Tefillin is one of the most important Mitzvot of the Torah, and has been observed and treasured for thousands of years, to the present day. The Torah refers to this Mitzvah in Deuteronomy, 6:8: “You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they should be for a reminder between your eyes.”

Tefillin consist of two small leather boxes attached to leather straps, each containing four passages of the Torah inscribed on parchment, as follows:

(a) Kadesh (Exodus, 13:1-10); the duty of the Jewish people to always remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage; and
(b) Vehayah (Exodus, 13:11-16); the obligation of every Jew to inform his children of these matters.
(c) The Shema (Deuteronomy, 6:4-9); pronouncing the Unity of The One God; and
(d) Vehayah Im Shemo’a (Deuteronomy, 11:13-21); expressing God’s assurance to us of reward that will follow our observance of the Torah’s precepts, and warning of retribution for disobedience to them.

In the Tefillin Shel Yad, (Hand Tefillin), the four sections are written on one scroll; in the Tefillin Shel Rosh, Head Tefillin, the sections are written on four different scrolls placed in four different sections. The clearest distinction between the two is that the box of the Head Tefillin has four distinctive sections and the letter Shin drawn on either side of the box. On the left side, the Shin has four heads, representing the four mothers: Sarah, Rivkah, Rochel, and Leah. On the right side, the Shin has three heads representing Avrohom, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.

Where are Tefillin Placed?

We think with our brain. We feel with our heart. For a few moments each day we should direct our thoughts and feelings to God, and we achieve this through Tefillin. The Tefillin Shel Yad (Hand Tefillin) is placed upon the left arm so as to rest against the heart, the seat of the emotions, and the suspended leather strap is wound around the arm and hand, and around the middle finger of that hand, directing our emotions (love, fear) to God. (A right-handed person places the hand Tefillin on the left arm, while a left-handed person lays the Tefillin on the right arm.)

The Tefillin Shel Rosh (Head Tefillin) is placed upon the head, above the forehead, so as to rest upon the cerebrum, directing our thoughts to God. The Hand Tefillin is strapped to the arm, indicating that our actions should follow the will of God. Both placements teach us not to be governed solely by the impulse of the heart, lest that lead us into error and transgression, nor to be governed by reason alone, for that may lead to harsh materialism.

A fundamental principle of Chabad Chassidic philosophy is that the intellect must control the emotions. Unfortunately, there exists a schism between the mind and the heart. Moreover, often the emotions control the mind, and the intellect is utilized merely to provide justification, rationalization, and excuses for an “instinct-emotion centered” existence.

The Mitzvah of Tefillin and its practice facilitates an individual's unity of mind and heart, intellect and emotion. The wholesome balance achieved through the unity of the mind and the heart constitutes the first step on the road to self-assurance, courage, hopefulness and inner peace. Most of life's regrets, sorrows and pain, can be avoided by the proper application of mind and heart to everyday problems. Tefillin connect the higher mind of a person to his heart and his hand.

Reward

Rabbi Yehuda Halevi (circa 12th century) probably had the lesson of Tefillin in mind when he wrote, “The Divine religion (Judaism) does not urge us to live an ascetic life, but guides us in the middle path, equidistant from the extremes of too much and too little.
“It allows free play to every God-given faculty of both body and soul, within the constructive limits drawn by The Divine Hand itself. For certain it is that what we devote to one faculty in excessive measure we withdraw from another, and thus upset the harmony which should pervade our entire being.”

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, an outstanding Rabbi of the 19th century, said of Tefillin: “A truth, in order to produce results, must be impressed upon the mind and heart repeatedly and emphatically. Merely to acknowledge the essential principles of righteousness and love is not sufficient to actually build up such a life. In addition there to, symbolic words and actions are necessary so that they may become indelibly stamped upon the soul, and thus preserved for you and for others.”

A distinguished Rabbi had this to say of Tefillin: "The religious act performed daily has done more to preserve and to further the high morality of our people than all the books on ethics that have ever been written. The same can also be said of other Mitzvot, though some have a double influence, one direct, making for immediate physical well-being, and the other indirect, forming character by teaching constructive restraint through habitual action.”



