Sources: Shulchan Arukh Chabad Zikhron Eliyahu 'Tefillin", HaRav Efrati
	Halachot | Construction | Symbolism | Script Putting on the tefillin | Caring for Tefillin.

 

 

A Parable:

There was once a king who organized a special battalion, entirely loyal to him and bearing his royal name. The king gave the soldiers a special uniform which would distinguish them from everyone else. All who saw them knew that they belonged to the chosen battalion of the king. By their behavior, of course, they would bring him honor - or shame.

The People of Israel is the battalion of the King of Kings, Blessed be He. G-d chose us from among all other nations to be His people. It is incumbent upon the Jewish nation to behave like the special battalion of the King of Kings. Our symbol is the tefillin. When one dons tefillin, they bear witness that he is a Jew, as it is written: "And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead, that the Torah of the Lord may be upon your lips, for with a strong hand He brought you out of Egypt." (Exodus {Sh’mot} 13, 9)

The second sign of a man's Jewishness is physical - the sign of the brit (circumcision), carried out at eight days of age. This is a fulfillment of that which is written in the Torah, "And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin , and that shall be the sign of the covenant between you and me." (Genesis {B’reshit} 17, 11) Thus, from the day of your bar mitzvah you have two witnesses that testify to your being Jewish, as it says in the Torah, "Only on the testimony of two witnesses can a case be valid." (Deuteronomy {D’varim} 19, 15)

During all the years of our existence, the tefillin have constituted one of the principle symbols of our Judaism. The tefillin have kept us company during our wanderings, even to the four corners of the earth - both on the tranquil waters of peace, and on the stormy seas of tragic times when Jews sacrificed their lives in order to live according to the Torah and be worthy of their name. Always, in every place and at all times, Jews have guarded their tefillin with courage and pride.