If One Wears Tefilin and Goes Bathroom Does He Need to Make New Bracha When Puts on Again

Tefillin: Everything you need to know near those powerful black boxes, placed on the head and arm.

Tefillin are special boxes and straps placed on one'due south caput and arm, as the Torah says: "Bind [these commandments] as a sign on your arm, and every bit totafot between your optics" (Deut. half dozen:eight).

Tefillin are sometimes referred to every bit phylacteries. This stems from the aboriginal Greek phylakterion, which means a safeguard. Plainly, the Greeks misunderstood the Tefillin to be some sort of amulet or charm. Actually, Tefillin serve not as a superstition, but every bit a bona fide connection to God.

The word mitzvah, commandment, relates at its root to the word "to bind." As such, every mitzvah is an human action of love that binds us to God. But Tefillin is the paradigm mitzvah, in that we literally bind ourselves to the will of God. Tefillin represents a total dedication and union with the Almighty.

Tefillin take a tremendous power to connect spiritually. Remarkably, The Chinese Journal of Medicine claims that the contact points of Tefillin are exactly those points at which acupuncture needles are inserted in guild "to increase spirituality and to purify thoughts."

The two boxes represent the two ways that we serve God in this world: thought (the caput) and activity (the arm). When putting on the arm-tefillin, we focus on devoting our force to the Omnipotent. The head-tefillin imbues us with the idea of subjugating our intellect for the love of God.

The arm-tefillin is placed at a level opposite the heart, to teach that if our heart isn't in sync with our mind, our decisions volition remain half-hearted and apartment.

It is interesting that the arm-tefillin contains one parchment in one compartment, whereas the head-tefillin contains four parchments, each in its own carve up compartment. (This is inferred from the Torah reference to arm-tefillin with the singular "Ot," and head-tefillin with the plural "Totafot.") This is to signify that in service of God, the two powers must work congruently: We use the totality of our mind to gain the full perspective, so nosotros act with a singular clarity of purpose.

We place the arm-tefillin on start, teaching that commitment to action and implementation must precede thought. Why? Because Torah is not an intellectual chance of ivory-tower theoretics. Rather, Torah written report demands that we use that knowledge for the purpose of fulfilling God's will in the world.

Mutual Love

While our Tefillin are an expression of beloved of God, the adoration is mutual. The Sages chronicle that God Himself wears a pair of Tefillin, on which is written His expression of love for the Jewish people: "Who is like Your people Israel, a nation upon the earth" (1-Chronicles 17:21). (This anthropomorphism should non be understood in a literal sense. Since God is incorporeal, he does not "wear" a physical item.)

Throughout Jewish history, and more than recently in the Holocaust, many Jews risked their lives for the sake of Tefillin. Rabbi Joshua Aronsohn, in The Holocaust and Halakhah, describes how Tefillin were put on in Auschwitz:

When we arose in the darkness of the night, we had just managed to wash, the cake leaders and their helpers were hurrying us along to the forced-labor details. There were long queues of prisoners waiting in line, not for staff of life or coffee, just to fulfill the mitzvah of Tefillin. We appointed a special "guard" whose job it was to brand sure that no one kept the Tefillin on for longer than it took him to say the ane poesy "Shema Yisrael," so that more than would be able to fulfill the mitzvah.

Listen to an inspirational story "Tefillin in the Holocaust" past Rabbi Shraga Simmons:

Tefillin is the epitome of closeness to God, the true strength of the Jewish people. In referring to Tefillin, the Torah says: "The peoples of the earth will see that God's proper noun is called upon you, and they shall be awed by you" (Deut. 28:10).

What is Tefillin?

Tefillin consist of 2 square, black leather boxes, which comprise parchments of Torah verses. I of the boxes is worn on the bicep (Tefillin shel yad), and the other is worn on the front of the head (Tefillin shel rosh). Attached to each box are black leather straps.

