Tefillin

At BJ

  • We encourage everyone over the age of bar/bat mitzvah to wear Tefillin.
  • Bar mitzvah boys are required to wear Tefillin for the first time at morning minyan the week before their celebration.
  • We encourage our bat mitzvah girls to do so as well.
  • Tefillin can be made available for use at morning minyan.
  • If you arrive before the service begins, the prayer-leader will be happy to help you with your Tefillin.

Tefillin 101: Prayers You Wear

Tefillin are made of two small black boxes (batim) with black leather straps (retzu’ot).

We lay Tefillin on our arm and on our head during Shaharit, the morning prayer service, but we do not wear them on Shabbat and holidays.

Four verses in the Torah instruct us to bind or place “signs” upon our hand and our head. Tefillin are considered to be these signs. All four of the Torah verses are written on parchment and placed inside of the batim.  Here are two examples:

  • Therefore impress these My words upon your very heart: bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead.  Deuteronomy 11:18
  • Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead. Deuteronomy 6:8

Laying Tefillin takes practice.  Helpful instructions and videos can be found at www.ott.co and at www.jbuff.com.

Want to know more about Tefillin?

For more information and/or a one-to-one tutorial, please contact our Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellows at the BJ office.