The Torah commands in Parashat Va’et’hanan (Debarim 6:8), “U’kshartam Le’ot Al Yadecha, Ve’hayu Le’totafot Ben Enecha” – requiring that one bind on his arm and on his head certain sections of the Torah. This is, of course, what we refer to as Tefillin. The Sefer Ha’hinuch lists the obligation to wear Tefillin as two separate Misvot – one Misva to wear the Tefillin Shel Yad upon the arm, and a second Misva to wear the Tefillin Shel Rosh upon the head. These two Misvot are not interdependent, and thus one who has only one and not the other should wear the one he has.
The specified four sections of the Torah are written on a single piece of parchment which is then rolled like a Sefer Torah, from the end to the beginning, and placed inside the box of the Tefillin Shel Yad. This box is tied to the arm with Resu’ot (straps). These four sections are: “Kadesh Li Kol Bechor” (Shemot 13:1-10); “Ve’haya Ki Yebi’acha” (Shemot 13:11-16); “Shema” (Debarim 6:4-9); and “Ve’haya Im Shamo’a” (Shemot 11:13-21). The box of the Tefillin Shel Yad is worn on the upper left arm, near the heart.
To explain the reason for this Misva, the Sefer Ha’hinuch reiterates a point he had made earlier, that the human soul lives in a spiritually hostile environment, so-to-speak. It originates from the pure, pristine domain of the heavens, but then descends into a physical body, which is beset by various drives, impulses, desires and lures. This is analogous to somebody who comes to a dangerous neighborhood, and needs guards to protect him from the hostile people who live there. Our “guards,” the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes, are the various Misvot which serve to remind us of our obligations to Hashem. We are commanded to affix Sisit strings to our garments, place Mezuzot on our doors, and wear Tefillin on our arms and heads, to remind us of our devotion to G-d, and they help protect us from the lures of the Yeser Ha’ra (evil inclination). Of course, as the Sefer Ha’hinuch observes, even with all these reminders, we are still prone to sin, and people occasionally act wrongly. But without these reminders, we would be even more vulnerable, and more easily lured to sin, and so these Misvot help us in our lifelong struggle to maintain our commitment to G-d.
Many of the Halachot relevant to the Misva of Tefillin have been handed down to us as a “Halacha Le’Moshe Mi’Sinai” – tradition taught to Moshe at Mount Sinai. For example, the Kesisa – the Tefillin box – must be perfectly square, as must the Titura – the base underneath the box. The stitching around the base of the Tefillin must also be square. The Tefillin Shel Rosh must have a symbol of the letter “Shin” on either side. The parchment must be wrapped in material – called a “Matlit” – before being inserted into the Tefillin box. A thread made from the hair of a kosher animal is used to wrap the outside of the parchment. The Tefillin box is similarly stitched together with sinews from a kosher animal. The base of the box of the Tefillin Shel Yad has an extension called the “Ma’abarta” through which the strap passes. The strap of the Tefillin Shel Rosh is tied in back in the shape of the letter “Dalet.” The Tefllin straps must be black. Tefillin should be prepared only by Jews.
The strap of the Tefillin Shel Yad must be long enough to pass through the “Ma’abarta,” be tied in a shape resembling the letter “Yod” alongside the box, and then wrap around the arm and reach the middle finger, around which the strap is wrapped three times.
The Sefer Ha’hinuch follows the opinion that one recites only one Beracha when putting on Tefillin – the Beracha of “Le’hani’ah Tefillin.” If one made an interruption in between the placing of the Tefillin Shel Yad and the placing of the Tefillin Shel Rosh, then he recites a second Beracha – “Al Misvat Tefillin” – when putting on the Tefillin Shel Rosh. Likewise, if, for whatever reason, one puts on the Tefillin Shel Rosh without the Tefillin Shel Yad, then he recites the Beracha of “Al Misvat Tefillin.”
The Tefillin Shel Yad is placed on the bicept of the upper arm, the portion of the area between the elbow and the shoulder that is elevated. It should be positioned such that when one’s arm is at his side, the Tefillin rests near the heart.
The earliest time for putting on Tefillin is the point of “Mi’she’yakir” – the time in the morning when there is enough light to recognize one’s friend from four cubits away. Tefillin must be worn anytime from this point until sunset. We do not wear Tefillin on Shabbat, Yom Tob or Hol Ha’mo’ed, because these occasions are considered an “Ot” (“sign” of our relationship with Hashem), and so there is no need for Tefillin, which themselves serve as an “Ot.”
One wears Tefillin only if he is able to maintain a “Guf Naki” – physical cleanliness and hygiene. Thus, someone suffering from an upset stomach, who must frequently pass air, does not wear Tefillin.
