View source for Tefillin

{{Short description|Leather boxes containing parchment with Torah verses}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox Halacha
|image=[[File:A set of Tefillin.jpg|280px]]
|caption=''A set of tefillin includes the arm-tefillah (left) and the head-tefillah''
|verse={{Unbulleted list
 | {{bibleverse||Exodus|13:9|HE}}
 | {{bibleverse||Exodus|13:16|HE}}
 | {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|6:8|HE}}
 | {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|11:18|HE}}
 }}
|talmud={{Unbulleted list
 | Zevachim 37b
 | Sanhedrin 4b
 | Menachot 34b
 | Kiddushin 36a
 }}
|mishnah=[http://www.mechon-mamre.org/b/h/h52.htm Menachot 3:7]
|rambam = [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/2301.htm ''Tefillin, Mezuzah, veSefer Torah'' ch 5-6]
|sa = [[Orach Chayim]] [https://archive.today/20130416005106/http://www.torah.org/advanced/shulchan-aruch/classes/orachchayim/chapter3a.html 25-48]}}
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar}}
'''Tefillin''' ({{langx|he|rtl=yes|תְּפִלִּין}} or {{lang|he|rtl=yes|תְּפִילִּין}}; {{IPA|yi|tfiˈlin|label=[[Ashkenazi Hebrew]] pronunciation:|small=no|lang=he}}; {{IPA|he|tefiˈlin|label=[[Modern Israeli Hebrew]] pronunciation:|small=no|lang=he}}), or '''phylacteries''', are sets of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the [[Torah]]. Tefillin are traditionally worn by male adult Jews during ''[[Shacharit]]'' on weekdays.

In [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and traditional [[Conservative Jewish]] (including Masorti) communities, they are worn solely by men; some [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and Conservative communities allow Jewish adults to don tefillin regardless of gender. In Jewish law (''[[Halakha]]''), women are exempt from most time-dependent [[613 commandments|positive commandments]] (including the wearing of tefillin). Unlike other time-dependent positive commandments, most halakhic authorities rule that female Jews need not fulfill this commandment.<ref>''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' "[[Orach Chayim]]" 38:3</ref><ref name="c729">{{cite web | last=Brody | first=Shlomo | title=Women, Tefillin, and the Halakhic Process | website=Torah Musings | date=24 February 2014 | url=https://www.torahmusings.com/2014/02/women-tefillin-and-the-halakhic-process/ | access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref>

"Tefillin" is technically the plural form of "tefillah" ({{langx|label=none|he|rtl=yes|translation=prayer|תְּפִלָּה}}) but oftentimes used as a singular noun.<ref>{{Cite book| author-link=Sol Steinmetz| last = Steinmetz| first = Sol| title = Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.| year = 2005| page = 165 | isbn = 978-0-7425-4387-4}}</ref> The arm tefillah ({{langx|label=none|he|rtl=yes|translation=of [the] hand|translit=shel yahd|שֶׁל יָד}}) is placed on the upper (non-dominant) arm, and the strap wrapped around the forelimb, hand, and middle finger. The head tefillah ({{langx|he|rtl=yes|label=none|translit=shel rōsh|translation=of [the] head|שֶׁל רֹאשׁ}}) is placed between the eyes at the boundary of the forehead and hair. The tefillin are intended to fulfill the Torah's instructions to maintain a continuous "sign" and "remembrance" of [[the Exodus]] from Egypt. While historically, Jewish males wore tefillin all day,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-04 |title=407. Times to Wear (and Not Wear) Tefillin - HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah |url=https://outorah.org/p/30968/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=OU Torah}}</ref> this is no longer common. The general practice today is to remove them following morning services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowen |first=Alexander |title=Some Laws of Tefillin |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/81815/jewish/Some-Laws-of-Tefillin.htm}}</ref>

The biblical verses often cited as referring to tefillin are obscure. [[Deuteronomy 11]]:18, for example, for instance, does not designate explicitly what specifically to "bind upon [one's] arm", and the definition of "''totafot'' between [one's] eyes" is not obvious.<ref>{{Tanakhverse|Deuteronomy|11:18}}</ref> The details are expounded in the [[Oral Torah]]. At least as early as the {{CE|1st century|link=y}}, many Jews understood the [[Hebrew Bible|biblical]] commandment to wear tefillin literally and wore some form of physical tefillin, as shown by archaeological finds at [[Qumran]] and a reference made in [[Matthew 23]] of the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[New Testament]].<ref name="l041">{{cite web | last=Zion | first=Ilan Ben | title=Uncovered in Jerusalem, 9 tiny unopened Dead Sea Scrolls | website=The Times of Israel | date=12 March 2014 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nine-tiny-new-dead-sea-scrolls-come-to-light/ | access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> However, [[Karaite Judaism]] understands the biblical commandment to be [[metaphorical]].

[[File:Tefillin worn by a man at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|Man wearing arm- and head-tefillin at the [[Western Wall]] in 2009]] <!-- Here we want a high quality non-controversial picture of a person wearing tefillin. Women and Israeli soldiers wearing tefillin, as pictured below, are two "controversial". This picture is maybe not ideal because of the busy background and man's untraditional dress, but it's the best I could find for now -->

== Biblical source ==
The obligation of tefillin is mentioned four times in the [[Torah]]: twice when recalling [[The Exodus]] from [[Egypt]]:
{{blockquote|And it shall be for a sign for you upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the {{LORD}} may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand did the {{LORD}} bring you out of Egypt.|[[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 13:9}}
{{blockquote|And it shall be for a sign upon your hand, and as ''totafot'' between your eyes; for with a mighty hand did the {{LORD}} bring us forth out of Egypt.|Exodus 13:16}}
and twice in the [[Shema]] passages:
{{blockquote|And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as ''totafot'' between your eyes.|Deuteronomy 6:8}}
{{blockquote|You shall put these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall tie them for a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as ''totafot'' between your eyes.|Deuteronomy 11:18}}

== Etymology ==
[[File:Asiatic captive depicted in Tomb of Horemheb in Saqqara.png|thumb|[[Levant]]ine man wearing arm wrappings and a headband similar to tefillin ({{circa|1300 BCE}}, [[Tomb of Horemheb in Saqqara]])]] 

