Tefillin

ByAizik Schwei

דברים ו׳:ח׳

(ח) וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָ וְהָי֥וּ לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָ׃

Deuteronomy 6:8

(8) Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead;

מנחות כ״ח א:ז׳

ד' פרשיות שבתפילין מעכבין זו את זו אפילו כתב אחד מעכבן

Menachot 28a:7

With regard to the four passages that are in the phylacteries, which are the two passages in the mezuza and two additional passages (Exodus 13:1–10, 11–16), the absence of each prevents fulfillment of the mitzva with the others. Furthermore, the absence of even one letter prevents fulfillment of the mitzva with the rest of them.

מנחות ל״ד ב:א׳-ב׳

ת"ר לטטפת לטטפת לטוטפת הרי כאן ד' דברי רבי ישמעאל ר"ע אומר אינו צריך טט בכתפי שתים פת באפריקי שתים

Menachot 34b:1-2

§ The Sages taught in a baraita: With regard to the number of compartments in the phylacteries of the head, the verse states: “It shall be for a sign upon your hand, and for totafot between your eyes” (Exodus 13:16), with the word totafot spelled deficient, without a vav before the final letter, in a way that can be read as singular; and again: “They shall be for totafot between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8), spelled as a singular word; and again: “They shall be for totafot between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18), this time spelled plene, with a vav before the final letter, in a manner that must be plural. There are four mentions of totafot here, as the third one is written in the plural and therefore counts as two. Consequently, it is derived that the phylacteries of the head must have four compartments. This is the statement of Rabbi Yishmael. Rabbi Akiva says: There is no need for this proof, as the requirement of four compartments can be derived from the word totafot itself: The word tot in the language of Katfei means two, and the word pat in the language of Afriki also means two, and therefore totafot can be understood as a compound word meaning four.

מנחות ל״ד ב:ג׳

ת"ר יכול יכתבם על ד' עורות ויניחם בד' בתים בד' עורות ת"ל (שמות יג, ט) ולזכרון בין עיניך זכרון אחד אמרתי לך ולא ב' וג' זכרונות הא כיצד כותבן על ד' עורות ומניחן בד' בתים בעור אחד

Menachot 34b:3

The Sages taught in a baraita: One might have thought that a scribe should write the passages of the phylacteries of the head on four separate hides, i.e., parchments, and place them in four compartments of four hides, one passage in each compartment. Therefore, the verse states: “And for a memorial between your eyes” (Exodus 13:9). This teaches: I said to you that the phylacteries are one memorial, but not that they are two or three memorials, i.e., the phylacteries themselves must be one unit. How so? One writes the passages on four hides and places them in four compartments fashioned of one hide.

רש"י על מנחות ל״ד ב:ג׳:ב׳

בד' בתים בעור אחד - שמפשיטין עגל קטן [ולוקחים חתיכת עור] ומניחין אותו בדפוס שיש בו כמין [ד'] אצבעות ומניחין אותו לייבש על הדפוס ונוטלין את הדפוס ונעשים בתים מאליהן:

Rashi on Menachot 34b:3:2

...Take a peice of leather, place it on a mold that has four finger like protrusions. Leave it to dry on the mold, then take it off and it will have four compartments.

מנחות ל״ה א:ג׳

ואמר רב חננאל אמר רב תיתורא דתפילין הלכה למשה מסיני אמר אביי מעברתא דתפילין הלכה למשה מסיני ואמר אביי שי"ן של תפילין הלכה למשה מסיני

Menachot 35a:3

§ And Rav Ḥananel says that Rav says: The requirement to have the titora of phylacteries, i.e., the base of phylacteries upon which the compartments rest, is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. Abaye said: The requirement to have the ma’ebarta of phylacteries, i.e., the passageway through which the straps are inserted, is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. And Abaye says: The requirement to have a letter shin protruding on the phylacteries of one’s head, which is achieved by pressing the hide into the shape of that letter, is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai.

מנחות ל״ה א:י״א

תנא תפילין מרובעות הלכה למשה מסיני אמר רב פפא בתפרן ובאלכסונן

Menachot 35a:11

It is taught in a baraita: The requirement that phylacteries be square is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. Rav Pappa says about this halakha: Square means along their seams and their diagonals, i.e., they must be perfectly square where the compartments are sewn to the titora.