Within each Tefillin box are parchments containing four Torah sections:

• the obligation to remember the Exodus (Exodus 13:i-10)
• the responsibility to transmit Judaism to our descendants (Exodus 11-16)
• the Shema – the proclamation of God's unity, and the mitzvah to beloved God (Deut. half dozen:iv-nine)
• the implications of our fulfillment of the Torah (Deut. xi:xiii-21)

There are five main parts of tefillin:

• parshiot – the parchments
• bayit – the box containing the parchments
• titurah – the wider base of the bayit
• ma'abarta – the opening on the base which the strap goes through
• ritzu'ah – the strap (Plural: ritzu'ot)

The outer construction of the Tefillin contains three Hebrew letters, which spell out God's name, Shadai:

• The commencement letter (shin) is embossed in relief on the outside of the caput-tefillin. (The right side of the box has a three-headed shin, and the left side has a iv-headed shin.)
• The second alphabetic character (daled) is formed by a knot on the strap of the head-tefillin, at the spot where the strap is tightened to the back of the neck.
• The third letter (yud) is formed by a knot on the strap of the arm-tefillin, at the spot where the strap is tightened to the bicep. This knot must always stay in contact with the bayit.

There are innumerable details that become into producing "kosher" Tefillin. For instance:

• both the boxes and the parchment are made from the hide of a kosher animal
• the boxes must exist perfectly foursquare in shape
• the boxes and straps must be black
• the parchments are tied with the hair of a kosher animal, and the boxes sewn airtight with the sinew of a kosher fauna
• the verses are written with special black ink
• the parchment must be written by an ordained, God-fearing scribe

Unfortunately, there are many cheap "simulated" models on the market, and wearing such Tefillin does not fulfill any mitzvah. Therefore, one should merely buy Tefillin from a God-fearing Jew. Some have likened tefillin to a sophisticated device that receives "spiritual-electronic" signals; if one wire or transistor is faulty, the entire organisation does not role.

Yous can purchase Tefillin online at: www.otr-israel.com, www.hasofer.com, Aish Shopping.

Wearing Tefillin

Although Tefillin is a positive "to-practise" mitzvah, information technology is so key to Jewish identity that declining to put on Tefillin during the class of the day is considered actively transgressing.

Tefillin should be worn for the morning prayers. Men who clothing a tallit should don it before laying Tefillin. If some reason, the Tefillin were not put on in the forenoon, they may be donned at any bespeak during the daytime. The earliest time to wear Tefillin is approximately one hour earlier sunrise. They may never be worn at night.

Although the mitzvah of Tefillin extends throughout the daytime, Tefillin are typically non worn all twenty-four hours long. This is because a person's body and listen must be halachically "clean" while wearing the Tefillin.

Thus, while wearing Tefillin, one must be careful not to remember unclean thoughts, or to act in a light-headed or frivolous manner. Beyond this, because the proper name of God is written on the parchments, a person should not divert his attention from this fact while wearing the Tefillin. Given that this level of concentration is extremely difficult to fulfill, Tefillin are typically not worn all twenty-four hour period.

The definition of a "clean body" is that it is forbidden to pass gas while wearing Tefillin. If 1 feels the demand to practice and so, he should remove the Tefillin beginning. Someone who cannot control his bodily functions as a result of a stomach ailment is temporarily exempt from the mitzvah of Tefillin.

Information technology is forbidden to enter a bathroom while wearing Tefillin. One may also non nap while wearing Tefillin.

The Talmud tells of the time the Romans decreed against wearing Tefillin. A righteous man named Elisha was caught walking downward street wearing Tefillin. He immediately removed information technology, and it miraculously turned into pigeon feathers, thus sparing him harsh penalty. The Talmud explains that Elisha merited a miracle, because he ever wore Tefillin with a clean trunk.

Tefillin are only worn by male adults. Children do not habiliment Tefillin considering we assume they cannot treat them properly. A boy may practice wearing Tefillin soon before his Bar Mitzvah.

Women have traditionally non worn Tefillin, because it is i of the "positive time-jump mitzvot" from which women are exempt. The kabbalists explain that women have more natural ways of binding with God; various parts of the Tefillin correspond to female qualities. Kabbalistically, the tefillin'south hollow chamber corresponds to the womb, and the straps represent to the umbilical cord. Interestingly, the tefillin box is chosen the bayit (home). Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains that the home a woman develops is her individual tefillin.

Tefillin are never worn on Shabbat or Yom Tov. This is because the sanctity of these days serves every bit the medium of bonding with God, and the additional mechanism of Tefillin is not necessary. Community differ every bit whether to wear Tefillin on Chol Hamoed.

Arm-Tefillin: How-To

The arm-tefillin is placed first, following the guild in which the Torah commands the mitzvot, as information technology says: "Demark [the mitzvot] every bit a sign on your arm, and as totafot between your eyes" (Deut. half-dozen:eight).

To beginning, one should open up the tefillin bag halfway, and remove only the arm-tefillin from the purse – to avert "passing over one mitzvah for some other."

