The very last line of Parshas Bo tells us about the mitzva of Tefillen. “You shall bind them as an ‘os’ upon your arm and ‘totafos’ between your eyes, for with a mighty hand Hashem took us from Egypt.” An os is a sign, but what does the word ‘totafos’ mean?
Rashi quotes the Gemara that Tot means two in the Katpi language, and Fot means two in the Afriki tongue, a reference to the four sections of the Tefillen. Then he quotes another explanation that the word is a conjunction of words meaning “you shall speak about” which references that seeing the Tefillen between the eyes should remind one of the Exodus and cause him to speak of it and the miracles Hashem did for us.
Why would the Torah use such circuitous means of reminding us? Why not use a word that means “four” if it’s a reference to the four sections, or specifically direct us to speak about the miracles instead of saying that because we see the Tefillen we will recall the miracles and speak of them?
Presumably, when looking at the miracles Hashem did and does for us, one cannot proceed without thought and reflection. One must contemplate everything to see what is inside it, and not just take it at face value.
This extra step of involvement is necessary for the message of the Tefillen to penetrate into us, to not only remain the Tefillen UPON the head, but become the Tefillen that are IN the head.