In the [[Hebrew Bible]], ''tefillin'' are referred to as {{lang|rtl=yes|he|טֹוטָפֹת}} ({{Transliteration|he|ṭoṭaphoth}}), the plural of {{lang|he|rtl=yes|טוֹטֶפֶת}} (''ṭoṭepheth''), meaning "headband" or "frontlet". [[Jeffrey H. Tigay]] argued that the word {{lang|he|rtl=yes|טוֹטֶפֶת}} originally meant "headband", as ornamental bands encircling the head were common among [[Levant]]ine populations in the Hebrew Biblical period. The scholarly consensus is that {{lang|he|rtl=yes|טוֹטֶפֶת}} is derived from a reduplicated root ''ṭ-p-ṭ-p'' ({{lang|he|rtl=yes|טפטפ}}) meaning "to encircle" (related to Arabic ''ṭāfa'', "go around" or "encircle") with the feminine suffix -''t''.<ref>Jeffrey H. Tigay, "On the Meaning of Ṭ(W)ṬPT", ''[[Journal of Biblical Literature]]'', Vol. 101, No. 3 (Sep., 1982), pp. 321-331 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3260347</ref>

[[Rabbi Akiva]], in [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Sanhedrin]] 4b,<ref>{{cite Talmud|b|Sanhedrin|4b}}</ref> argued the word {{lang|he|rtl=yes|טוֹטֶפֶת}} (''ṭoṭepheth'') to be a combination of two foreign words: {{lang|mis|Tot}} meant "two" in the [[Coptic language|Coptic]]{{Efn|Variant: Gadpi}} language and {{lang|mis|Fot}} meant "two" in the "Afriki" language,<ref>The [[Targum]] often substitutes the word ''Afriki'' for [[Tarshish]], see [[Books of Kings|Kings I]] 10:22;</ref> hence, {{lang|mis|tot}} and {{lang|mis|fot}} means "two and two", corresponding to the four compartments of the head tefillah.<ref>[[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 13:16, s.v. ''U'letotafot bein ei'neicha''</ref> This would appear to be an early attempt at etymology. [[Menahem ben Saruq]] explains that the word is derived from the Hebrew {{Transliteration|he|ve'hateif}} and {{Transliteration|he|tatifoo}}, both expressions meaning "speech"—"for when one sees the tefillin it causes him to remember and speak about the Exodus from Egypt".<ref>[[Rashi]] to [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 13:16, s.v. ''U'letotafot bein ei'neicha''</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Saruq|first=Mĕnaḥem ben|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EV5MAQAAMAAJ&pg=PT3|title=Maḥberet Menaḥem|date=1854|publisher=Ḥoveret Yeshanim|language=he}}</ref>

The first texts to use the word {{lang|he|rtl=yes|תְּפִלִּין}} (''tefillin'') are the [[Targum]]im and [[Peshitta]],<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia">[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=290&letter=P Phylacteries], ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' (1906).</ref> and it is also used in subsequent [[Talmud]]ic literature.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia" /> {{lang|rtl=yes|he|תְּפִלִּין}} is the [[Mishnaic Hebrew]] plural of {{lang|he|rtl=yes|תְּפִלָּה}} (''tefillah''), used in the [[Rabbinic literature]] to individuate a single phylactery. Jastrow connects {{lang|he|rtl=yes|תְּפִלִּין}} with the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] {{lang|syc|rtl=yes|תפלתא}} ("attachments" or "hangings"), in which case ''tefillin'' would represent the [[Aramaic]] equivalent of {{lang|he|rtl=yes|טוֹטֶפֶת}} (''ṭoṭepheth'').{{cn|date=October 2025}} Its resemblance to Hebrew {{Transliteration|he|[[tefillah]]}} ("prayer") is wholly coincidental.

The English word "[[wikt:phylactery|phylactery]]" ({{plural form}} "phylacteries") derives from [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc-x-biblical|φυλακτήριον}} {{Transliteration|grc|phylaktērion}} ({{plural form}} {{lang|grc-x-biblical|φυλακτήρια}} {{Transliteration|grc|phylaktēria}}), meaning "guarded post, safeguard, security", and in later Greek, "amulet" or "charm".<ref name="The Cambridge Bible for schools and colleges">{{cite book|title=The Cambridge Bible for schools and colleges|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rs4LAQAAIAAJ|access-date=30 June 2011|year=1908|publisher=University press|page=175}}</ref><ref>{{LSJ|fulakth/rion|φυλακτήριον|shortref}}.</ref> The word "phylactery" occurs once (in <small>[[Accusative case|ACC]] [[Plural|PL]]</small>) in the Greek [[New Testament]],<ref>[[Woes of the Pharisees]], {{bibleverse||Matthew|23:5|131}}</ref> whence it has passed into the languages of Europe.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> But neither [[Aquila of Sinope|Aquila]] nor [[Symmachus the Ebionite|Symmachus]] uses "phylacteries" in their translations.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

==Purpose==
The tefillin are to serve as a reminder of God's intervention at the time of the [[Exodus from Egypt]].<ref name="Bloch1980">{{cite book|author=Abraham P. Bloch|title=The Biblical and historical background of Jewish customs and ceremonies|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalhistoric00bloc|url-access=registration|access-date=1 July 2011|year=1980|publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc.|isbn=978-0-87068-658-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/biblicalhistoric00bloc/page/78 78]–80}}</ref> [[Maimonides]] details of the sanctity of tefillin and writes that "as long as the tefillin are on the head and on the arm of a man, he is modest and God-fearing and will not be attracted by hilarity or idle talk; he will have no evil thoughts, but will devote all his thoughts to truth and righteousness".<ref name="Rambam"/> The ''[[Sefer ha-Chinuch]]'' (14th&nbsp;century) adds that the purpose of tefillin is to help subjugate a person's worldly desires and encourage spiritual development.<ref name="Bailey2000">{{cite book|first=Stephen|last=Bailey|title=Kashrut, tefillin, tzitzit: studies in the purpose and meaning of symbolic mitzvot inspired by the commentaries of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ye2KAAAAMAAJ|access-date=30 June 2011|date=15 June 2000|publisher=Jason Aronson|isbn=978-0-7657-6106-4|page=31}}</ref> [[Joseph Caro]] (16th&nbsp;century) explains that tefillin are placed on the arm adjacent to the heart and on the head above the brain to demonstrate that these two major organs are willing to perform the service of God.<ref name="Naiman1995">{{cite book|author=Mosheh Ḥanina Naiman|title=Tefillin: an illustrated guide to their makeup and use|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0R04LgKkhfYC&pg=PA118|access-date=30 June 2011|date=June 1995|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-0-87306-711-9|page=118}}</ref>

