If you are suffering from 'involuntary bodily secretions' (solids,
liquids or gaseous) do not lay Tefillin until the situation is once
again normalized.
How do we lay tefillin?
It is written in the Torah: "And you shall bind them as a sign upon
your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes"
(Deuteronomy 6:8). There are, therefore, three stages in the laying
of tefillin: binding upon the arm, laying them between the eyes, and
creating with them a "sign" on the hand.
FIRST STAGE: Binding the Tefillin on the Arm
- We place the "Hand-Tefillah" on the left arm. (The Hand-Tefillah
is the one whose cubic box is smooth and not divided up by lines.)
Remove your wristwatch, your bracelet, and roll up your sleeves,
as necessary. The Hand-Tefillah is to be placed on the part of
the arm called in Hebrew the "Kibboret". You can locate the
"kibboret" by "making a muscle" on the left arm: where the arm
bulges is the "kibboret" and it is there that we shall lay the
Hand-Tefillah when the time comes.
- Take the Hand-Tefillah out of the bag, completely unwind the
straps and remove the cover. Leave the Head-Tefillah still inside
the bag at this stage. Note the shape of the Hand-tefillah: its
base is wider than the "bayit" - the cubic box, and the upper part
of the base forms a slot through which the strap has been
threaded.
- Hold the Hand-Tefillah in your right hand in such a way that the
"bayit" is facing upwards, the slot (ma'abarta) is the end nearest
your body and the knot also is on the side nearest your body.
Pull the strap open and widen it to form a large loop. Pass your
left arm through the loop, being careful to maintain the "bayit"
facing upwards and the end with the slot facing the upper arm.
Slip the Hand-Tefillah up the arm and rest it on the "kibboret".
Play with it until it is positioned in such a way that it faces
inwards towards your body ("opposite the heart").
- Recite the following blessing: "Barukh attah Adonai, Eloheynu
Melekh ha-olam, asher kiddeshanu be-mitzvotav, ve-tzivanu
le-hani'ach tefillin". If you wish to recite the blessing in
English, say: "Blessed are You, Adonai, God and Ruler of the
Universe, Whose commandments make us holy, and Who commands us to
lay Tefillin".
- Immediately, pull the loop so that it closes tightly and "locks"
the top of the Hand-Tefillah in place. The strap should be quite
tight, so that it will not loosen during worship - but not so
tight, of course, that it causes undue discomfort! It is most
likely that until you acquire the expertise that comes with
practice, when you close the loop the Hand-Tefillah will move out
of place: put it back in place and tighten the loop again - and
again and again until you manage to get it right!
- Take the strap in your right hand near to the Hand-Tefillah, with
the blackened side uppermost. Wind the strap underneath your arm
and then over the top TOWARDS YOUR BODY - one twist above the
elbow and seven twists, evenly spaced, between the elbow and the
wrist. These twists should also be quite tight, so that they will
not loosen during worship as you move your arm - but not so tight
that they cause real discomfort.
- Wind the remainder of the strap around the palm of your hand so
that it won't hinder you during the next stage.
SECOND STAGE: Laying the Tefillin Between the Eyes
- Take the Head-Tefillah out of the bag, loosen the strap completely
and remove the cover. You will note that there are differences
between the Head-Tefillah and the Hand-Tefillah. Firstly, the
"bayit" of the Head-Tefillah is divided into four compartments,
whereas the Hand-Tefillah is completely smooth. Secondly, the
strap of the Head-Tefillah is knotted into a loop which has two
ends and not one..
- Hold the strap of the Head-Tefillah with both hands in such a way
as the loop is very wide and the two loose ends are hanging
downwards.