Next, uncoil the strap, being careful that it doesn't affect the floor. Many have the custom to kiss the tefillin before putting information technology on.

Ashkenazim put on the tefillin while standing. Sephardim have the custom to put the arm-tefillin while sitting, and the head-tefillin while standing.

The tefillin box is placed on the center of the bicep muscle, with the box facing inward toward the eye. It is placed on the weaker arm – i.e. right-handed people place the tefillin on the left arm, while left-handed people identify it on the right arm.

At that place should non exist anything between the box and your skin. There is a tradition to continue the box of the arm-tefillin covered while wearing it, in accordance with the verse "And they will be a sign to yous..." – i.due east. to you and not to others. Some people pull their sleeve over the box; others go along a black plastic covering on the box.

When laying the tefillin on the arm, a approving is recited. The approval is said afterward the box is placed on the arm, but earlier the strap is tightened around the upper arm.

Arm Tefillin

Ashkenazi Pronunciation

Sefardi Pronunciation

Immediately after saying the approval, the straps are wound effectually the forearm vii times. The straps are e'er bundled so that the smooth black side is facing outward. There are different community whether the encircling of the arm should be done clockwise or counter-clockwise (i.e. toward the body, or away from the body).

Once the strap is properly wound around the arm, 1 should not yet wrap the strap around the hand. Rather, air current the excess strap around the wrist or palm temporarily, so it does not interfere with the donning of the head-tefillin, which is put on at this time.

It is important that there be no interruption of whatever kind from the blessing of the arm-tefillin, until the caput-tefillin are deeply in identify. This includes talking, gesturing, or fifty-fifty joining in a congregational prayer similar Borchu, Kaddish or Kedusha.

Caput-Tefillin: How-To

The box of the Tefillin should exist placed on the front of the head, just to a higher place the hairline (i.eastward. where it is resting entirely on hair). One who is balding should put it on a location where there used to exist hair. Sometimes, people wearable their Tefillin partially below the hairline out of ignorance. It is proper to respectfully clarify to them where the Tefillin should be placed.

The strap of the head-tefillin forms a large loop which rests on the crown of the head. At the other end of the loop is a knot that should exist positioned on the nape of dorsum of the head, above the hairline.

Both the box and the knot should be at the center of the caput, i.e. every bit centered between right and left.

The straps of the Tefillin are ever bundled so that the smooth black side is facing outward. The two straps of the head-tefillin should hang down in front of the person.

Before reciting the approval, commencement become the head-tefillin in "set position." (Sefardim do not say a second blessing, unless there was an interruption since the blessing on the arm-tefillin.) Be conscientious to hold the box in one hand, rather than permit information technology disrespectfully dangle.

For Ashkenazim, a moment before placing the tefillin on the caput, recite the blessing. Once the tefillin are properly in place, recite the "Baruch Shem."

Caput Tefillin

Ashkenazi Pronunciation

Sefardi Pronunciation

Next, the strap of the arm-tefillin is wrapped around the hand and fingers. In that location are different customs how information technology is wound.

While wrapping the strap effectually the hand and fingers, many have the custom to recite verses which declare the loving union betwixt God and His people Israel (Hosea 2:21-22):

I volition betroth you to Me forever.
And I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, justice, kindness, and mercy.
I will betroth y'all to Me with allegiance, and you shall know God.

Listen to "V'erastich lee," sung by Sam Glaser (www.samglaser.com):

After completing the morning prayers, the tefillin are removed while standing. The head-tefillin are removed before the arm-tefillin. Out of affection for the mitzvah, some people kiss their tefillin before putting them away. In recollection of the Talmudic story of Elisha, some wrap the straps of the head-tefillin on both sides of the box, to resemble the wings of a dove.

NOTE: Over the grade of time, tefillin tin can brainstorm to deteriorate. Therefore, if y'all have an onetime pair of tefillin (perchance fifty-fifty inherited from your grandad), y'all should take information technology inspected by a scribe. In full general, it is a good idea for tefillin to be checked at regular intervals.

For farther report:

• Tefillin , past Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, republished equally part of The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology, Part 2 (ArtScroll)
• Tefillin: Making the Connexion , by Yisroel Ehrman (Feldheim)
• Tefillin: An Illustrated Guide , by Moshe Chanina Neiman (Feldheim)

Photos and illustrations courtesy of Feldheim Publications
Photo credit: Courtesy of www.mezuzahstore.com.

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Source: https://aish.com/48969816/

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