Many have the custom to have high-quality tefillin and beautiful tefillin bags as a hiddur mitzvah. This idea comes from the verse "This is my God and I will glorify Him" ({{bibleverse|Exodus|15:2|HE}}). The Jewish Sages explain: "Is it possible for a human being to add glory to his Creator? What this really means is: I shall glorify Him in the way I perform mitzvot. I shall prepare before Him a beautiful [[lulav]], beautiful [[sukkah]], beautiful fringes ([[Tsitsit]]), and beautiful phylacteries (Tefilin)."<ref>{{cite web|title=Holiday Art Beautiful ritual objects enhance holiday celebration.|url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/About_Holidays/Types_of_Holidays/Meaning_of_Holidays/Art.shtml|website=myjewishlearning.com|date=20 January 2024 |quote=Beauty enhances the mitzvot by appealing to the senses. Beautiful sounds and agreeable fragrances, tastes, textures, colors, and artistry contribute to human enjoyment of religious acts, and beauty itself takes on a religious dimension. The principle of enhancing a mitzvah through aesthetics is called Hiddur Mitzvah. The concept of Hiddur Mitzvahis derived from Rabbi Ishmael's comment on the verse, "This is my God and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2):}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Greene|first1=Gary|title=Shabbat Truma Rosh Hodesh|url=http://www.marathonjcc.org/rabbi-message.php?date=2014-01-31|website=MARATHON Jewish Community Center|access-date=23 July 2014|quote=I think the beauty was important then because it reminded the people of the worth of God in their worship. During the dry and dusty days of desert wanderings, they needed a reminder of God’s majesty.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Silverberg|first1=Rav David|title=PARASHAT BESHALACH|url=http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/salt-shemot/16-9beshalach.htm|website=The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash|publisher=Yeshivat Har Etzion|quote=Rav Shlomo Ha-kohen of Vilna, in his work of responsa Binyan Shlomo (siman 6), writes that he was once asked why the Gemara never mentions a requirement to purchase beautiful tefillin. Seemingly, tefillin is no less a religious article than a tallit, Sefer Torah or lulav, and thus the obligation of hiddur mitzva should apply equally to tefillin.|access-date=2014-07-23|archive-date=2012-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304184545/http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/salt-shemot/16-9beshalach.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some non-Orthodox scholars think that tefillin may play an [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic function]]. For instance, Yehudah B. Cohn argues that the ''tefillin'' should be perceived as an invented tradition aimed at counteracting the popularity of the Greek [[amulet]]s with an "original" Jewish one.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tangled Up in Text: Tefillin and the Ancient World|last=Cohn|first=Yehuda B.|publisher=Brown Judaic Studies|year=2008|location=Providence|pages=88–99, 148}}</ref> [[Joshua Trachtenberg]] considered every ornament worn on the body (whatever its declared function) as initially serving the purpose of an amulet.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms12.htm|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|publisher=Behrman's Jewish Book House|year=1939|location=New York|pages=132}}</ref>

In addition, the early Rabbinic sources furnish more or less explicit examples of the apotropaic qualities of tefillin. For instance, [[Numbers Rabbah]] 12:3 presents tefillin as capable of defeating "a thousand [[demon]]s" emerging on "the left side", rabbis [[Johanan bar Nappaha|Yohanan]] and [[Rav Nachman|Nahman]] used their sets to repel the demons inhabiting [[outhouse|privies]],<ref>BT Berakhot 23a-b</ref> whereas Elisha the Winged, who was scrupulous in performing this [[mitzvah]], was miraculously saved from the Roman persecution.<ref>BT Shabbat 49a</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kosior|first=Wojciech|date=2015|title=The Name of Yahveh is Called Upon You. Deuteronomy 28:10 and the Apotropaic Qualities of Tefillin in the Early Rabbinic Literature |url=https://www.academia.edu/12193429|journal=Studia Religiologica|volume=48|issue=2|doi=10.4467/20844077SR.15.011.3557}}</ref> Also, tefillin are believed to possess life-lengthening qualities,<ref>Suggested in BT Menahot 36b, 44a-b and in BT Shabbat 13a-b</ref> and they are often listed in one breath among various items which are considered amuletic in nature.<ref>As is the case in M Kelim 23:1, M Eruvin 10:1 and BT Eruvin 96b-97a</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/6319/txu-oclc-420225040.pdf?sequence=2|title=Mahadurah u-Perush 'al Derekh ha-Mehqar le-Pereq "Ha-Motze' Tefillin" mitokh ha-Talmud ha-Bavli ('Eruvin, Pereq 'Eshiri), [PhD thesis, Hebrew]|last=Stollman|first=Aviad A.|year=2006|location=Ramat Gan|pages=51–54}}</ref> Though ''tefillin'' are sometimes mentioned together with amulets in the Talmud due to certain similarities of form, they are never identified as such, but specifically differentiated from them.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cohen |first=Naomi G. |last2=כהן |first2=נעמי |date=1985 |title=התפילין בכתבי פילון / Philo's Tefillin |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23527803?seq=1 |journal=Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies / דברי הקונגרס העולמי למדעי היהדות |volume=ט |pages=199–206 |issn=0333-9068}}</ref>

== Manufacture and contents ==
[[File:4BranchShinTefillinJosephSherman.jpg|thumb|[[Ashkenazi]] head tefillin, Jerusalem, Israel]]
[[File:Tefillin leather box.jpg|thumb|Leather moulded into shape for the head-tefillin]]
[[File:Phylactery (teffilin) case Brooklyn Museum open.jpg|thumb|Silver and leather teffilin case made in Germany in 1885]]
The manufacturing processes of tefillin are intricate and governed by hundreds of detailed rules.<ref name="Grinṿald2001pg.39">{{cite book|first=Zeʾev|last=Grinṿald|title=Shaarei halachah: a summary of laws for Jewish living|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Txt4EidAVFEC&pg=PA39|access-date=1 July 2011|date=1 July 2001|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-434-1|page=39}}</ref>

