Jews wear Tallis and Tefillin each morning in prayer.
Why do we wear Tallis and Tefillin? What are these symbols about?
What is the source and meaning of these mitzvot?
First Tallis.
(לט) וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יי וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃ (מ) לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכְּר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֑י וִהְיִיתֶ֥ם קְדֹשִׁ֖ים לֵאלֹֽקֵיכֶֽם׃
תניא א"ר נתן אין לך כל מצוה קלה שכתובה בתורה שאין מתן שכרה בעה"ז ולעה"ב איני יודע כמה צא ולמד ממצות ציצית מעשה באדם אחד שהיה זהיר במצות ציצית.
שמע שיש זונה בכרכי הים שנוטלת ד' מאות זהובים בשכרה שיגר לה ארבע מאות זהובים וקבע לה זמן כשהגיע זמנו בא וישב על הפתח נכנסה שפחתה ואמרה לה אותו אדם ששיגר ליך ד' מאות זהובים בא וישב על הפתח אמרה היא יכנס נכנס הציעה לו ז' מטות שש של כסף ואחת של זהב ובין כל אחת ואחת סולם של כסף ועליונה של זהב עלתה וישבה על גבי עליונה כשהיא ערומה ואף הוא עלה לישב ערום כנגדה באו ד' ציציותיו וטפחו לו על פניו נשמט וישב לו ע"ג קרקע ... אלא מצוה אחת ציונו יי אלקינו וציצית שמה וכתיב בה (במדבר טו, מא) אני יי אלקיכם שתי פעמים אני הוא שעתיד ליפרע ואני הוא שעתיד לשלם שכר ... זה מתן שכרו בעה"ז ולעה"ב איני יודע כמה
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Natan says: There is no mitzva, however minor, that is written in the Torah, for which there is no reward given in this world; and in the World-to-Come I do not know how much reward is given. Go and learn from the following incident concerning the mitzva of ritual fringes. There was an incident involving a certain man who was diligent about the mitzva of ritual fringes.
...
[He contemplated violating a weighty mitzvah, but at the last moment,] his four ritual fringes came and slapped him on his face. He sat down and explained,
"But there is one mitzva that the Lord, our God, commanded us, and its name is ritual fringes, and in the passage where it is commanded, it is written twice: “I am the Lord your God” (Numbers 15:41). The doubling of this phrase indicates: I am the one who will punish those who transgress My mitzvot, and I am the one who will reward those who fulfill them." ... This is the reward given to him in this world, and with regard to the World-to-Come, I do not know how much reward he will be given.
The Babylonian Talmud tells us that the Tzitzit of the Tallis protect us from sin by reminding us the the mitzvot. Where does this idea that they are a similar to a wedding ring, reminding us of our exclusive covenant with God?
Let's look at the original context of the verses we say as we bind the strap of the Tefilin around the fingers of our hand, from Hoshea 2.
(טז) לָכֵ֗ן הִנֵּ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ מְפַתֶּ֔יהָ וְהֹלַכְתִּ֖יהָ הַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְדִבַּרְתִּ֖י עַל־לִבָּֽהּ׃
(יז) וְנָתַ֨תִּי לָ֤הּ אֶת־כְּרָמֶ֙יהָ֙ מִשָּׁ֔ם וְאֶת־עֵ֥מֶק עָכ֖וֹר לְפֶ֣תַח תִּקְוָ֑ה וְעָ֤נְתָה שָּׁ֙מָּה֙ כִּימֵ֣י נְעוּרֶ֔יהָ וּכְי֖וֹם עֲלוֹתָ֥הּ מֵאֶרֶץ־מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(יח) וְהָיָ֤ה בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא֙ נְאֻם־יי תִּקְרְאִ֖י אִישִׁ֑י וְלֹא־תִקְרְאִי־לִ֥י ע֖וֹד בַּעְלִֽי׃
(יט) וַהֲסִרֹתִ֛י אֶת־שְׁמ֥וֹת הַבְּעָלִ֖ים מִפִּ֑יהָ וְלֹא־יִזָּכְר֥וּ ע֖וֹד בִּשְׁמָֽם׃
(כ) וְכָרַתִּ֨י לָהֶ֤ם בְּרִית֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא עִם־חַיַּ֤ת הַשָּׂדֶה֙ וְעִם־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָ֑ה וְקֶ֨שֶׁת וְחֶ֤רֶב וּמִלְחָמָה֙ אֶשְׁבּ֣וֹר מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהִשְׁכַּבְתִּ֖ים לָבֶֽטַח׃
(כא) וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִ֖י לְעוֹלָ֑ם
וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִי֙ בְּצֶ֣דֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּ֔ט
וּבְחֶ֖סֶד וּֽבְרַחֲמִֽים׃
(כב) וְאֵרַשְׂתִּ֥יךְ לִ֖י בֶּאֱמוּנָ֑ה
וְיָדַ֖עַתְּ אֶת־יי׃ {פ}
(16) Assuredly,
I will speak coaxingly to her And lead her through the wilderness And speak to her tenderly. (17) I will give her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a plowland of hope. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, When she came up from the land of Egypt. (18) And in that day —declares the LORD— You will call Me Ishi, And no more will you call Me Baali.
