A Chance Encounter, A Powerful Mitzvah: Tefillin at a Shawarma Shop in Boca Raton

Boca Raton, FL — What began as a casual stop for lunch turned into a meaningful moment of Jewish pride and connection.

Rabbi Yossi Farro shared a heartwarming encounter at an Israeli shawarma shop in Boca Raton, where he met Seth and his family. Striking up a conversation, the rabbi offered Seth’s grandfather the opportunity to wrap tefillin—he kindly declined. The same went for Seth’s father.

But Rabbi Farro didn’t stop there.

“I looked at Seth and said, ‘Seth’s definitely down.’ And I was right,” the rabbi recalled.

Seth eagerly took on the mitzvah, wrapping tefillin with Rabbi Farro as his mother and grandmother watched with radiant expressions of pride and joy—true nachas. In a touching gesture of appreciation, they even insisted on paying for the rabbi’s lunch.

Moments like these remind us that Jewish identity can be sparked in the most unexpected places—and sometimes, all it takes is asking the right person at the right time.