===Boxes===
In earlier Talmudic times, tefillin were either cylindrical or cubical, but later the cylindrical form became obsolete.<ref name="Kiell1967">{{cite book|first=Norman|last=Kiell|title=The psychodynamics of American Jewish life: an anthology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eG1CAAAAIAAJ|access-date=4 July 2011|year=1967|publisher=Twayne Publishers|page=334}}</ref> Nowadays the boxes should be fashioned from a single piece of animal hide and form a base with an upper compartment to contain the parchment scrolls.<ref name="Eider1985Page11">{{cite book|author=Shimon D. Eider|title=Student Edition of Halachos of Tefillin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrbbdzcfTxkC&pg=PR6|access-date=30 June 2011|date=September 1985|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-050-3|page=11}}</ref> They are made in varying levels of quality. The most basic form, called ''peshutim'' ("simple"), are made using several pieces of parchment to form the inner walls of the head tefillin. The higher quality tefillin, namely ''dakkot'' ("thin"), made by stretching a thin piece of leather, and the more durable ''gassot'' ("thick") are both fashioned from the single piece of hide.<ref name="Eider1985Page21-22">{{cite book|author=Shimon D. Eider|title=Student Edition of Halachos of Tefillin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrbbdzcfTxkC&pg=PA21|access-date=30 June 2011|date=September 1985|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-050-3|pages=21–22}}</ref>

The main box which holds the tefillin scrolls, known as ''ketzitzah'' (קציצה), is cubical. Below it is a wider base known as the ''titura'' (תיתורא). At the back of the ''titura'' is a passageway (''ma'avarta'', מעברתא) through which the tefillin strap is threaded, to tie the tefillin in place.

On both sides of the head-tefillin, the Hebrew letter ''[[Shin (letter)|shin]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|ש}}) is moulded; the ''shin'' on the wearer's left side has four branches instead of three.

Nowadays it is customary to paint the tefillin black, but archaeological findings show that it is not certain that it was always this way.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ancient tefillin were not dyed black, study finds |url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/13/ancient-tefilin-were-not-dyed-black-study-finds/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=[[Israel Hayom]]}}</ref>

===Straps===
Black leather straps (''retsu'ot'') pass through the rear of the base and are used to secure the tefillin onto the body.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>  The knot of the head-tefillin strap forms the letter ''[[dalet]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|ד}}) or double ''dalet'' (known as the square-knot) while the strap that is passed through the arm-tefillin is formed into a knot in the shape of the letter ''[[Yodh|yud]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|י}}). Together with the ''shin'' on the head-tefillin box, these three letters spell ''[[El Shaddai|Shaddai]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|שדי}}), one of the names of God.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

The straps must be black on their outer side, but may be any color except red on their inner side.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 32:3</ref> A stringent opinion requires them to be black on the inner side too,<ref>Shut Shevet Halevi 9:16</ref> but more commonly the inner side is left the color of leather.

The Talmud specifies that tefillin straps must be long enough to reach one's middle finger, and records the practice of Rav [[Aha bar Jacob]] to tie and then "matleit" (plait? wind three times?) them.<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org.il/Menachot.35b.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Menachot 35b]</ref> However, the passage leaves unclear where the measuring is done from, whether the reference is to hand- or head-tefillin, and what exactly the meaning of "matleit" is. Combining and interpreting the Talmud's statements, [[Maimonides]], [[Arba'ah Turim|Tur]], and [[Shulchan Aruch]] ruled that the strap of hand-tefillin must reach from where the tefillin is placed on the arm, as far as the middle finger, where it must be wound three times around the middle finger.<ref>[[Mishneh Torah]] Hilchot Tefillin 13:12; Tur Hilchot Tefillin 27:8; [[Shulchan Aruch]] Orach Chaim 27:8</ref> [[Moshe Isserlis|Rema]] wrote that it is not necessary to wind around the finger (rather, the straps must be long enough that one ''could'' wind around the finger);<ref>''Darchei Moshe haKatzar'' Orach Chaim 27 letter 5</ref> however, this leniency does not appear in his comments to the Shulchan Aruch. In addition to the windings around the finger, the Shulchan Aruch states that the custom is to wind six or seven times around the forearm.<ref>[[Shulchan Aruch]] Orach Chaim 27:8</ref>

=== Parchment scrolls ===
[[File:Jeruzalem. Oude man maakt doosjes voor gebedssnoeren (tefellin) achter een voll…, Bestanddeelnr 255-2339.jpg|thumb|Man makes boxes for tefillin, Jerusalem, 1964]]
[[File:Jerusalem (997009326115605171.jpg|thumb|Man makes tefillin, Jerusalem, 1949. Photo by [[Boris Carmi]]]]
The four biblical passages which refer to the tefillin, mentioned above, are written on scrolls and placed inside the leather boxes.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia" /> The arm-tefillin has one large compartment, which contains all four biblical passages written upon a single strip of parchment; the head-tefillin has four separate compartments in each of which one scroll of parchment is placed.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia" /><ref>BT Menachot 34b</ref> This is because the verses describe the hand-tefillin in the singular ("sign"), while in three of four verses, the head-tefillin is described in the plural ("''totafot''").

The passages are written by a [[sofer|scribe]] with special ink on parchment scrolls (''[[klaf]]'').<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia" /> These are: "Sanctify to me ..." (Exodus 13:1–10); "When YHWH brings you ..." (Exodus 13:11–16); "Hear, O Israel ..." (Deuteronomy 6:4–9); and "If you observe My Commandments ..." (Deuteronomy 11:13-21).<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia" /> The Hebrew [[Ktav Ashuri|Ashuri]] script must be used and there are three main styles of lettering used: ''Beis Yosef'' – generally used by [[Ashkenazim]]; ''Arizal'' – generally used by [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidim]]; ''Velish'' – used by [[Sefardim]].<ref name="Eider1985Page13-14">{{cite book|author=Shimon D. Eider|title=Student Edition of Halachos of Tefillin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrbbdzcfTxkC&pg=PA14|access-date=1 July 2011|date=September 1985|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-050-3|pages=13–14}}</ref>

The texts have to be written with halachically acceptable (acceptable according to Jewish law) ink on halachically acceptable parchment. There are precise rules for writing the texts and any error invalidates it. For example, the letters of the text must be written in order - if a mistake is found later, it cannot be corrected as the replacement letter would have been written out of sequence. There are 3188 letters on the parchments, and it can take a [[sofer]] (scribe) as long as 15 hours to write a complete set.<ref>[http://www.stam.net/what_is_stam.aspx What is Tefillin?], ''www.stam.net''. Retrieved 1 July 2011</ref>

