Tefillin

Tefillin (sometimes transliterated as tefilin), ( ), in Askhenazic Hebrew and English, in Israeli Hebrew, also called phylacteries ( , from Ancient Greek phylacterion , form of phylássein , φυλάσσειν meaning "to guard, protect"), are a set of small cubic leather boxes painted black, containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah , with leather straps dyed black on one side, and worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form (the singular being "tefillah"), it is loosely used as a singular as well. The hand-tefillin, or shel yad , is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh , is placed above the forehead , with the strap going around the head and over the shoulders. The Torah commands that they should be worn to serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt . The source texts for tefillin in the Torah are obscure in literal meaning. But the authoritative oral tradition ( Oral Torah ) explains that it is these scriptural passages themselves (including the Shema ) that are to be bound to the body in the form of tefillin. It is thus the Oral Torah that provides the details of the construction and application of tefillin. Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms .

Tefillin ( Askhenazic : / ˈ t f ɪ l [invalid input: 'ɨ'] n / ; Israeli Hebrew : , תפילין ) also called phylacteries ( / f ɪ ˈ l æ k t ər iː z / from Ancient Greek φυλακτήριον phylacterion , form of phylássein , φυλάσσειν meaning "to guard, protect") are a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah , which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form (the singular being "tefillah"), it is loosely used as a singular as well. The arm-tefillin, or shel yad , is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm/hand, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh , is placed above the forehead . The Torah commands that they should be worn to serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt . The scriptural texts for tefillin are obscure in literal meaning. It is the Talmud , the authoritative oral tradition for Rabbinic Judaism , which explains what are to be bound to the body and the form of tefillin. Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms .

Tefillin ( Askhenazic : / ˈ t f ɪ l ɪ n / ; Israeli Hebrew : , תְּפִלִּין or תְּפִילִּין ) or phylacteries , is a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah . Tefillin is worn by observant adult Jews during weekday morning prayers. In Orthodox communities, it is only worn by men, while in non-Orthodox communities, it may be worn by men and women. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form (the singular being "tefillah"), it is often used as a singular as well. The arm-tefillah (or shel yad ) is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillah (or shel rosh ) is placed above the forehead . It is intended to fulfill the Torah 's instructions to keep as a "sign" and "remembrance" of the Exodus , signifying that God brought the children of Israel out of Ancient Egypt . The biblical verses often cited as referring to tefillin are obscure. Deuteronomy 11:18 , for instance, does not designate explicitly what specifically to "bind upon your arm", and the definition of " totafot between your eyes" is not obvious. At least as early as the 1st century CE, many Jews understood the verses literally and wore physical tefillin, as shown by archaeological finds at Qumran and a reference in the New Testament . However, Karaite Judaism understands the verses to be metaphorical . Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms .

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Tefillin are worn by male adult Jews during weekday and Sunday morning prayers. In Orthodox and traditional communities, they are worn solely by men, while some Reform and Conservative (Masorti) communities allow them to be worn by Jewish adults regardless of gender. In Jewish law ( halacha ), women are exempt from most time-dependent positive commandments, which include tefillin, and unlike other time-dependent positive commandments, most halachic authorities prohibit them from fulfilling this commandment. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form (the singular being "tefillah"), it is often used as a singular as well. The arm-tefillah (or shel yad [literally "of the hand"]) is placed on the upper (non-dominant) arm, and the strap wrapped around the forelimb, hand and middle finger; while the head-tefillah (or shel rosh [literally "of the head"]) is placed between the eyes at the boundary of the forehead and hair. They are intended to fulfill the Torah 's instructions to maintain a continuous "sign" and "remembrance" of the Exodus from Egypt. While historically men used to wear tefillin all day, this is no longer common. The general practice today is to remove them following services. The biblical verses often cited as referring to tefillin are obscure. Deuteronomy 11:18 , for instance, does not designate explicitly what specifically to "bind upon your arm", and the definition of " totafot between your eyes" is not obvious. These details are delineated in the Oral Torah . At least as early as the 1st century CE , many Jews understood the verses literally and wore physical tefillin, as shown by archaeological finds at Qumran and a reference in Matthew 23 of the Christian New Testament . However, Karaite Judaism understands the verses to be metaphorical . Man wearing arm- and head-tefillin at the Western Wall in 2009 Rama OC 38:3 and commentaries there. Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms . Uncovered in Jerusalem, 9 tiny unopened Dead Sea Scrolls