In this week’s parsha we have two out of the four parshiyos which are in the tefillin, therefore, this week is the perfect week to discuss various halachos related to tefillin. This week we will discuss what is so special about the mitzvah of tefillin, if one should wear his tefillin all day, or perhaps just for Shacharis, if women are allowed to wear tefillin, why the fact that women have a different status of obligation to men isn’t considered female discrimination and lots more.
The King’s Insignia
The Zohar writes (Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 8b) that tefillin are the King’s insignia, and we are obligated to honor and safeguard it properly. The punishment for failing to do so is the same as the accepted punishment for one who fails to show proper honor to a king’s symbol.
The Smag (Aseh 3) expounds on the significance of the tefillin and the reason they are so beloved by Hashem: There are only three mitzvos that serve as the sign of a Jew – they signal our close relationship with Hashem as His children and servants. The three mitzvos are tefillin, bris milah, and Shabbos. A Jew must always have two signs – two witnesses – proclaiming his uniqueness, mission, and destiny. On weekdays the two signs are the bris milah and tefillin, and on Shabbos – the bris and Shabbos. This is the reason that tefillin are not donned on Shabbos.
Protection From Sin
The Gemara in Menachos (43b) writes that tefillin, tzitzis, and mezuzah are three mitzvos that protect one from sin. Of these three Shlomah Hamelech writes in Koheles: והחוט המשולש לא במהרה ינתק - “...And a three-stranded cord will not quickly tear” (4:12). One who is careful to fulfill these three mitzvos is granted special protection and added strength to overcome sin’s temptations. The Gemara also proves this from another pasuk: חונה מלאך השם סביב ליראיו ויחלצם - “An angel of the Lord is stationed around those who fear Him, and He saves them” (Tehilim 34:8) – one who is careful to fulfill these three mitzvos has a heavenly angel guarding over him and helping him to overcome his Evil Inclination’s temptations.
The Shimusha Rabbah (cited in the Rosh, Hilchos Tefillin) writes that one who is careful with the mitzvah of tefillin will be welcomed into the Next World, not be harmed by the fires of Gehenom, and all his sins will be forgiven.
Honor and Awe
In Parshas Ki Sova the pasuk writes: וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ד' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך - “All the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is upon you, and they will fear you” (28:10). The Gemara in Megillah (16a) learns from this pasuk that tefillin are Yisroel’s power, particularly the head-tefillin.
The Yerushalmi (Berachos 5:1) recounts various instances where people adorned in tefillin aroused fear in the hearts of gentiles:
Rabbi Yochanan was sitting and learning Torah at the entrance of the Babylonian shul in Tzippori, when the local ruler passed by. Rabbi Yochanan did not stop learning to greet the ruler. The ruler’s servants wanted to hit Rabbi Yochanan for his blatant show of disrespect for their master, but the ruler told them to leave him alone because he is preoccupied with his Master’s mannerisms [i.e. Hashem’s Torah].
Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi appeared before the governor of Caesarea. When he saw them, he rose in a public show of reverence. His servants expressed their wonder at his open display of honor to the two Jewish sages, and the governor explained, “Every time I go out to battle I see a vision of them and return victorious.”
Rabbi Abon went to meet the king. When his audience was over, he turned away and walked out just as one takes leave from a common man (while the accepted practice was to walk backwards in a show of respect). The king’s servants wanted to kill him for his impudence, but the king stopped them: “I see two bolts of lighting shining out of the nape of his neck where his tefillin are knotted.” And the servants let him leave unharmed.
The Yerushalmi writes that these are instances where the words of the pasuk:וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ד' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך - “Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you” came to fruition.
In addition, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai says that not only are people afraid of a Jew adorned in tefillin – even ghosts and sprits are frightened by him.
But None of the Above Actually Seems to Happen?
When the Gemara in Megillah explains the above phenomenon, the Gemara says that the pasuk ofוראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ד' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך, refers to tefillin which are worn in our heads. The question is, why does the Gemara refer to tefillin as being in our heads instead of the seemingly more accurate description of being on our heads?
The answer to the above, can be found in a famous story involving the Vilna Gaon:
The Vilna Gaon was once lodging at an inn when he heard loud cries and screams for help coming from the innkeeper’s room. Although the Gaon was in the middle of the Shacharis, he quickly ran to the aid of a fellow Jew. He threw open the innkeeper’s door and discovered a non-Jew mercilessly beating him. The attacker looked up at the door, and upon seeing the Gaon wearing his tallis and tefillin, was overcome with terror and promptly fainted.
After recovering from the shock of the incident, the innkeeper expressed his tremendous gratitude to the Vilna Gaon for coming to his rescue. He added that while he was certainly appreciative, he was also curious about the Gaon’s “secret weapon” which had inspired such fear in the heart of his attacker. The Gaon replied by citing the aforementioned Gemara and explained that the sight of him adorned in his tefillin had caused the non-Jew to faint. The innkeeper respectfully asked for clarification, as he himself had been wearing his tallis and tefillin prior to the attack, but they had clearly proven ineffective.
The Vilna Gaon pointed out that the Gemara uses a peculiar expression. It doesn’t understand the verse as referring to the tefillin which are on one’s head but rather to the tefillin which are in one’s head. He explained that merely placing the tefillin on one’s body is insufficient. A person must contemplate the message of the portions contained therein until they are internalized. While the innkeeper had not yet done so, the Gaon was clearly on such a level. When the attacker perceived his spiritual loftiness, he was overcome with terror to the point of fainting – exactly as promised by the Gemara.
This helps explain why not everyone experiences all of the wonderful segulos attached to wearing tefillin, the tefillin must be in one’s head, simply putting them on one’s head is not enough.