====Ordering of scrolls (Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin)====
{{See also|:he:סדר הפרשיות בתפילין}}
Talmudic commentators debated the order in which scrolls should be written in the hand tefillin and inserted into the four compartments of the head-tefillin.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia" /> [[Rashi]] held that the passages are placed according to the chronological order as they appear in the Torah (''Kadesh Li'', ''Ve-haya Ki Yeviehcha'', ''Shema'', ''Ve-haya Im Shemoa''), while according to [[Rabbeinu Tam]], the last two passages are switched around.<ref name="Jacobs1984">{{cite book|first=Louis|last=Jacobs|title=The book of Jewish belief|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pFpZgMzsEWYC&pg=PA128|access-date=1 July 2011|date=November 1984|publisher=Behrman House, Inc|isbn=978-0-87441-379-3|page=128}}</ref> There are two additional opinions of the Shimusha Rabba and the Raavad, who hold that like Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam respectively, but they hold that the scrolls are placed in the head tefillin in mirror image of those opinions.<ref>[https://www.torahmusings.com/2011/08/tefillin-shimusha-rabba-and-raavad/ Tefillin: Shimusha Rabba and Ra’avad]</ref>

It is often claimed that of the tefillin dating from the 1st-century CE discovered at [[Qumran]] in the [[Judean Desert]], some were made according to the order understood by Rashi and others in the order of Rabbeinu Tam;<ref name="Jacobs1984" /> however, they in fact do not follow either opinion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohn |first1=Yehudah |title=The Real Origins of the Rashi, Rabbenu Tam Tefillin Dispute |url=http://thegemara.com/the-real-origins-of-the-rashi-rabbenu-tam-tefillin-dispute/ |website=TheGemara.com |date=11 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214075627/http://thegemara.com/the-real-origins-of-the-rashi-rabbenu-tam-tefillin-dispute/ |archive-date=2016-02-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cohn |first1=Yehudah |title=Rabbenu Tam's tefillin : an Ancient Tradition or the Product of Medieval Exegesis? |journal=Jewish Studies Quarterly |date=2007 |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=319–327 |doi=10.1628/094457007783244619 |jstor=40753443 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40753443 |issn=0944-5706}}</ref>

Nowadays, the prevailing custom is to arrange the scrolls according to Rashi's view, but some pious Jews are also accustomed to briefly lay the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam as well,<ref name="Jacobs1984" /> a custom of the [[Isaac Luria|Ari]] adopted by the [[Hasidim]], many [[Sephardic]] communities, and individuals within the Ashkenazic community.<ref name="Rabinowicz1996">{{cite book|first=Tzvi|last=Rabinowicz|title=The encyclopedia of Hasidism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OprXAAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 July 2011|year=1996|publisher=Jason Aronson|isbn=978-1-56821-123-7|page=482}}</ref> The [[Vilna Gaon]], who wore the tefillin of Rashi, rejected the stringency of also laying Rabbeinu Tam, pointing out that there were 64 possible arrangements of the tefillin scrolls, and it would not be practical to put on 64 different sets of tefillin to account for all possibilities.<ref name="Project2007">[[Aharon Lichtenstein]], '"Mah Enosh": Reflections on the Relation between Judaism and Humanism', ''The Torah U-Madda Journal'', Vol. 14 (2006-07), p.46</ref> The [[Shulchan Aruch]] rules that only "one who is known and famous for his piety" should put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin,<ref>Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 34:3</ref> while the [[Mishnah Brurah]] explains that if any other person puts on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, it is a sign of arrogance.<ref>Mishnah Brurah, Orach Chaim 34:16</ref>

The placement of the protrusion of a tuft of calf hairs (''se'ar eigel'') identifies as to which opinion the tefillin were written.<ref name="Eider1985Page21">{{cite book|author=Shimon D. Eider|title=Student Edition of Halachos of Tefillin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrbbdzcfTxkC&pg=PA21|access-date=1 July 2011|date=September 1985|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-050-3|page=21}}</ref>

==Obligation and gender==
The legal duty of laying tefillin rests solely upon Jewish males above the age of thirteen years, women are exempt from this obligation.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> Since at least the time of [[Moses Isserles|Rema]] in the 16th century,<ref>[[Shulchan Aruch]] [[Orach Chayim]], 38:3. See also [[Targum Pseudo-Jonathan|Targum Yerushalmi]] on [[Deuteronomy]] 22:5.</ref> the prevalent practice among religious Jews has strongly discouraged women from wearing tefillin.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

The codes view the commandment of tefillin as important, and call those who neglect to observe it "transgressors".<ref name="Essrig1932">{{cite book|author=Isaac David Essrig|title=The fountain of wisdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0DhDAAAAIAAJ|access-date=1 July 2011|year=1932|page=18}}</ref> [[Maimonides]] counts the commandment of laying the arm-tefillin and head-tefillin as two separate positive ''[[mitzvot]]''.<ref name="Rambam">[http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/2301.htm ''Tefillin, Mezuzah, ve'Sefer Torah'' ch 5-6].</ref> The Talmud cites [[Rav Sheshet]], who said that by neglecting the precept, one transgresses eight positive commandments.<ref>[[Menahot]] 44a</ref> A report of widespread laxity in its observance is reported by [[Moses ben Jacob of Coucy|Moses of Coucy]] in 13th-century Spain. It may have arisen from the fear of persecution, similar to what had occurred to the Jews living in the [[Land of Israel]] under Roman rule in the second century,<ref name="Bloch1980"/> or possibly due to expense, lack of skill in manufacture, or other social pressures upon Jews in the middle ages.

