Questions tagged [tefilin]
Also called "phylacteries": a religious object worn by Jewish men, usually during morning weekday prayers.
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Can wearing big tefillin be seen as yuhara?
I am interested in getting 4x4 tefillin in order to have more mehudar parshiyot, but I'm worried about wearing them in a kehila where they wear smaller tefillin. I'm especially concerned about wearing ...
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Is there any mention to someone wearing tefillin in Tanach? [duplicate]
Aside from the passages in Shmah, are there any accounts discussing or of Jews wearing tefillin in tanach?
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Where is the Vilna Gaon's story of revealing his tefillin shel rosh in court?
Many people quote a story of the Vilna Gaon revealing his tefillin shel rosh when facing ridiculous charges in court. Where is the oldest known source for this story?
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What ksav were the tefillin of the GR"A (AKA Vilna Gaon)?
I had always thought the GR''A wore ksav Beis Yosef but I recently read on https://shulchanaruchharav.com/halacha/the-different-styles-of-script-used-in-stam-today-kesav-beis-yosef-arizal-vallish-...
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Which side of the bag holds each Tefilla?
Over on https://torah.org/learning/mishna-berura-s28/ paragraph MB7, the MB discusses on which side of the tefillin bag each tefilla is placed.
My question is, in what orientation is the bag held when ...
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Why do we recite the Shema when putting on tefillin (whether Rashi or Rabbein Tam) after the time of Shacharis?
I have read another Q&A, Why must one recite any scripture while donning Rabbe'inu Tam tephillin? I don't see how it answers my question.
When I put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin after Shacharis, I ...
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Where do we put the taggin on letters besides שעטנ״ז ג״ץ?
There are different traditions as to on which letters to put the taggin (the crowns), but many old traditions include various specific letters that are not in שעטנ״ז ג״ץ (the letters that we generally ...
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Avoiding retzuot of tefillin (shel yad) from tangling while wrapping
I don't know if others have this same issue, but it happens to me often that while wrapping the רצוע of the תפלין של יד around my arm, that it gets tangled up and I need to straighten it every few ...
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Tefillin & Shabbos for a giyur lchumra? [closed]
Should someone’s whose yiddishkeit is questionable wear tefillin and keep Shabbos?
Should someone who’s in the process of conversion do so as well?
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Bar Mitzva בו ביום on Shabbes - when to start putting on Tefilin?
Multiple customs of when to start putting on tefilin exist, one of such being to start the day a boy turns 13. If that day occurs on Shabbes, are there any customs to begin putting on Tefillin on the ...
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Deeper reason for place where tefillin shel rosh is placed
Does anyone know the deeper reason to why we place the straps of the tefillin shel rosh in a spot where the amygdala is?
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How does Torah learning without working fit in to Jewish thought?
Recently I posted a question on the order of removal of tefillin. I am most grateful for the responses. I subsequently read in ETHICS FROM SINAI by Reb Irving M. Bunim Z”TL. Perek II, Mishnah 2 the ...
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Putting away Tefllin before Hallel on Rosh Chodesh [duplicate]
On Rosh Chodesh, when the Chazan completed saying Kaddish prior to Mussaf, the Tzibur removes their Tefillin.
Do the Tefillin need to be rolled up and put into their bag or can that wait until after ...
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Why do tefillin boxes have a hole on the bottom?
In the picture below, you see a grate-like engraving with holes on the bottom half.
Why are most (at least from the ones I've come across) tefillin boxes shaped like this (the grate-like structure)?
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Bringing Tefillin into Airport Bathroom [duplicate]
If I’m in an airport, traveling with my tefillin, and need the bathroom and have nowhere I can leave my tefillin (against airport rules to just leave them unattended and no one to leave them with), ...
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Tefillin on Yom Tov - P'shat and source for quote by Mishna Berura
The Mishna Berura 31:3 explains why we do not wear Tefillin on Y"T as follows;
ויו"ט ג"כ מיקרי אות דבפסח מצרים כתיב אות והוקשו כל מועדי ה' בפ' אמור
The Rishonim all give different ...
