Wear Tefillin on the Head

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SMG

[it is a positive Mitzvah] to tie Tefillin on the head, as it says in the verse[i] לטטפת בין עיניך, and also[ii] וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך, and in Gemara[iii] we learnt, Rabbi Eliezer the Great said, ‘this [verse][1] applies to the Tefillin in the head’.

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[1] Rashi in the Gemara explains that the reason this verse refers to the Tefillin of the head is because the majority of the name of G‑d is incorporated into it. The letter ש on the outside of the container, and the letter ד formed by the knot. The remaining letter is symbolized by the knot of the Tefillin on the arm.

It seems curious that this verse would apply to the physical symbols of the Tefillin, since that would require the non-Jews who see the Tefillin to be not only able to discern their connection to the Hebrew letters, but would need to be aware as to how to spell G‑d’s particular name, and would also need to know that the remaining letter is present in the hidden knot on the Tefillin of the hand – otherwise the letters only spell שד which is usually translated as ‘demon’.

I heard once that Rabbi Eliezer doesn’t phrase his statement that ‘these are the Tefillin on the head’ but rather he states ‘these are the Tefillin in the head’ [which is how I rendered it in the translation]. The Tefillin need to cause an effect on the person, to subjugate one’s mind to G‑d. This effect is visible in the actions, mannerisms and attitudes of the Tefillin wearing Jew.

For someone to subjugate his heart to something, that doesn’t cause fear in the nations of the world. Afterall, there are many things and ideas they themselves subjugate their emotions to – for example, they turn their love to a specific person or deity. But subjugating the mind, the seat of the id – that is something that is beyond them and is only possible due to the G‑dly soul inherent in the Jew which seat is in the mind.

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[i] Devarim 6:8

[ii] Devarim 28:10

[iii] Gem. Menaĉos 35b

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Discussion by SMS

on the Four (4) ‘types’ of Tefillin:

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Key

Etymology and Definitions of Defined Terms

• תפילין – phylacteries[1]
• טוטפת – quartered and folded container[2].
• שימושי רבה – utilized by the great one[3].

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[1] The word ‘Phylacteries’ is based on the Greek word φυλακτό, which means ‘Amulet’. Presumably this was translated by the Greeks, because the Jewish people would be unlikely to define Tefillin as an Amulet. My presumption is that as these are accoutrements of Davening, they are accordingly named Tefillin from the word Tefilla.

[2] Unlike Rabbi Yishmael who does not translate the word itself, but instead derives the number of Parshios in Tefillin from the three (3) times the word טטפת is mentioned (!), one of which contains an extra letter ו, implying it is plural, and unlike Tosefos who defines the word based on the Mishna’s usage of it as a women’s ornament [Gem. Shabbos 57a] – Rashi [Devarim 6:9] notes that the word טטפת is in reference to the Tefillin worn on the head [which have four (4) distinct compartments]. This follows the opinion of Rabbi Akiva [Gemara Sanhedrin 4b, Menaĉos 34b and Zevaĉim 37b] who notes that the word טטפת is a conjunction word of two (2) words in other languages that both mean two (2); טט in Coptic means two (2), and פת in Afrikaans [Not the modern language, which is a version of German, but an original language used before the European colonizers came to Africa, spoken on the north of the continent] means two (2). Together the word means four (4) (2+2=4).

(!) [Devarim 6:8, 11:18 and Shemos 13:16]. The presence of the letter Vav in Devarim 11:18 does not provide us with a lesson to be derived, since the verse phrases the entirety in the plural והיו לטוטפת בין עיניכם. It is only in the primary verse in Shemos 13:16 that we can use the extra Vav to derive something, since otherwise that verse is phrased in the singular – והיה לאות על ידכה ולטוטפת בין עיניך.

Side Note: This also provides an Asmaĉta as to the source of the custom for those who wear all four (4) sets of Tefillin to have two (2) sets of head Tefillin for each hand Tefillin.

