them, when they're in your head and not just on your head, then the nations will fear you. The Vilna Gaon demonstrated this. When Russian soldiers came to arrest him and everyone else was wearing tefillin too, only when they saw the Gaon's tefillin did they run away in fear. Why? Because his mind was completely focused on Hashem while wearing them. He wasn't thinking about mundane things. That's when the protection and the fear comes - when you're fulfilling the Torah properly, not just going through the motions.

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