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When removing Tefillin, why do we start by taking off the finger, hand, and two windings of the forearm before removing the shel rosh?
When removing Tefillin, why do we start by taking off the finger, hand, and two windings of the forearm before removing the shel rosh? The shel yad needs to be on first and last. So why not simply ...
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Tefillin Straps Cracking DIY Paint Suggestions [duplicate]
What are acceptable materials to color tefilin straps with? I don't have Amazon or similar where I am.
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How long does it take for new Tefillin straps to become "worked in" (i.e. soft, compliant, etc)?
I just had to replace my "shel Rosh" Tefillin straps. Obviously they are stiff as can be! I forget how long it took for the last new strap I purchased to become soft and compliant. Does ...
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Cover the forehead when praying even if the head tefillo cannot be seen?
I observed someone praying shacharis who had covered with his tallis both his head and also his forehead down to his eyes.
I thought that the possuk Devorim 28 (10)
וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא ...
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Place to buy new tefillin [duplicate]
Could anyone recommend a place to buy new tefillin? I would be open to buying online or I live in the New York area, so also would be open to a store in the area.
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Source for laying tefillin each workday
It's obvious that there's a long tradition of putting on tefillin each morning that isn't Shabbos or YomTov but what's the source for this? Why each day? Before pekudei d'zmrah, after putting on ...
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Sliding tefillin into place
If one accidentally tightens his tefillin onto the wrong part of his arm, can he fulfill the mitzva by then sliding the tefillin into the correct place?
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A barmitzvah boy saying shehechiyanu on new tefillin when wearing them prior to barmitzvah
Following on from this question and assuming that you make the bracha of shehechiyanu on new tefillin...
If a barmitzvah boy has the custom to start wearing his tefillin early. So for example, in ...
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Does hair in front of the head create a chatziza issue with Tefillin Shel Rosh
I personally grow out my hair a bit in the front of my head. A chup I believe it’s called.
I’ve heard from different people that this is Halachically unacceptable as it presents a problem when wearing ...
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Evidence for rabbis wearing Tefilin all day
Is there historical, archeological, or written evidence for rabbis ever wearing Tefilin all day, outside Jewish sources?
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Tefillin shel yad- the first knot [duplicate]
I have a crimp in the first knot of my tfillin shel yad, the one directly on my upper tricep, the leather has bended into a crimp.
I don’t see how to avoid this crimp. For the tfillin we are ...
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How do you lay tefillin on an injured arm? [closed]
My husband injured his left shoulder and will require surgery. How will he lay tefillin?
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Authentic Q'laph for Tephilin [closed]
The Gemara describes a process for developing q'laph for tephilin. However, this tradition has been lost since then. Has there been any research on restoring the method of producing authentic q'laph? ...
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613 Mitzvos depend on another?
I've noticed the following phrase in a couple places in the siddur:
שֶׁתְּ֒הֵא חֲשׁוּבָה מִצְוַת _ לְפָנֶֽיךָ
כְּאִלּוּ קִיַּמְתִּֽיהָ בְּכָל פְּרָטֶֽיהָ וְדִקְדּוּקֶֽיהָ וְכַוָּנוֹתֶֽיהָ
וְתַרְיַ&...
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The origin of the word Teffilin
We know that the word תפילין appears nowhere in the Tanach. On the other hand, the only meaning of "תפילה" in Tanach is "a prayer" (see Sefaria search תפילה").
Seemingly, ...
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Is there any source for the chosson to wear tefillin at the chupah?
A friend of mine sent me a video clip from a wedding, showing the chosson and kallah under the chupah and the chosson is wearing his tallis and tefillin.
I know there is a Sefardi and Yekke custom for ...
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Which comes first after picking up shel rosh: talis or tefilin?