A mourner during the first day of his mourning period is exempt from wrapping tefillin; according to Talmudic law, a bridegroom on his wedding-day is also exempt,<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> but this later exemption is not practiced today. The reason for these exemptions is that the wearer of tefilin must have a constant state of mind intent on the commandment of tefilin, and distractions due to recent death or marriage would be problematic.  A sufferer from stomach-trouble who thus can not maintain a clean body, or one who is otherwise in pain and cannot concentrate their mind is also exempt.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> One who is engaged in the study of the Law and scribes of and dealers in tefillin and ''[[mezuzah]]s'' while engaged in their work if it cannot be postponed, are also free from this obligation.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

Historically, the ''[[mitzvah]]'' of tefillin was not performed by women, but the ritual was possibly kept privately by some women in medieval France and Germany.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baumgarten |first=Elisheva |url=https://archive.org/details/motherschildrenj0000baum/mode/2up |title=Mothers and Children: Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2004 |pages=88 |author-link=Elisheva Baumgarten |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=Avraham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SOGI06P-qAUC&q=Avraham+Grossman+Pious+and+Rebellious |title=Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe |date=2004 |publisher=Brandeis University Press |isbn=978-1-58465-392-9 |location=Waltham, Massachusetts |pages=178, 194 |language= |author-link=Avraham Grossman}}</ref> It has been popularly claimed that [[Rashi's daughters]] (12th century) and the wife of [[Chaim ibn Attar]] (18th century) wore tefillin,<ref name=beki>{{cite web|url=http://www.beki.org/womentefillin.html|title=Women & Tefillin - Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel|access-date=2007-07-03|archive-date=2013-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613034707/http://www.beki.org/womentefillin.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> but there is no historical evidence to back these claims.<ref name=zivo>[https://jewishaction.com/religion/jewish-law/whats_the_truth_about-rashis_daughters/ What’s the Truth About…Rashi’s Daughters?]</ref> There was never a widely accepted practice of women wearing tefillin prior to 20th century progressive Judaism, though historical sources suggest it was done in some communities prior to the advent of progressive Judaism.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wlcj.org/2019/01/tefillin-101-week-four/ | title=Tefillin 101 - Week Four &#124; Women's League for Conservative Judaism - Jewish Women's GroupWomen's League for Conservative Judaism | date=24 January 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-30 |title=Tefillin - BJE |url=https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/jewish-symbols/tefillin/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In modern times, men have not been the only ones to elect to wear tefillin.<ref>{{cite news |last= Friedman |first= Will |title= Why Women can and Must Lay Tefillin |publisher= Forward |year= 2014 |url= https://forward.com/opinion/191430/why-women-can-and-must-lay-tefillin/}}</ref>  Within the Orthodox movement, it remains a male-only religious obligation, but in egalitarian movements women might opt to observe this practice as a social statement. Women affiliated with the [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] movement often wrap tefillin.<ref name="uscj.org">[http://www.uscj.org/Women_and_Tefillin7649.html Women and Tefillin : The United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism (USCJ)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807190658/http://uscj.org/Women_and_Tefillin7649.html |date=2009-08-07 }}</ref> Since 2013, [[SAR High School]] in Riverdale, New York, has allowed girls to wrap tefillin during morning prayer; it is probably the first [[Modern Orthodox Judaism|Modern Orthodox]] high school in the U.S. to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/nyc-orthodox-high-school-lets-girls-put-on-tefillin/2014/01/20/|title=NYC Orthodox High School Lets Girls Put On Tefillin|first=Jewish Press News|last=Briefs|date=20 January 2014}}</ref> The wearing of tefillin by members of [[Women of the Wall]] at the [[Western Wall]] caused consternation from the rabbi in charge of the site until a Jerusalem District Court judge ruled in 2013 that doing so was not a violation of "local custom".<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/.premium-1.700782 Western Wall Rabbi: No More Tallit and Tefillin for Women at Kotel] haaretz, February 1, 2016</ref> In 2018, a group of students from Hebrew College, a non-denominational rabbinical school in Boston, created a series of YouTube videos to help female and transgender Jews learn how to wrap tefillin.<ref>{{cite news |last= Feldman |first= Ari |title= Laying Tefillin Isn't Just For Straight Men Anymore |publisher= Forward |year= 2018 |url= https://forward.com/news/national/412272/laying-tefillin-isnt-just-for-straight-men-anymore}}</ref>

==Use==
[[File:Jew_in_Podolsk.jpg|thumb|Old man with a tefillin in Podolsk, {{circa|1870{{ndash}}1880}}]] 
[[File:Tefillin-shel-yad.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Arm-tefillin with ש (shin) pattern, according to one of the [[Ashkenazim|Ashkenazi]] opinions]]
Sometimes tefillin were worn all day, but not during the night. Nowadays the prevailing custom is to wear them only during the weekday morning service,<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Shulchan Aruch]] [[Orach Chayim]] 37:2</ref> although some individuals wear them at other times during the day as well. Observant Jews make a tremendous effort to don Tefillin at the appropriate time every morning,<ref name="Tefillin">{{Cite web |title=Tefillin |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/tefillin |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> even in crowded airports. Tefillin are not donned on [[Shabbat]] and the major festivals because these holy days are themselves considered "signs" which render the need of the "sign" of tefillin superfluous.

On the fast day of [[Tisha B'Av]], [[Ashkenazi]]m and some [[Sephardim]] do not wear tefillin during the morning ([[Shacharit]]) service and they are worn instead at the afternoon service ([[Mincha]]).<ref>Shulchan Aruch OC 555:1.</ref> Other [[Sephardi]]m (following the [[Kabbalah]]) wear tefillin at Shacharit as usual.<ref>{{cite web |author=Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman |title=The Laws of Tisha B'Av |publisher=Ohr Somayach |url=http://ohr.edu/1098}}</ref>

===Chol HaMoed===
{{see also|Chol HaMoed#Tefillin}}

On [[Chol HaMoed]] (intermediate days) of [[Pesach]] and [[Sukkot]], there is a great debate among the early [[Posek|halachic authorities]] as to whether tefillin should be worn or not. Those who forbid it consider the "sign" of intermediate days as having the same status as the festival itself, making the ritual of tefillin redundant.<ref name="koltorah">{{cite web|url=https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/tefillin-on-chol-hamoed-by-rabbi-howard-jachter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719233158/https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/tefillin-on-chol-hamoed-by-rabbi-howard-jachter|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2018|title=Tefillin on Hol Hamoed|last=Jachter|first=Howard|date=April 7, 2001|publisher=Kol Torah: Torah Academy of Bergen County}}</ref> Others argue and hold that Chol HaMoed does not constitute a "sign" in which case tefillin must be laid.<ref name="koltorah"/> Three customs evolved resulting from the dispute:
*''To refrain from wearing tefillin'': This ruling of the ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' is based on [[kabbalah]] and the [[Zohar]] which strongly advocate refraining from laying tefillin on Chol HaMoed. This position is maintained by [[Sephardic Jews]] and is also the opinion of the [[Vilna Gaon]] whose ruling has been almost universally accepted in [[Jews|Israel]].<ref name="koltorah"/>
*''To wear tefillin without reciting the blessings'': This is the opinion of, among others, Rabbi [[Jacob ben Asher]] (Ba'al ha-Turim), Rabbi [[Moses ben Jacob of Coucy|Moses of Coucy]] (''Semag'') and Rabbi [[David HaLevi Segal]] (Turei Zahav). The advantage of this compromise is that one avoids the transgressions of either not donning tefillin or making a blessing in vain.<ref name="koltorah"/>
*''To wear tefillin and recite the blessings in an undertone'': This opinion is the ruling of [[Moses Isserles]] who writes that this is the universally accepted practice among [[Ashkenazic Jews]].<ref name="koltorah"/> However it may have been in his time, this is no longer universally the case, since many Ashkenazim refrain from wearing it or wear it without a blessing during Chol HaMoed.

