Positive Mitzvah Thirteen Binding Tefillin (on the hand)
Besides the tefillin on the head the Torah commands men to put tefillin on their arms. The square leather box is placed upon the arm, facing the heart. This shows that our feelings should be connected to Hashem, just as the tefillin are tied onto us.
This Mitzvah is repeated four times [in Scripture].
Rabbi Eliezer the Great says:
This verse refers to the Tefillin of the Head (Hul. 98a). The observance of this Mitzvah, according tot he Sages, thus constitutes a proclamation before "the people of the earth" that His Name is called upon Yisrael.
The two Mitzvot, of Tefillin on arm and forehead, are not obligatory upon women, for in explanation of their obligatory character Hashem has said,
Baruch Hu,
Three Mitzvot in the Torah are designed by the term
Tefillin are not worn on the Shabbat or on holy days, those days constitute such 'a sign' in themselves.
|