Prepared by
Rabbi Steven Cohen

The mitzvah of Tefillen, phylacteries, is one the most important symbols which binds us-to -G-d. The Torah refers to the tefillen as a "sign," which we are to place on our heads and our arms as a constant reminder of G-d's eternal covenant with the Jewish People: For this reason, we are not required to wear the tefillen on days such as Shabbat and holidays which, in and of themselves, testify to this special relationship. Tefillen are worn during daylight hours, only, usually during "Shacharit,"morning prayers.

Ashkenazic Jews customarily stand while putting on and taking off their tefillen. The tallit is always put on before the tefillen, and taken off after the tefillen. The arm tefillen are always worn on the weaker arm, i.e. the left aria of right-handed people, and the right arm of left-handed people. Since righthanded and left-handed tefillen differ slightly, make sure your have the correct tefillen!

STEP ONE

Start by taking the arm tefillen (tefillen shel yad) out of its protective cover. The part where the strap passes through the box is called the ma'abarta. Place your hand through the loop of the tefillen with the ma'abarta on the side closest to your shoulder. Place the tefillen shel- yad on your biceps, and lean it toward your heart. Pull the strap toward the right so that it tightens around the loop. When your arm hangs down, relaxed against your body, the tefillen should be tight enough to stay on your biceps and should touch your chest. (n.b. if your fingers turn blue, then your tefillen are probably too tightl)

Next, say the first blessing (usually included in the opening pages of most siddurim):

(Remember that the "ch" should be pronounced like a clearing the throught sound)
Baruch ata Adonai Elohaynu melech ha-olom, asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav vetzivanu lehaniach Tefillin
Blessed are Your, LORD our GOD, King of the universe, Who has made us holy
with His commandments and bid us to put on Tefillen.

Now, with the black side of the strap facing. up, begin ,to wind the tefillen strap around your forearm. Ashkenazic Jews generally wind the tell lien toward the body. Wind seven, winds on your forearm between your elbow and your wrist. (Hint: keep the winds close to one another, without touching, and straight. Diagonal winds take up too much space and tend to come anyway.)

Once you have completed the seventh wind, continue another two or three winds in the same direction across the back of your hand so that you can hold the strap while you continue.

STEP TWO

Before winding the strap on your fingers, the head tefill en (t(f lien steel cosh) is put on. `rake it oul of its case and unwind its straps. Centre the box of the head teliIlen on the front of your head above the hairline (or where the hairline used to be) and the knot at the ba se of the skull. The tefillen are not to be worn on the forehead.

Both the box on the front on your head and the knot at the back muss' remain centred throughout prayers. (hint: check them occasionally using one hand for the box and one for the knot) Make sure the black side of the strap is up and Pull the loop to fit snugly around your head. Make sure your kippa is not caught under the strap! if the head tefillen is too lose or too tight, they probably need adjusting. The rest of the straps should hang loosely in front with the black side facing out,, one strap on the right and one on the left.

When you are about to tighten the, head telillen, say the second blessing:

Baruch ata Adonai Elohaynu melech ha-olom, asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav vetzivanu al mitzvot tefillin.

Blessed are You, LORD our Got), King of the universe,
Who has made us, holy with His commandments and given us the mitzvah of tefillen

Baruch shem kevod malchuto le olam va ed
Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.

STEP THREE (see the diagram on the front)

Now you are ready to wind the rest of the arm tefillen around your fingers. First, undo the couple of winds on your hand, and keep your palm facing down. Be careful' not to undo any of the seven winds on your forearm. Begin from under your wrist and bring the strap across the back of your hand toward you and down between, your thumb and index finger.
Now bring it under your hand and up between your third and fourth' fingers. Wind it, once around the middle' joint of your third- finger and twice around the lower joint of the same finger.

Next, wind it one more, time across the third and fourth fingers together. Bring it back up between your fourth and fifth fingers and bring it across and down between your thumb and index finger. Bring it across your palm and up across the back of your had one final time. Any extra length of the strap may be wound on top if this last wind and then tucked in the palm of your hand.

While winding the tefillen on the fingers, recited the following quote from the Book of Hoshaya:

Veayrashtich li leolom. Veayrashtich li betzedek uvmishpat uvchesed uverachmim. Veayrashtich li bamuna vyadat et adonaiy
I will betroth you to Me forever. I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and justice, with love and mercy.
I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know GOD.
(Hoshaya 2:21)

When removing the tefillen, use the reverse order: fingers, head and then arm. Put the cases back on the tefillen and wind the straps' around the cases in a neat fashion.