Tefillin prayer straps – the 4 most important facts
1. What are tefillin phylacteries?
Teffilin (also: tefillim, phylacteries) are small black boxes worn by Jewish believers during morning prayers. These prayer boxes contain handwritten passages from the Torah and are tied to the arm and forehead with leather straps. The tefillin serve as a physical reminder of God's commandments and are meant to remind the wearer to focus their heart and mind on God during prayer.
2. Why do Jews wear tefillin?
Jews wear tefillin as part of the morning prayer to fulfill the commandment from the Tanakh (Old Testament). The Torah states several times that God's commandments should be worn "as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes." Tefillin thus serve as a physical manifestation of these commandments. They are an expression of faith and devotion to God.
3. Who wears tefillin (phylacteries)?
In Judaism, tefillin is typically worn by adult, observant men. Women are not required to wear tefillin, although there are some progressive Jewish movements in which women also wear tefillin.
4. How do you put on tefillin?
Putting on tefillin is a ritual act before the morning prayer. Here are the basic steps for putting on tefillin:
1. The wearer places the arm prayer cap (Tefillin Shel Yad) on the left upper arm, or the weaker arm, about a hand's breadth above the elbow.
2. He wraps the leather strap seven times around his arm and ties it tightly.
3. He holds the head tefillin (Tefillin Shel Rosh) with a leather strap over the forehead so that it is directly above the hairline.
4. He wraps the leather strap of the tefillin frame around his head and ties it tightly. The two ends of the strap are draped over his shoulder and carried in front.
It is important to note that putting on tefillin requires a specific technique and must be taken into account with traditional Jewish laws and customs. Typically, the putting on of tefillin is taught by an experienced Jew or rabbi.