Tefillin: Bindings of the Mitzvah

Tefillin: Bindings of the Mitzvah

Tefillin (תְּפִלִּין), also called phylacteries, are two small black leather boxes (batim) containing four biblical passages written on parchment. They are bound to the arm and head during weekday morning prayer, fulfilling the command: "And you shall bind these words as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8).

Shel Yad (Hand) and Shel Rosh (Head)

• Tefillin Shel Yad (תפילין של יד): a single box placed on the left arm (or right arm for left-handed people), on the biceps, near the heart. The strap (retzuah) is wound seven times around the forearm and three times around the middle finger.
• Tefillin Shel Rosh (תפילין של ראש): a box with four compartments placed on the forehead, above the hairline, centered between the eyes. The strap forms a knot at the nape of the neck and hangs over the shoulders.

The Parshiot (Biblical Passages)

Both tefillin contain the same four biblical passages, hand-written on parchment by a sofer:

1. Kadesh Li (Exodus 13:1-10): sanctification of the firstborn and remembrance of the Exodus.
2. VeHayah Ki Yevi'acha (Exodus 13:11-16): redemption of the firstborn and the sign on hand and forehead.
3. Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9): the declaration of God's unity and the command of love and teaching.
4. VeHayah Im Shamoa (Deuteronomy 11:13-21): reward for obedience and divine warning.

In the Shel Yad, all four passages are written on a single parchment. In the Shel Rosh, they are written on four separate parchments, one for each compartment.

How to Put Them On

The order is:

1. First, the Shel Yad is placed (standing or sitting), reciting the blessing.
2. The strap is wound seven times around the forearm.
3. Then the Shel Rosh is placed (standing), reciting the second blessing.
4. The strap is wound three times around the middle finger (ring, middle, index), forming a Shin on the hand while reciting Oseh Shalom.

When They Are Worn

Tefillin are worn during morning prayer on weekdays (Monday through Friday, except on festivals). They are not worn on Shabbat or major festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur), because those days themselves are already a "sign" of the covenant. Custom is not to wear them after sunset. Some communities wear them during Minchah (afternoon prayer) on public fast days.

Women and Tefillin

• Orthodox: traditionally women are exempt from tefillin (as with all time-dependent positive mitzvot). However, figures such as Rashi and his daughter (according to the Talmud, Megillah 23a) suggest that women may wear tefillin. Today, some modern Orthodox women wear tefillin, though the practice remains a minority and controversial.
• Conservative: women may and should wear tefillin according to halakhic equality. Many Conservative women wear them regularly.
• Reform and Reconstructionist: full equality; women wear tefillin exactly as men do.

Recommended reading: Tefillin: The Art of the Mitzvah (Aryeh Kaplan); Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 25-46 (laws of tefillin); The Tefillin Handbook (R. Dov Ber Cohen).