tefillin
A man carefully places tefillin on his forehead and arm during morning prayers.
Noun: 1. A pair of small black leather boxes containing scriptural passages: In Judaism, tefillin are two cube-shaped cases made of leather, each containing four handwritten parchment passages from the Torah (Exodus 13:1-10, 13:11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21). They are worn as a sign of faith and a reminder of God's commandments. 2. Ritual objects worn during weekday morning prayers: Tefillin are traditionally worn by observant Jewish men (and in some communities, women) on the head and the left arm (or right arm for left-handed individuals) during Shacharit, the morning prayer service, except on the Sabbath and major Jewish festivals.
- Tefillin are donned as a physical fulfillment of the biblical commandment to bind God's words "as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8).
- The act of putting on tefillin is a focused, meditative ritual that precedes prayer.
- Noun:
- Every morning, he carefully wraps the tefillin on his arm and head.
- The scribe inspected the parchment inside the tefillin to ensure it was kosher.
- The tradition of wearing tefillin dates back thousands of years.
- "Laying tefillin": The common phrase for the act of putting on tefillin.
- He began his day by laying tefillin.
- "Shel yad" and "Shel rosh": Terms distinguishing the two components. The (for the hand/arm) is placed on the bicep, and the (for the head) is placed above the forehead.
- He adjusted the tefillin shel rosh so it sat properly.
- Phylacteries: The English term often used in historical or non-Jewish contexts to refer to tefillin, derived from the Greek , meaning "safeguard" or "amulet."
- Batim (singular: Bayit): The Hebrew term for the leather boxes or "houses" of the tefillin.
- Retzuot: The Hebrew term for the black leather straps used to bind the tefillin to the arm and head.
- Parshiyot: The Hebrew term for the four scriptural passages contained within the tefillin.
- Phylacteries (as noted above, this is the direct English synonym, though "tefillin" is the preferred term within Jewish contexts).
The word "tefillin" is a plural noun in Hebrew (singular: tefillah). In English, it is typically treated as a plural noun ("the tefillin are") but can also be used in a singular sense to refer to the set as a whole. Its primary meaning is inextricably linked to its religious, ritual function in Judaism.
A man carefully places tefillin on his forehead and arm during morning prayers.
- (Judaism) either of two small leather cases containing texts from the Hebrew Scriptures (known collectively as tefillin); traditionally worn (on the forehead and the left arm) by Jewish men during morning prayer