Why tefillin loans?
Perhaps you want to take on the mitzvah of tefillin but can’t yet afford to buy a set. Perhaps you want to try the mitzvah for a while in order to decide whether you want to take it on long-term. If you are male and traditionally Jewish, there are any number of people who will be delighted help you out. Synagogue rabbis may have spare sets or discretionary funds; it doesn’t hurt to ask. If you haven’t a synagogue, or your synagogue hasn’t funds, Chabad has a dedicated tefillin bank; contact your local Chabad to access these. If you are female, your options are rather more limited since rather fewer people think you have any business laying tefillin at all. Even rabbis of egalitarian shuls may well be less willing to help you than to help men. Your options are also limited if you are male but Chabad et al don’t agree that you’re Jewish, These tefillin exist to help people who are serious about the mitzvah of tefillin but do not have the means to buy their own.