Some commentators feel that טטפת is derived from the Aramaic in which it means strips or ornaments [see Tosefos above]. I believe they are mistaken since there is a prohibition against men wearing what is specified as women’s garment, and even though the Tefillin itself isn’t a women’s garment, I think it highly unlikely that the Torah would use a word specifically defined as a women’s garment or ornament to describe something worn by men. That would be like the modern equivalent of describing men wearing panties instead of underwear. Even though the garment is a male garment, the description is not. Instead, I believe the opposite occurred. This is a portmanteau where the Aramaic term for adornment was derived from the Ĉumash, not vice versa.

A quick review of Google Translate brings up no phonetical correlation with either Coptic Egyptian, or various African dialects. Therefore, I believe the following is what Rabbi Akiva meant. In hieroglyphic script (the basis for Coptic), to represent a number, the hieroglyphic symbol is simply repeated the number of times being represented. Therefore, in Egyptian Coptic hieroglyphic script, the double letter ט automatically means ‘two of’.

The second half of the portmanteau, פת, means folded pieces. A variant spelling of the word פת is found in the verse [Vayikra 2:6] פתות אותה פתים, which is translated as ‘fold it into multiple pieces’.  Rashi [Gemara Menaĉos 75b] notes that the word פתות means to break into two (2), and the Minĉa offering had to be broken in multiple two’s – i.e., four (4) pieces. No one suggests the word פת in that verse means bread, especially as the verse is using it as a verb – implying that a different language is being used. Presumably, a lost African dialect.

• Accordingly, according to Rabbi Akiva, the word טטפת would mean a double (טט) of two (2) pieces (פת) = four (4) compartments.

If correct, there’s only one final point that needs to be explained according to this interpretation; presumably, any letter could have been doubled to indicate the number two (2) in Egyptian Coptic. Why was the letter ט specifically used? From the simple way of looking at things, one could say that the letter ט is both shaped like a basket and has the meaning of the word basket (platter / flat container) when spelled out. It is thus eminently suitable for describing the containers of the Parshas of Tefillin.

* An alternative meaning could be a conjunction of תו and תפש, as in תו-תפש being replaced with טו-טפת; with the beginning letters ת being replaced with the letters ט, and the final letter sin ש being replaced with the letter ת. This would render the word a hand-held (תפש) room (תו) otherwise known as a container. The letter ת can be interchanged with the letter ט since both produce the same sound. As to why the letter would be changed – the letter ט is named טס after the word which means circlet or diadem. Which is what the Tefillin of the head are.

[3] Although this is named after the book for scribes of the same title, I believe it is also a general term for the sets of Tefillin known as שימושי רבה and ראב”ד as both of those pairs of Tefillin are ordered based on the viewpoint of the ‘reader’ as opposed to the wearer – as the SMG will discuss. Since the ‘reader’ in this case is G‑d, as no one else can read what is in the interior of the Tefillin, the term שימושי רבה can also mean ‘the Tefillin usable by the Master, i.e. G‑d’.

My determination that the term שימושי רבה can apply to both sets comes from the known memoirs of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzĉok Shneerson, from when he was imprisoned by the Soviets for spreading Judaism. The Previous Rebbe noted in his prison journal:

I kissed the mezuzah on the door and sat on one of the benches. The official Lulav and his subordinates, armed soldiers, surrounded me in the manner of prison guards and in accordance with prison regulations.

My belongings, tefillin-Rashi, Rabeinu Tam, שימושי רבה; a Tallis, a gartel (belt used while praying); my religious books-Siddur, Tehillim, Tanya, and my other personal effects: a change of clothing, a handkerchief, food, valerian, a small pillow, were all placed in one (1) package-in a travel bag. The cover of the bag was inscribed in Roman letters “S.S.”; my father [the Lubavitcher Rebbe Sholom DovBer], of righteous memory, had purchased it and used it during the course of his journeys from the year 5673 (1913)-a plaid blanket was also given to me.

It seems highly unlikely that the Previous Rebbe would leave behind the final set of Tefillin or would neglect its mention when he gives such a detailed account, so I am making the assumption that the term שימושי רבה also includes the ראב”ד Tefillin.