An old man, a Chasid of Pshishkah, was very proud of his Tefillin, with which he had prayed since he was a youth. They were exceedingly fine, the work of an expert scribe. Every year he would have them examined, and they were found to be fit, by the strictest possible standards. Once, in his old age, a scribe examined them and found that they had been unfit from the outset: a single letter was missing. Those close to the old man feared to reveal this to him. The elderly Chasid understood what had happened, and jumped up from his place and began dancing, in great fervor and joy.
Everyone who witnesses this was stricken by fear. Perhaps the old man had lost his mind, because of his great grief and sorrow?
When the old man calmed down, and the others realized that he had not gone mad, they asked him: "Is this is a reason to rejoice?"
He replied: "For seventy years I prayed with Tefillin that were unfit, and I would have left this world without having properly put on Tefillin even a single time. Now, when a miracle has been performed for me and I will merit to put on Tefillin properly, should I not rejoice?"
