The last two paragraphs of Parshat Bo contain several mitzvot which commemorate the Exodus from Egypt.
- To sanctify the first-born babies and the first-born of domestic animals and donkeys.
- Not to eat or own Chametz on Pesach.
- To tell one’s children about the Exodus on the night of Pesach.
- To wear Tefillin on one’s arm and head.
In this article we will discuss the last Mitzvoh, that of putting on Tefillin. Tefillin remind us about the Exodus because the scrolls written in them (these very paragraphs) speak about the exodus (Rashi). Although the scrolls aren’t visible when one puts on Tefillin, one should know what is written in their Tefillin and this will remind him of the Exodus. The Tur adds that the arm-Tefillin remind us of the Almighty’s powerful arm which He stretched out to redeem us while the head-Tefillin, placed between the eyes, remind us of how G-d did the wonders and miracles in front of our eyes.
The Netziv (in Ha’amek Davar) adds that not all of the Jewish people were happy to leave Egypt and G-d extracted them with a “strong arm” (i.e., by impressing them with miracles). This explains why we need so many mitzvot to remind us of G-d, because our natural tendency is to forget Him and to focus instead on materialistic matters.
This article will discuss a comment that the Gaon of Vilna (also referred to as the Gra) once made as to why he didn’t put on Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin. (The Tefillin that everyone wears are called Rashi Tefillin. Many Chassidim and Sefardim wear a second pair of Tefillin called Rabeinu Tam’s Tefillin. The Vilna Gaon didn’t wear this pair. This article will explore why he chose not to do so.) First here is some background about Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin.
Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam
There are four paragraphs in the Torah that discuss Tefillin which are also the ones placed inside the Tefillin. These are Kadesh (Exodus 13:1 – 10), Vehaya Ki Yevi’acha (ibid. 11-16), Shema (Deut. 6:4-9) and Vehaya Im Shamo’a (ibid 11:13-21). For the arm-tefillin, these paragraphs are written in one scroll and placed into the (one and only) compartment of that Tefillin. Whereas for the head-Tefillin, each paragraph is written on a separate scroll and placed in a separate compartment, totalling four compartments. The Talmud gives the order of the placement of these scrolls by saying “Kadesh and Veyaha Ki Yevi’acha should be on the right and Shema and Vehaya Im Shamo’a should be on the left.” While Rashi and his grandson Rabbeinu Tam (one of the most prominent authors of Tosfot) agree that the right and left refer to a person facing the one wearing the Tefillin, they disagree as to whether the order of Shema and Vehaya Im Shamo’a begins from the middle of the Tefillin towards the outside (Rashi), or if it begins from the outside (of the left side) and moves inwards (Rabbeinu Tam). As such, the order according to Rashi is Kadesh, Vehaya Ki Yevi’acha, Shema and Vehaya Im Shamo’a whereas according to Rabbeinu Tam the order is Kadesh, Vehaya Ki Yevi’acha, Vehaya Im Shamo’a and Shema. As follows:
Rashi: Rabbeinu Tam:
The order of the four sections in the Tefillin according to Rashi from right to left (when facing the person wearing Tefillin) is the same order in which they appear in the Torah. Whereas, according to Rabbeinu Tam, the two sections that begin with the word “Vehaya” are in the center. In addition, according to Rabbeinu Tam, the sections that begin with the letter shin (Shema and Veyahaya Im Shamo’a) are close to the two Shins that are chiseled into the right and left side of the Tefillin respectively.
While the main halacha follows Rashi, and that is the Tefillin on which one makes a bracha (blessing), the Shulchan Aruch says that a G-d fearing person should also wear the Tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam.
Since the Vilna Gaon was certainly a G-d-fearing person, he was asked by his student Rabbi Chaim of Volozhyn why he didn’t wear Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin.
The Gaon answered that if he were to try to fulfill all of the opinions as to how to make Tefillin, he would have to put on 64 pairs of Tefillin. According to another version of the conversation (as recorded by Rabbi Ya’akov Kahana, author of Geon Yaakov and a nephew of the Gra), the Gaon said he would have to put on 24 pairs of Tefillin to fulfill all of the opinions. He was then asked that, according to the Zohar, wearing Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin is connected to the World to Come (and one should put them on in order to merit that World). He responded that he interpreted the Zohar differently (i.e., there’s no need to wear these tefillin in order to merit the World to Come) but if someone is concerned about their portion in the next World, they should wear them (just in case).
The purpose of this article is to explore what are the possible 24 or 64 pairs of Tefillin to which the Gaon of Vilna was referring.
Another Two Pairs –Shimusha Rabbah and Ra’avad
The Shimusha Rabbah and the Ra’avad are of the opinion that when the Talmud says that Kadesh and Vehaya Ki Yevi’acha should be on the right, it refers to the right side of the person wearing the Tefillin, not the right of the person facing him. As to the order of the four sections themselves, the Shimusha Rabbah takes the position of Rashi, while the Raavad takes the position of Rabbeinu Tam. As such, the order of the Shimusha Rabbah Tefillin would be the reverse of Rashi’s: while the Ra’avad’s is the reverse of Rabbeinu Tam’s:
It is noteworthy that the arm-Tefillin of the Shimusha Rabah is the same as that of Rashi whereas the arm-Tefillin of the Raavad is like that of Rabbeinu Tam. They only dispute the order of the head-Tefillin. This is because the arm-Tefillin are on one scroll and are read from right to left. Only regarding the head-tefillin is there a question as to whether the right side refers to the right side of the person wearing the tefillin or to the right of a person facing him.