The Sefer Ha’hinuch emphasizes that this requirement of “Guf Naki” refers specifically to bodily cleanliness, and not to spiritual “cleanliness.” A person should not excuse himself from the Misva of Tefillin because he is guilty of sinful conduct; to the contrary, the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes, involving oneself in the Misva of Tefillin could have the effect of improving his conduct, as the Sages teach, “Misva Goreret Misva” – one Misva leads to another (Abot 4:2).
The Sefer Ha’hinuch mentions in this context that there was in his time a group of Jews who taught that only the pristinely righteous, who avoid all wrongdoing, are worthy of wearing Tefillin, and everybody else should specifically not wear Tefillin, because they are soiled by sin. This group tried drawing proof to this ruling from a story told in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Berachot, chapter 2) of somebody who gave his fellow a silver utensil to watch, and when he went to retrieve it, the watchmen falsely denied receiving it. The utensil’s owner remarked that he had decided to trust the fellow because he wore Tefillin, which he presumed indicated that he was honest and trustworthy. Some understood from this story that one should wear Tefillin only if he is perfectly righteous, and one who does not adhere to the strictest standards creates a Hillul Hashem (defamation of G-d’s Name) if he wears Tefillin. (It should be noted that long ago, people wore Tefillin the entire day, and this might have contributed to the feeling that wearing Tefillin indicates a high spiritual standard, which most people did not maintain.) The Sefer Ha’hinuch strongly objects to this theory, citing the famous verse in Kohelet (7:20), “Ki Adam En Sadik Ba’aretz Asher Ya’aseh Tob Ve’lo Yeheta” – there is no perfectly righteous person in the world who never acts wrongly. It is human to occasionally err and sin. Thus, it is inconceivable that a person could excuse himself from a Misva because he is guilty of sin. And, as mentioned, performing Misvot is what helps steer a person along the right path, toward proper conduct. The reward for one Misva is another Misva. Therefore, if a person is a sinner, then to the contrary – this is even more of a reason for him to fulfill the Misva of Tefillin, as this Misva will likely lead him to additional Misvot. We read in Tehillim (34:15), “Sur Me’ra Va’aseh Tob” – “Turn away from evil, and do goodness.” One explanation of this verse is that before we perform goodness, we must ensure to refrain from wrongdoing. However, some Rabbis explain that to the contrary, the way we “turn away from wrongdoing” is by involving ourselves in goodness, by performing Misvot, which will have an impact upon us and help us improve our conduct.
There is a famous debate among the Rishonim as to the sequence in which the four sections are to be written on the parchment in the Tefillin. Rashi, the Rambam and Rav Hai Gaon maintained that the sections should be written in the sequence in which they appear in the Torah – “Kadesh Li,” “Ve’haya Ki Yebi’acha,” “Shema,” and “Ve’haya Im Shamo’a.” This manner of preparing Tefillin is commonly known as “Tefillin Rashi.” However, Rashi’s grandson, Rabbenu Tam (France, 1100-1171), disagreed. In his view, the two paragraphs which begin with “Ve’haya” should be adjacent to one another, as the middle two paragraphs. According to Rabbenu Tam, the proper sequence is “Kadesh Li,” “Ve’haya Ki Yebi’acha,” “Ve’haya Im Shamo’a,” and “Shema.” The Sefer Ha’hinuch follows Rashi’s opinion. However, the Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria, Safed, 1534-1572) taught that “Elu Ve’elu Dibreh Elokim Hayim” – both opinions are correct, and both types of Tefillin have a place according to Kabbalistic teaching. Moreover, there is room on the head for two pairs of Tefillin, and the Arizal maintained that both types of Tefillin should be worn. In fact, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) writes that Moshe Rabbenu wore both kinds of Tefillin.
This Misva applies in all places and in all time periods. It is binding only upon males, as it falls under the category of “Misvot Aseh She’ha’zman Gerama” – Misvot which apply at certain times, from which women are, as a general rule, exempt. The Misva of Tefillin applies only at night, and not on Shabbat or festivals, and is thus considered a “Misvat Aseh She’ha’zman Gerama.” The Gemara in Masechet Erubin (96) tells that Michal, the daughter of King Shaul, wore Tefillin. There is a debate as to whether the Rabbis of the time approved or disapproved of this practice. In any event, the accepted practice is that women specifically should not wear Tefillin. Some suggested that this is because of the difficulty women have in maintaining a “Guf Naki” due to menstruation. Regardless, it is accepted that women do not wear Tefillin.
If somebody did not wear the Tefillin Shel Yad, or the Tefillin Shel Rosh, at any point during the day, he has transgressed an affirmative command. If a person wore neither the Tefillin Shel Yad nor the Tefillin Shel Rosh, the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes, then he is considered to have neglected eight affirmative commands – as the command appears in each of the four sections of the Torah in the Tefillin, and since he wore neither the Shel Yad nor the Shel Rosh, he neglected eight commands. Conversely, by complying with this Misva, and wearing Tefillin, one is credited with the fulfillment of eight separate Misvot.