מנחות ל״ה ב:ז׳

אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב קשר של תפילין הלכה למשה מסיני אמר ר"נ ונוייהן לבר רב אשי הוה יתיב קמיה דמר זוטרא איתהפכא ליה רצועה דתפילין א"ל לא סבר לה מר ונוייהן לבר א"ל לאו אדעתאי

Menachot 35b:7

Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, says in the name of Rav: The form of the knot of phylacteries, i.e., that there must be the form of a letter dalet in the knot of the phylacteries of the head and the letter yod in the knot of the phylacteries of the arm, is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. Rav Naḥman says: And their decorative side, the black side of the knot where the shape of the letter is visible, must face outward. The Gemara relates: Rav Ashi was sitting before Mar Zutra when the strap of his phylacteries became reversed. Mar Zutra said to him: Doesn’t the Master hold in accordance with the ruling that their decorative side must face outward? Rav Ashi said to him: It did not enter my mind, i.e., I did not notice.

מנחות ל״ה ב:ח׳

(דברים כח, י) וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך תניא ר"א הגדול אומר אלו תפילין שבראש (שמות לג, כג)

Menachot 35b:8

With regard to the verse: “And all the nations of the land shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they shall be afraid of you” (Deuteronomy 28:10), it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: This is a reference to the phylacteries of the head, upon which the name of God is written, as they demonstrate to all that the name of God is called upon the Jewish people.

מנחות ל״ו ב:ה׳

דתניא ר' עקיבא אומר יכול יניח אדם תפילין בשבתות ובימים טובים ת"ל (שמות יג, טז) והיה לאות על ידך ולטוטפת בין עיניך מי שצריכין אות יצאו שבתות וימים טובים שהן גופן אות

Menachot 36b:5

Rabbi Akiva says: One might have thought that a person should don phylacteries on Shabbatot and Festivals. To counter this, the verse states: “And it shall be for a sign for you on your arm, and for a remembrance between your eyes, so that God’s law shall be in your mouth; for with a strong arm God brought you out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:9). This teaches that the obligation to don phylacteries applies when the Jewish people require a sign to assert their status as God’s nation, i.e., during the week. This serves to exclude Shabbatot and Festivals, as they themselves are signs of the Jewish people’s status as God’s nation and a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. Consequently, no further sign is required on these days.

שבת ק״ל א:ט״ז-י״ז

ואמאי קרו ליה אלישע בעל כנפים שפעם אחת גזרה מלכות הרשעה גזרה על ישראל שכל המניח תפילין על ראשו יקרו את מוחו והיה אלישע מניח תפילין ויצא לשוק וראהו קסדור אחד רץ מלפניו ורץ אחריו כיון שהגיע אצלו נטלן מראשו ואחזן בידו אמר ליה מה בידך אמר לו כנפי יונה פשט את ידו ונמצאו בה כנפי יונה לפיכך היו קוראין אותו בעל כנפים מאי שנא כנפי יונה דאמר ליה ולא אמר ליה שאר עופות משום דדמיא כנסת ישראל ליונה שנאמר כנפי יונה נחפה בכסף ואברותיה בירקרק חרוץ מה יונה זו כנפיה מגינות עליה אף ישראל מצות מגינות עליהן:

Shabbat 130a:16-17

The Gemara asks: And why did they call him Elisha, Man of Wings? Because on one occasion the wicked empire of Rome issued a decree against the Jewish people that, as punishment, they would pierce the brain of anyone who dons phylacteries on his head. Nevertheless, Elisha would don them and defiantly go out to the marketplace. One day, an official who was appointed to enforce the decree saw him. Elisha ran away from him, and the official ran after him. When the official reached him, Elisha removed the phylacteries from his head and held them in his hand. The officer asked him: What is in your hand? Elisha said to him: It is merely a dove’s wings. A miracle took place: He opened his hand, and, indeed, it was found to be a dove’s wings. Therefore, in commemoration of this miracle, they would call him Elisha, Man of Wings. The Gemara asks: And what is different about a dove’s wings, that Elisha specifically told him that he was holding the wings of a dove and he did not tell him he was holding the wings of other birds? The Gemara answers: Because the congregation of Israel is likened to a dove, as it is stated: “You shall shine as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her pinions with yellow gold” (Psalms 68:14). Just as a dove has only its wings to protect it, so too, the Jewish people have only mitzvot to protect them. Apparently, Elisha Man of Wings was vigilant in fulfilling the mitzva of phylacteries in the face of the decree, whereas the rest of the people were not.