Laws Concerning Tefillin

1. A Jewish boy, upon reaching his 13th birthday, is regarded as a full- fledged Jew. He then becomes a “Bar Mitzvah,” meaning that he is obliged to keep and perform all the laws and customs of the Jewish people. One of these laws commanded to us in the Torah is Tefillin.
2. It is customary to initiate the boy into the practice of donning the Tefillin two or three months before the actual date of his Bar Mitzvah.
3. When purchasing a pair of Tefillin, care should be taken to buy it from a dependable store in order to be sure the Tefillin are hand-written by a duly qualified Orthodox scribe. Ask your local Rabbi.
4. Tefillin should be donned on week days only. On Shabbat and festivals, including Chol Hamoed (the intermediate days of Sukkot or Passover), Tefillin are not to be put on. (In some congregations, however, Tefillin are also donned on Chol Hamoed.)
5. Tefillin are worn during the morning prayers. However, if for some reason it was impossible to do so in the morning, Tefillin may still be put on later in the day, but not after sunset.
6. The procedure of putting on Tefillin is as follows: The person should be standing. Take out the “Hand” Tefillin first and place it upon the biceps of the left arm, adjusted so as to lean inwards against the heart. Care should be taken that the leather knot, which resembles the letter ‘Yud’, should remain touching the box of the Tefillin. Before tightening the strap recite the blessing. Then fasten the strap, winding two coils over the leather extension of the Hand Tefillin and arm (this forms the Hebrew letter “Shin,” and then proceeds to make seven coils on his forearm. The rest of the strap should be wound around the palm. Immediately afterwards, take out the “Head” Tefillin from its box and places it on the head so that the box rests above the forehead and the knot rests just above the neck. Care should be taken to ensure that the box of the Head Tefillin is placed properly above the forehead so that the lower edge of the box should not fall below the hair roots, and that it is centered at a point midway between the eyes. Having so adjusted the Head Tefillin; unwind the strap of the Hand Tefillin from the palm in order to make three coils on the middle finger, the first on the lower phalanx (near the palm), the second on the middle phalanx, and the third back again on the lower phalanx. The remainder of the strap is then wound around the palm.

In some communities it is customary to make an additional blessing on the head Tefillin. Also, there are also slight variations in the manner of winding the straps around the arm, palm and middle finger. Check with your local Rabbi.
7. The straps, both on the Hand and Head Tefillin must always be placed black side up.
8. During the act of putting on Tefillin, it is prohibited to interrupt with conversation or gesture. If an unauthorized interruption was made, the blessing should be recited when putting on the Head Tefillin. (In those congregations where this blessing is said in any case, it is also necessary to repeat the first blessing).
9. A person who is left-handed puts the Hand Tefillin on his right arm. (One who uses the left hand for some activities and the right hand for others should discuss with an orthodox Rabbi whether he is considered right or left handed for this purpose.)
10. The Tefillin must be placed upon the bare arm and head, without any clothing or other intervening matter. One who cannot do this should discuss the matter with an orthodox Rabbi.
11. If, for some reason, it is impossible to put on the Hand Tefillin, the Head Tefillin should be put on separately, and vice versa. In each case the respective blessing is recited.
12. One is required to be constantly and respectfully aware of the Tefillin while he is wearing them.
13. It is best to remove the Tefillin only after the conclusion of the entire morning service. On Rosh Chodesh, the Tefillin are taken off before Musaf. (On Chol-Hamoed, if Tefillin are donned, they are removed before Hallel.)
14. The procedure for removing the Tefillin is as follows: The person should stand. First, the strap around the middle finger is unwound. The Head Tefillin is then removed from the head with the left hand; the straps are rewound and placed in the Tefillin bag. Then the Hand Tefillin is removed, the straps are rewound and placed into the bag. It is customary for right-handed people to put the Head-Tefillin on the right side in the bag.
15. When a Talit is worn during the prayer, the Talit should be put on first and then the Tefillin. When the prayer is concluded, the Tefillin are removed first in the manner described above, and then the Talit.
16. On Tisha b’Av the Tallit and Tefillin are not put on for the Morning Prayer, but only for the afternoon prayer.
17. The Tefillin must be handled with due reverence. Should the Tefillin accidentally fall to the floor, atonement is required by fasting and giving charity. In such a case a Rabbi should be consulted as to how the atonement should be made.
18. Our Sages have said: he, who carefully observes the commandment of Tefillin daily, merits long life and the World-to-Come.