page_title: Tefillin
section_title: Laws and customs regarding putting on tefillin
hierarchical_section_title: Tefillin / Use / Laws and customs regarding putting on tefillin
caption_attribution_description: English: IDF soldier prays with tefillin in the 2006 Lebanon War after the Battle of Bint Jbeil, photographed by Yoav Lemmer. The officer is Lieutenant Asael Lubotzky from the esteemed Golani Infantry Brigade. He was seriously wounded in the war. Dr. Lubotzky's story was published in the book From the Wilderness and Lebanon by Yedioth Ahronoth recounting his personal experiences from the Second Lebanon War. The picture appears on the front cover of the book in Hebrew and on the translation to English - From the Wilderness and Lebanon by Koren Publishers Jerusalem. The photograph has become an inspiration for artists, and artworks (such as Brothers in Arms) and portraits[1] of the praying soldier were drawn. עברית: ד"ר עשהאל לובוצקי. תמונה שצולמה ללא ידיעתו במהלך מלחמת לבנון השנייה לאחר קרב בינת ג'בייל בעת שירותו כקצין בגולני על ידי הצלם יואב למר עבור סוכנות עיתונות צרפתית. סיפורו של לובוצקי פורסם בספר מן המדבר והלבנון. התמונה מופיעה על כריכת הספר בעברית וכן על תרגומו לאנגלית. התמונה היוותה השראה ליוצרים, ובעקבותיה צוירו יצירות אמנות ודיוקנים של הקצין מתפלל.[2] [3]
context_page_description: Tefillin 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, it is often used as a singular as well. The arm-tefillah is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillah 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.
context_section_description: Ashkenazi practice is to put on and remove the arm tefillin while standing in accordance to the Shulchan Aruch, while most Sephardim do so while sitting in accordance with the Ari. All, however, put on and remove the head tefillin while standing. Halacha forbids speaking or being distracted while putting on the tefillin. An Ashkenazi says two blessings when laying tefillin, the first before he ties the arm-tefillin: ...lehani'ach tefillin ("to bind tefillin"), and the second after placing the head tefillin: ...al mitzvat tefillin ("as to the commandment of tefillin"); thereafter, he tightens the head straps and says "Baruch Shem Kovod..." ("blessed be the holy name"). The Sephardic custom is that no blessing is said for the head-tefillin, the first blessing sufficing for both. Sephardim and many members of the Chabad Orthodox movement only recite the blessing on the head-tefillah if they spoke about something not related to tefillin since reciting the blessing on the arm-tefillah.
  The arm-tefillin is laid on the inner side of the bare left arm, right arm if one is left handed, two finger breadths above the elbow, so that when the arm is bent the tefillin faces towards the heart. The arm-tefillin is tightened with the thumb, the blessing is said, and the strap is immediately wrapped around the upper arm in the opposite direction it came from in order to keep the knot tight without having to hold it. Some wrap it around the upper arm for less than a full revolution (the bare minimum to keep the knot tight) and then wrap it around the forearm seven times, while others wrap it around the upper arm an additional time before wrapping it around the forearm. Many Ashkenazim wear the knot to be tightened (not to be confused with the knot on the base which is permanently tied and always worn on the inside, facing the heart) on the inside and wrap inward, while Nusach Sephard Ashkenazim and all Sephardim wear it on the outside and wrap outward.
  Then the head-tefillin is placed on the middle of the head just above the forehead, so that no part rests below the hairline. A bald or partially bald person's original hairline is used. The knot of the head-tefillin sits at the back of the head, upon the part of the occipital bone that protrudes just above the nape. The two straps of the head-tefillin are brought in front of the shoulders, with their blackened side facing outwards. Now the remainder of the arm-tefillin straps are wound three times around the middle finger and around the hand to form the shape of the Hebrew letter of either a shin (ש) according to Ashkenazim, or a dalet (ד) according to Sephardim. There are various customs regarding winding the strap on the arm and hand. In fact, the arm strap is looped for counter-clockwise wrapping with Ashkenazi tefillin while it is knotted for clockwise wrapping with Sephardic and Hasidic tefillin. On removing the tefillin, the steps are reversed.
  Earlier, Yemenite Jews' custom was to put on arm-Tefillah and wind forearm with strap, making knot on wrist not winding a finger, and then put on head-Tefillah all made in sitting position. Later, Yemenite Jews followed by Shulchan Aruch and put on arm-Tefillah, making seven windings on forearm and three on a finger, and then put on head-Tefillah. Because according to the Shulchan Aruch head-Tefillah and arm-Tefillah are two different commandments, if there is not any Tefillah, one can wear available alone.
  German Jews also did not tie a finger earlier. But later they put on arm-Tefillah with a knot on biceps while standing, then put on head-Tefillah, and after that they wind seven wraps around forearm (counting by the seven Hebrew words of Psalms 145:16), and three wraps around a finger.
  The newest is Kabbalistic custom of Arizal, to put on arm-Tefillah and wind seven wraps on forearm while sitting, then head-Tefillah standing, after that three wraps around a finger. That is modern day common custom.
  Some Western Sephardic families such as the Rodrigues-Pereira family have developed a personalized family wrapping method.
caption: IDF soldier Asael Lubotzky prays with tefillin.
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