In light of the conflicting opinions, the ''[[Mishna Berura]]'' (early 20th-century), following the second compromise practice above, recommends Ashkenazim make the following stipulation before donning tefillin: "If I am obligated to don tefillin I intend to fulfill my obligation and if I am not obligated to don tefillin, my doing so should not be considered as fulfilling any obligation" and that the blessing not be recited.<ref>''[[Mishna Berura]]'' 31:8</ref>

=== Laws and customs regarding putting on tefillin ===
{{See also|List of Jewish prayers and blessings#tefillin|l1=List of Jewish prayers and blessings: Tefillin}}
[[File:IDF soldier put on tefillin.jpg|thumb|[[Israel Defense Forces]] soldier [[Asael Lubotzky]] prays with tefillin.]]

Standard [[Ashkenazi]] practice is to put on and remove the arm tefillin while standing in accordance to the ''Shulchan Aruch'', while most [[Sephardim]] do so while sitting in accordance with the [[Isaac Luria|Ari]]. All, however, put on and remove the head tefillin while standing.<ref name="Grinṿald2001pg.36">{{cite book|first=Zeʾev|last=Grinṿald|title=Shaarei halachah: a summary of laws for Jewish living|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Txt4EidAVFEC&pg=PA36|access-date=4 July 2011|date=1 July 2001|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-434-1|page=36}}</ref> Halacha forbids speaking or being distracted while putting on the tefillin.<ref name="Grinṿald2001pg.36"/> An Ashkenazi says two blessings when laying tefillin, the first before he ties the arm-tefillin: ...''lehani'ach tefillin'' ("to bind ''tefillin''"), and the second after placing the head tefillin: ...''al mitzvat tefillin'' ("as to the commandment of ''tefillin''"); thereafter, he tightens the head straps and says "''Baruch Shem Kovod..."'' ("blessed be the holy name").<ref name="Kitov2000">{{cite book|first=Eliyahu|last=Kitov|title=The Jew and His Home|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NQNG3I9ZLVUC&pg=PA488|access-date=4 July 2011|year=2000|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-711-3|page=488}}</ref> The [[Sephardic]] custom is that no blessing is said for the head-tefillin, the first blessing sufficing for both.<ref name="Kitov2000"/> Sephardim, [[Chabad]] and followers of the [[Vilna Gaon]] only recite the blessing on the head-tefillah if they spoke about something not related to tefillin since reciting the blessing on the arm-tefillah.<ref>See Shulchan Aruch OC 25:5 and commentaries there.</ref>

The arm-tefillin is laid on the inner side of the bare left arm, right arm if one is left handed, two finger breadths above the elbow, so that when the arm is bent the tefillin faces towards the heart.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> The arm-tefillin is tightened with the thumb, the blessing is said, and the strap is immediately wrapped around the upper arm in the opposite direction it came from in order to keep the knot tight without having to hold it. Some wrap it around the upper arm for less than a full revolution (the bare minimum to keep the knot tight) and then wrap it around the forearm seven times,<ref name="Tefillin"/> while others wrap it around the upper arm an additional time before wrapping it around the forearm. Many Ashkenazim and Italian Jews wear the knot to be tightened (not to be confused with the knot on the base which is permanently tied and always worn on the inside, facing the heart) on the inside and wrap inward, while most Nusach Sephard Ashkenazim and Sephardim wear it on the outside and wrap outward.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

Then the head-tefillin is placed on the middle of the head just above the forehead, so that no part rests below the hairline. A bald or partially bald person's original hairline is used.<ref name="Jacobs1987">{{cite book|first=Louis|last=Jacobs|title=The book of Jewish practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPW0BFLYb4kC&pg=PA35|access-date=4 July 2011|date=1 June 1987|publisher=Behrman House, Inc|isbn=978-0-87441-460-8|page=35}}</ref> The knot of the head-tefillin sits at the back of the head, upon the part of the [[occipital bone]] that protrudes just above the [[nape]]. The two straps of the head-tefillin are brought in front of the shoulders, with their blackened side facing outwards.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> Now the remainder of the arm-tefillin straps are wound three times around the middle finger and around the hand to form the shape of the Hebrew letter of either a ''[[Shin (letter)|shin]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|ש}}) according to Ashkenazim, or a ''[[dalet]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|ד}}) according to Sephardim. There are various customs regarding winding the strap on the arm and hand.<ref name="Kitov2000"/> In fact, the arm strap is looped for counter-clockwise wrapping with Ashkenazi tefillin while it is knotted for clockwise wrapping with Sephardic and [[Hasidic]] tefillin. On removing the tefillin, the steps are reversed.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

Earlier, Yemenite Jews' custom was to put on arm-Tefillah and wind forearm with strap, making knot on wrist not winding a finger, and then put on head-Tefillah all made in sitting position. {{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
Later, Yemenite Jews followed by ''Shulchan Aruch'' and put on arm-Tefillah, making seven windings on forearm and three on a finger, and then put on head-Tefillah. Because according to the ''Shulchan Aruch'' head-Tefillah and arm-Tefillah are two different commandments, if both Tefillin aren't available, then one can wear the available one alone.<ref>Shulchan-Aruch 27</ref>

German Jews also did not tie a finger earlier. But later they put on arm-Tefillah with a knot on biceps while standing, then put on head-Tefillah, and after that they wind seven wraps around forearm (counting by the seven Hebrew words of {{Bibleverse|Psalms|145:16|HE}}), and three wraps around a finger.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
[[File:Rodrigues-Pereira family Tefillin .jpg|thumb|Tefillin wrapping custom of the Rodrigues-Pereira family]]