While these opinions are not quoted in the Shulchan Aruch or most commentaries, the Arizal would put on these Tefillin according to his student Rabbi Chaim Vital as would the Chabad Rabbe’im and several prominent Chassidim. We now know of four different pairs.
Open or Closed Parshiyot
The next possible need for more sets of Tefillin centers around the spacing of the paragraphs in the arm Tefillin.
There are two types of paragraph spaces that separate the parshiyot (paragraphs) of the Torah. One is called petucha (open), and the other is called setumah (closed). The Rambam and the Rosh disagree as to how make the correct spacings of these parshiyot. When writing a Torah scroll, we fulfill both opinions and leave the spaces in such a manner that satisfies both the Rambam and the Rosh.
For the head-Tefillin, since each section is written on a separate section, it’s not so important to leave these spaces in between.
Regarding the arm-Tefillin, the sections of Kadesh has no space before it because it’s the first. The next sections, those of Veyhaya Ki Yevi’acha and Shema are supposed to be open parshiyot (petuchot). This can be fulfilled according to both opinions by leaving a space for nine letters at the end of the previous parsha and then starting the next one at the beginning of the top line of the next column.
The portion of Vehaya Im Shamo’ah, however, is supposed to be setuma (a closed paragraph). It is impossible to write it in such a way that would fulfill both opinions. (See the footnote as to how to write it according to each opinion.)
In practice there are three customs as to how to make this break in the hand-tefillin (see footnote).
If one would want to make separate Tefillin, both one that would follow the opinion of the Rambam as well as one that would that fulfill that of the Rosh, that would explain another two pairs of Tefillin – i.e., the head-Tefillin of Rashi and Rabeinu Tam according to the Rambam’s parshiyot and the head-Tefillin of Rashi and Rabbinu Tam according to the Rosh’s parshiyot. (There is no need for separate Shimusha Rabbah and Raavad Tefillin for this issue since those only involve the head-Tefillin, and this issue only involves the arm-Tefillin.) As such, we now have a total of six pairs of Tefillin.
What is Klaf?
The Talmud says that, when processing the skin of an animal and turning it into parchment, the skin can be divided into two and made into two parchments, one from the inner part of the skin and one from the outer part of the skin. One of these is called klaf and the other is called duchsustus. Tefillin must be written on klaf and must be written on its inner side (“the place of the meat”). There is an argument between the commentaries as to which of these parchments is called klaf and which is called duchsustus. The Ran writes that, according to the Rambam and Rashbah, the klaf is made of the inner part of the skin while Tosfot and most of the other Rishonim say that the klaf is made from the outer part of the skin.
In practice we follow the opinion of Tosfot so that the parchment used for Tefillin is made of the outer part of the skin while the inner part is scraped off. If one would want to follow the opinion of the Ran he would have to make additional Tefillin using parchment made from the inner part of the skin.
This would explain the (possible) necessity of 12 pairs of Tefillin. The six mentioned above (Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam according to both the Rambam and Rosh’s parshiyot plus Raavad and Shimusha Rabbah) times two – i.e., six made using the outer skin (Tosfot) and six using the inner part of the skin (Ran).
Handwriting of the Beit Yosef or of the Arizal
There are different opinions as to how to write certain letters in Tefillin. The traditional Asheknazi handwriting is known as the Ktav Beit Yosef while the handwriting used by Chassidim is known as the Ktav Arizal. Here are some of the letters that look different (from Beit HaSofer by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Shvimer). The letters on the right side are the Ktav Beit Yosef while those on the left side are the Ktav Arizal.
Alef Vav Chet tet ayin Tzadik shin
The Vilna Gaon was of the opinion that one should only use the handwriting of the Beit Yosef. Nevertheless, if one would want to put on Tefillin written with Ktav Beit Yosef as well as those written with the Ktav Arizal (as well as all of the other pairs mentioned above), he would have to put on 24 pairs of Tefillin. As follows:
- 1 – 6: Rashi according to Rambam and Rosh, Rabbeinu Tam according to Rambam and Rosh plus the head tefillin of Shimusha Rabbah and Ra’avad.
- The above 6 are doubled since one pair of each is written on the inner section of the skin (Ran) and one on the outer section (Tosfot).
- The above 12 are doubled as one pair of each is written with the Ktav Beit Yosef and one is written with the Ktav Arizal.
This would explain the possibility of needing 24 pairs of Tefillin.
Standing or Lying Flat
There is another argument between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam as to whether the parshiyot of the Tefillin should be standing (i.e., vertical) or lying flat (i.e., horizontal).
The halacha follows Rashi and we place all the parshiyot of the Tefillin standing straight. (The Ashkenazi custom is to place the mezuzot on a diagonal in order to follow both opinions.) Rabbeinu Tam’s opinion is considered to be an outlier and isn’t followed in practice.
Nevertheless, if one wanted to be particular and put on Tefillin with the scrolls lying down, he may want to put on 48 pairs of Tefillin. (The 24 mentioned above times two – for both standing parshiyot and for parshiyot that are lying flat.)
I am unable to figure out the need for 64 pairs (see above). So, this matter needs further examination.
May We Merit to fulfill all of the Mitzvot in the Most Exemplary Way!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom Umevorach!
Copyright 2026 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
