אָמַר רַבִּי אָבִין בַּר רַב אַדָּא, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַנִּיחַ תְּפִילִּין? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ בִּימִינוֹ וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ״.
״בִּימִינוֹ״ — זוֹ תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִימִינוֹ אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ״,
״וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ״ — אֵלּוּ תְּפִילִּין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״ה׳ עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן״.
וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁהַתְּפִילִּין עוֹז הֵם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל?
דִּכְתִיב: ״וְרָאוּ כׇּל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כִּי שֵׁם ה׳ נִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ וְיָרְאוּ מִמֶּךָּ״.
וְתַנְיָא, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר הַגָּדוֹל אוֹמֵר: אֵלּוּ תְּפִילִּין שֶׁבָּרֹאשׁ.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק לְרַב חִיָּיא בַּר אָבִין:
הָנֵי תְּפִילִּין דְּמָרֵי עָלְמָא מָה כְּתִיב בְּהוּ?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ ״וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ״.
R. Abin son of R. Ada said in the name of R. Isaac:
Whence is it derived that the blessed Holy One dons tefillin!
From the Scripture: "The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength" (Is. 62:8).
"His right hand" refers to Torah, as in "By His right hand, a fiery law for them" (Deut. 33:2); "the arm of His strength" refers to [God's] tefillin, as in "The Lord will give strength to His people" (Ps. 29:11).
But how do we know that tefillin constitute a strength for Israel?
Because Scripture also says, "All the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they shall fear you" (Deut. 28:10).
It has been taught: R. Eliezer says [that this verse refers to] the tefillin on the head.
R. Nahman b. Isaac said to R. Hiyya b. Abin:
What is written in these tefillin of the Master of the Universe?
He replied: "Who is like Your people Israel, a singular nation in the earth?" (1 Chron. 17:21).