Print This

Tefilin

[f.]; an untranslatable term, translated as "phylacteries," a "ritual object" that is a combination of two components: "Tefilin shel Yad", Tefilin worn on the Arm, or Hand and Tefilin shel Rosh, Tefilin worn on the Head.

A Jewish boy begins to wear "Tefilin" when he becomes "Bar Mitzvah." Both the "shel Yad" and the "shel Rosh" consist of black leather boxes, each containing the four Scriptural passages that command the observance of this Command.

The "Tefilin shel Yad" is set on the arm, opposite the heart, and the "Tefilin shel Rosh" is set upon the head, opposite the brain, to convey the idea that the feelings of one's heart and the thoughts of one's mind are all placed in the service of G-d.