The Mitzvah of Tefillin

What is your first memory of watching someone wearing tefillin? Was it at home or in a synagogue? My first memory of tefillin was watching my grandfather who would stand in front of the mantel on his fireplace in his small West Virginia apartment. Wrapping his arm with the long black straps and placing the box on his forehead, I would see his lips moving quietly and his gaze become focused. I knew I could stand at his side, but I could not interrupt his prayers.

The first mention of tefillin occurs in this week's parasha, Bo. In Exodus, chapter 13: 9 we read "And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead- in order that the teachings of the Lord may be in your mouth- that with a mighty hand the Lord freed you from Egypt."

If you've had the chance to learn about the mitzvah of tefillin , you know that there are two boxes that house 4 passages from the Torah. They contain the first two verses of the Shema and two verses that mention tefillin that happen to be found in this week's parasha. Those verses are Exodus 13: 1-10 and Exodus 13: 11-16. "And so it shall be a sign upon your hand and as a symbol on your forehead that with a mighty hand the Lord freed us from Egypt." The 4 passages in the Shel Rosh, headpiece, are written on four separate pieces of parchment that are put into four separate compartments. The 4 passages in the Shel Yad, handpiece, are written on one parchment in one compartment.

The head piece reminds us that our thoughts should be directed toward serving G-d. The arm piece, which is placed near the heart, reminds us that we are to direct our hearts and actions toward serving G-d. Of course there are also rules to follow about how to place the arm piece. It is to be placed on one's weaker hand by using one's stronger hand, thus reminding us of the strong arm that G-d used to help take us out of Egypt. The determination of which hand is weaker is determined by which hand is used for writing. An ambidextrous person wears the tefillin on his left hand. When the tefillin is put on, the yad piece (hand piece ) is put on first because it shows our commitment that actions need to precede thoughts.

Although one might believe that men have been the only ones to wear tefillin,after the age of becoming a Bar Mitzvah, there is historical evidence that women used to wear tefillin as well. The Talmud states that Saul's daughter, Michal, wore tefillin and the sages did not protest. There are also stories of Rashi's daughter's wearing tefillin. Less is known about less prominent women wearing tefilin. In fact,today traditional women don't wear them. Kabbalists felt that women have their own private tefillin. "The tefillin's hollow chamber is reminiscent of a woman's womb. The straps are reminiscent of the umbilical cord and the box known as the bayit (the house) is reminiscent of the home that a woman creates. The conservative movement does allow women to wear tefillin although I can't say that I ever remember seeing a woman wearing tefillin in our community.

Personally,one concern I have is that many of our children are totally unfamiliar with the term "tefillin" nor are they able to identify a set of tefillin if they see them. They would probably react like the flight attendant on a U.S. Airways flight last year who saw a young teenage boy stand up in the aisle with two black boxes strapped to his body. She thought he was a terrorist and had the pilot divert the flight to a nearby airport where the youth was met by security agents. We no longer have a daily morning minyan at which they can see individuals laying tefillin, and I'm not sure how many of our youths see their parents or grandparents donning tefillin at home. I would love to have individuals who are familiar with laying tefillin teach our younger students who are ready to enter the age of majority, how to do so. I fear that the tradition will be lost if we do not help pass it on to the younger generation.

From those with whom I've spoken who practice laying tefillin during morning prayer, it is an act which can add great focus to one's life. As the straps are wound around one's arm, the following words are recited: I will betroth you unto me forever in righteousness, and in judgment and in loving-kindness and in compassion. They are a reminder of the path one must follow to try to find G-d. They are also a constant reminder as this week's parasha states, that G-d freed us from Egypt so we could engage in serving a Higher purpose in life.