Some [[Spanish and Portuguese Jews|Western Sephardic]] families such as the [[Jacob Rodrigues Pereira|Rodrigues-Pereira family]] have developed a personalized family wrapping method.<ref>{{Cite web|title=London Sephardi Minhag - Tephillin|url=https://sites.google.com/site/londonsephardiminhag/tephillin|access-date=2020-06-13|website=sites.google.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Biblical commandments ==
[[File:Tefillin Text.JPG|right|300px|thumb|Two paragraphs that conclude [[Bo (parsha)|Parashat Bo]] are included in the scroll in addition to the first two paragraphs of [[Shema Yisrael]].]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Location
! Passage
|-
| [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 13:1–10:<br>''Kadesh Li''—<br>the duty of<br>the Jewish people<br>to remember the<br>redemption from<br>Egyptian bondage.
| And the {{LORD}} spoke to Moses, saying: 'Sanctify to Me all the first-born, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal, it is Mine.' And Moses said to the people: 'Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the {{LORD}} brought you out from this place; no leavened bread shall be eaten. This day you go forth in the Spring month. And it shall be when the {{LORD}} shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He swore unto your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and the seventh day shall be a feast to the {{LORD}}. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you, neither shall there be leaven seen with you, in all your borders. And so shall you tell your son on that day, saying: It is because of that which the {{LORD}} did for me when I came forth out of Egypt. '''And it shall be for a sign for you upon your hand, and as a memorial between your eyes''', that the law of the {{LORD}} may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand has the {{LORD}} brought you out of Egypt. You shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.
|-
| [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 13:11–16:<br>''Ve-haya Ki Yeviakha''—<br>the obligation<br>of every Jew to<br>inform his or her children<br>on these matters.
| When the {{LORD}} brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as He swore unto you and to your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the {{LORD}} all that opens the womb; every firstborn animal shall be the {{LORD}}'S. Every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep, and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and all the first-born of man among your sons shall you redeem. And when your son asks you in time to come, saying: What is this? say to him: By strength of hand the {{LORD}} bring us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage; and when Pharaoh found it hard to let us go the {{LORD}} killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of animals; therefore I sacrifice to the {{LORD}} all males that open the womb, and redeem all my first-born sons. '''And it shall be for a sign upon your hand, and as "totafot" between your eyes'''; for by strength of hand the {{LORD}} brought us forth out of Egypt.
|-
| [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]] 6:4–9:<br>''[[Shema]]''—<br>pronouncing the<br>Unity of the<br>One God. 
| Hear, O Israel: the {{LORD}} our God, the {{LORD}} is one. And you shall love the {{LORD}} your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart; and teach them thoroughly to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down, and when you get up. '''And tie them for a sign upon your hand, and let them be "totafot" between your eyes'''. And write them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates.
|-
| [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]] 11:13–21:<br>''Ve-haya Im Shamoa''—<br>God's assurance of<br>reward for observance<br>of the Torah's<br>precepts and warning<br>of retribution for<br>disobedience.
| If you listen to My commandments which I command you today, to love the {{LORD}} your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early and the late rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil. And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Take care for yourselves, lest your heart be seduced, and you turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and the anger of the {{LORD}} be lit against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground not yield her fruit; and you be quickly lost from off the good land which the {{LORD}} gives you. Put these words of Mine on your heart and on your soul; '''tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be "totafot" between your eyes'''. Teach them to your children, to speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And write them on the door-posts of your house, and upon your gates; so that your days, and those of your children, may be multiplied upon the land which the {{LORD}} swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
|}

== See also ==
* [[Ktav Stam]]
* [[Tefillin Campaign]]
* [[Tokin (headwear)]]

== References ==
{{Notelist}}{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Eider, Shimon D ''Halachos of Tefillin'', Feldheim Publishers (2001) {{ISBN|978-1-58330-483-9}}
* Emanuel, Moshe Shlomo ''Tefillin: The Inside Story'', Targum Press (1995) {{ISBN|978-1-56871-090-7}}
* Neiman, Moshe Chanina ''Tefillin: An Illustrated Guide'', Feldheim Publishers (1995) {{ISBN|978-0-87306-711-9}}
* Rav Pinson, DovBer: ''Tefillin: Wrapped in Majesty'' (2013) {{ISBN|0985201185}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cohn |first1=Yehudah |title=Tangled Up in Text: Tefillin and the Ancient World |date=2008 |publisher=Brown Judaic Studies |isbn=978-1930675797}}
* {{cite book |last1=Feldman|first1=Ariel|title=Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran: New Readings and Interpretations |date=2022 |publisher=De Gruyters |isbn=978-3110725261}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tefillin}}
{{Wiktionary|tefilla|phylactery}}

*[http://www.tefillin.co.il/english/posulim/index.html Halachic sources and diagrams on Tefillin] on a commercial site
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090202195144/http://www.sofer.co.uk/html/tefillin.html Many pictures and explanations about Tefillin, the parshiyot and batim]
*[http://www.stam.net Educational information and diagrams of tefillin] on a commercial site
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzsG1GtBu6A Short movie about Tefillin producing process]
*[http://iyyun.com/booklets/tefillin-a-how-to-guide How to Guide to Putting on Tefillin]
*[https://www.vaadmhk.org/the-right-arm-for-tefillin/ One who performs all labor and activities with his left hand except for writing, should he be wearing the tefillin shel yad on his right hand?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120071131/https://www.vaadmhk.org/the-right-arm-for-tefillin/ |date=2022-01-20 }}
*[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14556&st=&pgnum=627&hilite= Illustrations on how to tie the knot (''kesher'') in the head phylactery], Ashkenazi and Sephardic methods, pp.&nbsp;627–630 in PDF.
*[https://www.vaadmhk.org/topics/tefillin/ Enhance your knowledge regarding Tefillin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517041658/https://www.vaadmhk.org/topics/tefillin/ |date=2022-05-17 }} at Vaad Meleches HaKodesh

{{Jewish life}}
{{Sofer}}
{{Book of Deuteronomy}}
{{Book of Exodus navbox}}

[[Category:Armwear]]
[[Category:Book of Deuteronomy]]
[[Category:Book of Exodus]]
[[Category:Hebrew calligraphy]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Jewish life cycle]]
[[Category:Jewish religious clothing]]
[[Category:Jewish ritual objects]]
[[Category:Leather clothing]]
[[Category:Leather in Judaism]]
[[Category:Positive Mitzvoth]]
[[Category:Religious headgear]]