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Guide to Putting on Tefillin

Guide to Putting on Tefillin
By Chabad.org Staff
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What is Tefillin?
You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your
eyes.

Deuteronomy 6:8
You have a brain. It is in one world. Your heart is in
another. And your hands often end up involved in
something completely foreign to both of them. Three
diverse machines.
So you put on tefillin. First thing in the day, you connect
your head, your heart and your hand with these leather
cablesall to work as one, with one intent. And then,
when you go out to meet the world, all your actions find
harmony in a single coordinated purpose...
Tefillin are a pair of black leather boxes containing
Hebrew parchment scrolls. A set includes two tefillin
one for the head and one for the arm. Each consists of
three main components: the scrolls, the box and the
strap. The scrolls are inserted into boxes made of leather
that have been painted black.
One box is strapped on your head, and the other onto your
arm next to your heart. Its done once a daypreferably
during the morning prayers. If that is not practical, say at
least the passage called the Shema (found below). Its
done by Jewish males, age 13 and up, every day except
Shabbat and major Jewish holidays.
1. Place on Arm
You have two black leather boxes with straps in your tefillin bag. One is for the arm, the other for
the head. Take out the arm one firstthats the one thats one smooth box, rather than four
compartments.
Remove the tefillin from the plastic case.
The arm-tefillin goes on the weaker arm: right-handed
people do the left arm, lefties do the right arm.
Roll up your sleeve so that the tefillin is in direct contact
with your arm. Put your arm through the loop formed by
the knotted strap. Place the black box up on your bicep,
just below the halfway point between the shoulder and the
elbow, right across from your heart (see illustration).
Below are video instructions:

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2. The Blessing on the Tefillin

Recite the blessing. If you can read and understand the original Hebrew, say it in Hebrew.
Otherwise, you can say it in any language you understand.
Heres the Hebrew text:

Heres how it sounds:

Baruch atah Ado-nai, Elo-heinu melech haolam, asher kideshanu bmitzvotav, vtzivanu
lhaniach tefillin.
Heres what it means:
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His
commandments, and commanded us to put on tefillin.
Audio: Tefillin Blessing (Ashkenaz)
Audio: Tefillin Blessing (Sefard)
Focus on what youre doing. From the time you make the blessing until both tefillin are in place,
do not talk. Dont even wink. Just concentrate on hooking up your mind, heart and deeds, and
binding them to G-d.
3. Bind the Arm-Tefillin
Tighten the strap around your arm, mindful that the knot stays in direct contact with the box.

Continue to wrap: two more times over the strap-socket of the

black box and around the biceps, then seven times around
your arm and once around your palm. Leave the remainder of
the strap loose.

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4. Place the Head-Tefillin

Next, get out the head-tefillin. Remove the tefillin from the plastic case. The box goes on your
head, just above your forehead. Center it in the middle of your head directly above the point
thats right between your eyes. The daled-shaped knot should rest on the base of your skull.

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5. Tie on Hand
Now back to your hand. Wrap the remainder of the strap three times around your middle finger,
like this: once around the base, then once just above the first joint, then one more time around the
base. Youve got some strap left over, so wrap it around your palm and tuck in the tail end.

Below are video instructions:

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this software for free.

6. Recite the Prayers

It is best to pray the entire morning prayers in ones tefillin. However, if this is not possible, at
least say the Shema prayer:
In the original Hebrew:
Cover your eyes with your right hand and say:

The Shema
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit at
home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.
And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your
eyes.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.
Barukh Shem k'vod malkhuto l'olam va-ed
V-ahavta et Adonai Elohecha b-chol l'vavcha u-v-chol naf'sh'cha u-v-chol m'odecha.
V-hayu ha-d'varim ha-ayleh asher anochi m'tzav'cha ha-yom al l'vavecha.
V-shinantam l-vanecha, v-dibarta bam b-shivt'cha b-vaytecha, u-v-lecht'cha ba-derech, u-vshachb'cha u-v-kumecha.
U-k'shartam l'ot al yadecha, v-hayu l-totafot bayn aynecha.
U-chtavtam al m'zuzot baytecha u-vi-sharecha.
Deuteronomy 6: 4-9