What are tefillin?
Tefillin (sometimes called phylacteries) are a pair of small black leather boxes containing handwritten Torah passages, worn by Jewish adults on the arm and the head during weekday morning prayer. They fulfill the Torah's command to bind God's words "as a sign on your hand and between your eyes" — found in the Shema. Wearing them is a daily act of dedicating one's mind, heart, and actions to God. The arm box points toward the heart; the head box rests above the forehead — body and mind aligned in service.
What's inside tefillin, and how are they worn?
- Each box holds parchment scrolls with passages from the Torah, including the Shema, written by a trained scribe.
- The arm tefillin (shel yad) is wrapped on the weaker arm, facing the heart; the head tefillin (shel rosh) is placed above the forehead.
- They're worn during weekday morning prayers (not on Shabbat or most festivals) by Jewish adults from bar mitzvah age.
What do tefillin mean?
Tefillin make an abstract idea physical: binding God's words to your hand (action) and head (thought) each morning is a tangible reminder to direct your whole self — what you do and what you think — toward your values. It's one of the most personal daily mitzvot, a quiet act of devotion to begin the day.
In short: tefillin are leather boxes with Torah passages worn on the arm and head during weekday morning prayer, fulfilling the command to bind God's words as a sign on hand and head.
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