- Recite the following blessing: "Barukh attah Adonai, Eloheynu
Melekh ha-olam, asher kiddeshanu be-mitzvotav, ve-tzivanu al
mitzvat Tefillin. Barukh shem kevod malkhuto le-olam va-ed". If
you wish to recite the blessing in English, say: "Blessed are You,
Adonai, God and Ruler of the Universe, Whose commandments make us
holy, and Who commands us concerning Tefillin. Blessed be that
Sovereign Name for ever". Immediately after completing this
blessing - with no interruption - lower the Head-Tefillah onto
your head.
- Arrange the Tefillah on your head as follows: the double knot that
makes the straps into a loop must be at the bottom of the nape of
the neck: there is a natural indentation there. The Head-Tefillah
itself should be placed on the forehead in such a way that the
lower edge of the Tefillah lies on the hairline (or where the
hairline would have been!) - where the hair meets the forehead.
It should NOT be placed on the forehead itself.
- Make sure (use your finger or a small mirror or both) that the
blackened side of the strap faces outwards all around the head.
Pull the two free ends of the strap over each shoulder and stretch
them downward with a gentle tug, making sure that the blackened
side is outward facing here as well.
THIRD STAGE: Making a "Sign" Upon the Hand
- Unwind the strap that you wound round the palm of your hand as far
as the wrist. We are now going to make a "sign" (the Hebrew
letters Shin, Dalet and Yod, which make up the word "Shaddai",
Almighty).
- Hold your left hand stretched out palm downward. (If the strap
around your arm has become loose you didn't wind it tightly
enough: do it again!) Bring the strap from the wrist underneath
the hand (across the downfacing palm) as far as the second finger
from the thumb. Wind the strap round this finger three times -
once beneath the lower joint and twice above it, crossing over
each other above the joint forming an X shape. Now bring the
strap under the palm of the hand and wind it over the third finger
from the thumb, across the back of the hand to the angle formed
where the thumb joins the hand.
- We have already created the letters Dalet and Yod on the palm and
the finger - don't stop to check! We are now going to create across
the back of the hand the shape of the letter Shin - something like
this: \|/. Bring the strap under the palm of the hand as far as
where the back of the hand joins the wrist (on the side of the
little finger) and then across the back of the hand to the angle
formed where the thumb joins the hand. Now bring the strap under
the palm of the hand to the middle of the hand and over the centre
of the back of the hand back to the angle formed where the thumb
joins the hand. Check that you have now formed on the back of
your hand the shape of the Hebrew letter "Shin"- something like
this: \|/. If there is yet more strap "left over" wind it
continuously and neatly along the central arm of the "Shin" until
there is just enough left to tuck the end in firmly underneath, in
the palm of the hand.
- Recite: "Ve-eyrastikh li le-olam. Ve-eyrastikh li be-tsedek
uve-mishpat uve-chesed uve-rachamim. Ve-eyrastikh li be-emunah,
ve-yada't et Adonai. If you wish to recite this quotation from
the words of the prophet Hoshea in English, say: "I shall betroth
you to Me for ever; I shall betroth you to Me in equity, in
justice, in love and in tenderness; I shall betroth you to Me in
faithfulness, and you shall be intimate with Adonai".
REMOVING THE TEFILLIN
- Under normal circumstances the Tefillin should not be removed
before the end of worship, and then they should be removed before
the Tallit. On Rosh Chodesh, however, the Tefillin should be
removed before the Mussaf (Additional) service, and on Chol
ha-Mo'ed, where worn, they should be removed before reciting
Hallel. On ordinary days, if you are in a hurry, you can start to
remove the Tefillin after reciting 'Alenu'.
The Tefillin are removed after worship in the exact reverse order.
Firstly, undo the "Sign on the hand", next remove the Tefillah
from the head, and lastly remove the Tefillah from the arm. Put
the cover back on the Head-Tefillah and wind the strap securely
around it and place it in the bottom of the bag. Now put the
cover back on the Hand-Tefillah, wind the strap securely around it
and place it in the bag in such a way as it will immediately come
to hand when you next open the bag.
copyright © Rabbi Simchah Roth, Herzliyya, Israel
siroth@inter.net.il
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