If a person picked up his tefilin before his talis, he puts on his tefilin first (Shulchan Orech OC 25:1). Additionally, if a person picked up his shel Rosh before his shel yad (ibid. :6) he puts down ...
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Can one rely on Rabeinu Tam's shkia for Rabeinu Tam's Tefillin?
If its past normal shkia, yet before Rabeinu Tam's shkia, can one still put on Rabeinu Tam's Tefillin, even though Tefillin isn't supposed to be put on at night in general, since one is anyways ...
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Can a paper crease be a sirtut?
When writing books of Tanakh, we need a sirtut, a horizontal line that helps align the text. Indeed, it is forbidden to write any three words of a verse in k'tav Ashurit without a sirtut. See, for ...
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Tefillin shel yad wrapping custom by Tur
What method of tying tefillin shel yad for the hand suggested by Jacob ben Asher? The palm itself is of interest. I know about three turns on the middle finger. And the rest of hand? Like modern ...
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Practicing tefillin knots
I'm trying to learn how to tie the various tefillin knots: Double-dalet, single-dalet, yud, yud like Chabad... There are various youtube videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LSzRf4Lww8 et al), and ...
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Genizah of tefillin: why strict genizah for the head, but standard genizah for the arm?
On the website torah.org an overview is given of ritual objects that, in case of their disposal, require a strict genizah (buried in a cemetery and sealed in earthenware or hard plastic, preferably ...
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Tefillin on both arms not simultaneously
Why do some people wear tefillin on both arms (not simultaneously)?
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Praying without tefillin but not late
In a case where one does not have access to tefillin during the proper zman of Shacharit, but will soon after, is it preferable to daven after the zman WITH tefillin, or daven during the proper zman ...
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Checking Tefillin after someone has died [closed]
Is there a source that one shouldn’t check the deceased Tefillin after they have died?
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טט בכתפי שתים - is Katfi Coptic?
The gemara in Menachos 34b learns the number of parshiyos in tefillin in various ways. One is
ר"ע אומר אינו צריך טט בכתפי שתים פת באפריקי שתים
Rabbi Akiva says: ... four compartments can be ...
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Proper placement of Shel Yad
The halacha, as set forth by the Mishna Berurah (27:4), requires the Shel Yad to be above the area where the bicep begins to become elevated. I've read that there is a dispute regarding whether the ...
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Thickening letters for tefillin and mezuzos
The poskim in Orach Chaim 32 talk about the requirement that the letters for tefillin and mezuzos be written כסדרן, in order. As a result (32(23)), if a letter is missing there is no way to fix it ...
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Guf Naki Concerns for Men and Tefillin
The Gemara (Shabbat 49a) says that tefillin must only be worn with a "guf naki" (clean body) which is defined by Abaye and Rava respectively as flatulence and sleeping. Other Rishonim, like ...
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The hand tefillin seems to form a lamed
The outline of the tefillin on the hand, to me, seems to form the letter lamed, reversed for a righty and a forwards lamed for a lefty, shown below.
Yes, there are traditions of forming shin on the ...
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Mezuzah - Copying from memory
The gemara Menachos 32b says that even though a Sefer Torah may not be written except "מן הכתב", copied from another text, tefillin and mezuzah don't have that requirement and may be written ...
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Rav Galinsky grabbing his tefillin on Shabbos
In the English translation of the "Higadeta" haggadah by Rav Yaakov Galinsky, on page 309, he describes when the Russians invaded Lithuania and broke into the yeshiva he was learning at, ...
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Can one write sta"m via a stencil?
Say you wanted to write a tefillin, mezuzah, Torah, or any other sta"m venture. To make it easier for you, you created a stencil of the text that you can overlay on the klaf and fill in. You hope ...
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Can you burnish back of tefillin straps? [closed]
We bought tefillin for our son, however the back/inner side of the shel yad have many spots where the leather is very abrasive. Through wearing it the last 7 months most are smooth, but some still ...
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