(19) For I will remove the names of the Baalim from her mouth, And they shall nevermore be mentioned by name. (20) In that day, I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; I will also banish bow, sword, and war from the land. Thus I will let them lie down in safety.
(21) And I will espouse you forever:
I will espouse you with righteousness and justice,
And with goodness and mercy,
(22) And I will espouse you with faithfulness;-l
Then you shall know/be devoted to the LORD.
Tefillin
What is the source of Tefillin?
When do we say this each day?
Tefillin look different or strange. What is the source of interpreting this command in this way?
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל?
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי״, ״תְּפִלָּתָם״ לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא ״תְּפִלָּתִי״, מִכָּאן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל. ...
״וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא תוּכַל לִרְאוֹת אֶת פָּנָי״, תָּנָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה, כָּךְ אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: כְּשֶׁרָצִיתִי — לֹא רָצִיתָ, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹצֶה — אֵינִי רוֹצֶה.
וּפְלִיגָא דְּרַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי,
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן: בִּשְׂכַר שָׁלֹשׁ זָכָה לְשָׁלֹשׁ. בִּשְׂכַר ״וַיַּסְתֵּר מֹשֶׁה פָּנָיו״ — זָכָה לִקְלַסְתֵּר פָּנִים.
בִּשְׂכַר ״כִּי יָרֵא״ — זָכָה לְ״וַיִּירְאוּ מִגֶּשֶׁת אֵלָיו״. בִּשְׂכַר ״מֵהַבִּיט״ — זָכָה לְ״וּתְמֻנַת ה׳ יַבִּיט״. ״וַהֲסִרֹתִי אֶת כַּפִּי וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי״. אָמַר רַב חָנָא בַּר בִּיזְנָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן חֲסִידָא: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהֶרְאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה קֶשֶׁר שֶׁל תְּפִילִּין.
Along the same lines, Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays? As it is stated: “I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of My prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). The verse does not say the house of their prayer, but rather, “the house of My prayer”; from here we see that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays. ...
With regard to God’s statement to Moses, “And He said: ‘You cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live’” (Exodus 33:20), it was taught in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses as follows: When I wanted to show you My glory at the burning bush, you did not want to see it, as it is stated: “And Moses concealed his face, fearing to gaze upon God” (Exodus 3:6). But now that you want to see My glory, as you said: “Show me Your glory,” I do not want to show it to you. [i.e. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa interprets Moses’ initial refusal to look upon God’s glory negatively, as he rebuffed God’s desire to be close to him.]
And Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei regarding Moses’ request that the Divine Presence rest upon Israel as it once had: Moses requested three things from the Holy One, Blessed be He, at that time, all of which were granted him. ...
Because he did not “gaze,” he was privileged to “behold the likeness of the Lord” (Numbers 12:8). What did Moses see? It is said: “And I will remove My hand, and you will see My back, but My face you will not see” (Exodus 33:23). Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida, the expression: “And you will see My back,” should be understood as follows: This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who, as mentioned above, wears phylacteries, showed him the knot of the phylacteries of His head, which is worn on the back of the head.
What is the ultimate source of the practice of Tefillin?
How can you understand this idea as a practice that we do in imitation of God?
(א) אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַּר נָשׁ אַקְדִּים בְּצַפְרָא, וְאַנַּח תְּפִילִּין בְּרֵישֵׁיהּ, וּתְפִילִּין בִּרְשִׁימָא קַדִּישָׁא, בִּדְרוֹעָא, וְאִתְעַטַף בְּעִיטוּפָא דְמִצְוָה, וְאָתֵי לְנָפְקָא מִתַּרְעָא דְבֵיתֵיהּ. ד' מַלְאָכִין קַדִּישִׁין מִזְדַּוְּוגִין עִמֵּיהּ. וְנָפְקֵי עִמֵּיהּ מִן תַּרְעָא דְבֵיתֵיהּ, וְאוֹזִיפוּ לֵיהּ לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, וּמַכְרִיזוּ קַמֵּיהּ, הָבוּ יְקָרָא לִדְיוּקְנָא דְמַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא, הָבוּ יְקָרָא לִבְרֵיהּ דְּמַלְכָּא, לְפַרְצוּפָא יַקִּירָא דְמַלְכָּא. רוּחָא קַדִּישָׁא שַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ, אַכְרִיז וַאֲמַר, (ישעיהו מ״ט:ג׳) יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאֵר.
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: When a person rises in the morning and dons the tefillin and tzitzit, the tefillin of the head and the Tefillin of the arm, and wraps himself with the Tallis of the mitzvah, and comes forth from his home. Then four holy angels join with him. And they go out with him escorting him to the synagogue, and they announce before him, give glory to the image of the holy angels, give glory to the son of the king, to the glorious face of the king. The Divine Presence dwells upon this person and proclaims: "You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified!"
(Isaiah 49:3)
The Tallis and Tefillin are beautiful, and glorious. Their beauty comes from a specific reason? What do they do for their wearer?
Reflection Questions
I suppose that the best way is to learn from doing. How do these practice influence your experience of prayer? What do they mean to you?