שמות רבה ל׳:ט׳

(ט) דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים קמז, יט): מַגִּיד דְּבָרָיו לְיַעֲקֹב, אֵלּוּ הַדִּבְּרוֹת. (תהלים קמז, יט): חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אֵלּוּ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים. לְפִי שֶׁאֵין מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּמִדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם, מִדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם מוֹרֶה לַאֲחֵרִים לַעֲשׂוֹת וְהוּא אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה כְלוּם, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֵינוֹ כֵן אֶלָּא מַה שֶּׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה הוּא אוֹמֵר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת וְלִשְׁמֹר.

Shemot Rabbah 30:9

His statutes and his commandments. The ways o f G-D are unlike that of man of flesh and blood, whereas a man of flesh and blood tells others to do things and does not do so himself, what G-D does himself he tells others to do.

ברכות ו׳ א:י״ז-י״ט

אמר רבי אבין בר רב אדא אמר רבי יצחק מנין שהקדוש ברוך הוא מניח תפילין שנאמר נשבע ה׳ בימינו ובזרוע עזו בימינו זו תורה שנאמר מימינו אש דת למו ובזרוע עזו אלו תפילין שנאמר ה׳ עז לעמו יתן ומנין שהתפילין עוז הם לישראל דכתיב וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה׳ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך ותניא רבי אליעזר הגדול אומר אלו תפילין שבראש

Berakhot 6a:17-19

The Gemara cites another aggadic statement: Rabbi Avin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wears phylacteries? As it is stated: “The Lord has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength” (Isaiah 62:8). Since it is customary to swear upon holy objects, it is understood that His right hand and the arm of His strength are the holy objects upon which God swore. Specifically, “His right hand” refers to the Torah, as it is stated in describing the giving of the Torah: “From His right hand, a fiery law for His people” (Deuteronomy 33:2). “The arm of His strength,” His left hand, refers to phylacteries, as it is stated: “The Lord gave strength to His nation” (Psalms 29:11), in the form of the mitzva of phylacteries. The Gemara asks: And from where is it derived that phylacteries provide strength for Israel? As it is written: “And all the nations of the land shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you” (Deuteronomy 28:10). It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: This is a reference to the phylacteries of the head, upon which the name of God is written in fulfillment of the verse: “That the name of the Lord is called upon you.”

ברכות ו׳ א:כ׳-כ״ב

אמר ליה רב נחמן בר יצחק לרב חייא בר אבין הני תפילין דמרי עלמא מה כתיב בהו אמר ליה ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ ומי משתבח קודשא בריך הוא בשבחייהו דישראל אין דכתיב את ה׳ האמרת היום וכתיב וה׳ האמירך היום אמר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל אתם עשיתוני חטיבה אחת בעולם ואני אעשה אתכם חטיבה אחת בעולם אתם עשיתוני חטיבה אחת בעולם שנאמר שמע ישראל ה׳ אלהינו ה׳ אחד ואני אעשה אתכם חטיבה אחת בעולם שנאמר ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ

Berakhot 6a:20-22

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin: What is written in the phylacteries of the Master of the world? Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin replied: It is written: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” (I Chronicles 17:21). God’s phylacteries serve to connect Him, in a sense, to the world, the essence of which is Israel. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak continues: Is the Holy One, Blessed be He, glorified through the glory of Israel? Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin answered: Yes, as indicated by the juxtaposition of two verses; as it is stated: “You have affirmed, this day, that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His laws and commandments, and listen to His voice.” And the subsequent verse states: “And the Lord has affirmed, this day, that you are His treasure, as He spoke to you, to keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). From these two verses it is derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: You have made Me a single entity [ḥativa] in the world, as you singled Me out as separate and unique. And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, and you will be a treasured nation, chosen by God. You have made Me a single entity in the world, as it is stated that Israel declares God’s oneness by saying: “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, unique and elevated with the utterance: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” Consequently, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is glorified through the glory of Israel whose praises are written in God’s phylacteries.