Jewish-American actor and comedian Michael Rapaport shared his journey of reconnecting to Judaism, writing: “It charges me up and connects me to my identity.”
The Jewish-American actor posted a photo of himself laying tefillin on Sunday, along with a heartfelt message about his spiritual growth over the past two years.
"I started wrapping tefillin about two years ago," Rapaport wrote on X. "I didn’t grow up doing it. I didn’t grow up understanding it. And to be totally honest - when I’d see guys in NYC doing it on the street or outside a bagel shop or in the park, I thought it looked weird. I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand the beauty or the meaning."
He continued: "But now? Now when I wrap tefillin, especially first thing in the morning, it hits me in my chest. It centers me. It charges me. It makes me feel focused, grounded, and armed - not with weapons, but with purpose, discipline, and identity."
Rapaport added, “It’s not just a ritual - it’s how I talk to G-d. It’s how I talk to my people. It’s how I talk to myself. And I love it. I really love it.”
He concluded by describing the powerful feeling after prayer: “I feel like a superhero when I walk out the house after praying. Not invincible - but connected.”
He ended the post with the words: “Am Yisrael Chai” [The People of Israel Live].