Putting On and Removing Tefillin: Difference between revisions

===Earliest Time===

# The earliest time to put on [[Tefillin]] is the time of [[MeSheyakir]]. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 30:1 </ref>

# One who needs to travel before alot hashachar should wait until the proper time to don Tefillin.<ref> Mishnah Berurah 30:14. While the Shulchan Arukh allows donning Tefillin before alot hashachar and making the berakha at misheyakir for one who needs to travel, this would only seem to apply when one is travelling by foot. However, as we tend to travel by vehicle, there is still a concern that one may fall asleep when sitting while wearing Tefillin. The Arukh Ha-Shulchan (OC 30:5) agrees with this view.</ref>

==Tallit before Tefillin==

== Process of Putting Tefillin On==

# Right handed people wear the [[Tefillin]] on their left arm and left handed people place it on their right arm. Whether you are right handed or left handed is determined by which hand you write with. Someone who is completely ambidextrous should place it on the left arm. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 27:1, 27:6 based on gemara Menachot 37a. Halacha Brurah 27:21 writes that someone who writes with one hand and performs all other activities with another is considered praiseworthy if he places [[Tefillin]] on the other hand in addition, however without making a bracha on the second [[Tefillin]]. This is also the ruling of Rabbi Eli Mansour http://www.dailyhalacha.com/displayRead.asp?readID=1101 </ref> One who in the past performed all activities with his right hand but for whatever reason has lost use of it and now his left becomes stronger should place it on the right arm. <ref> Mishna Brurah 27:22 </ref>

# The Sephardic minhag is to place the [[Tefillin]] shel yad while seated and the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh while standing, <ref> Kaf HaChaim 25:33, Sh"t Yechave Daat 4:36, Chesed La'alafim 25:4. </ref> and remain standing while wrapping the [[Tefillin]] around the hand. <ref> Kaf Hachayim 25:68, Chesed La'alafim 25:11, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[tefillin]], seif 18 </ref> A Sephardi who prays in an Ashkenazic [[minyan]] should place his [[Tefillin]] according to Sephardic minhag. <ref> Sh"t Yechave Daat 4:36 </ref>

# According to some poskim one may kiss one's [[Tefillin]] shel rosh when one takes them out of one's bag even though one should try not to interrupt between the [[Tefillin]] shel yad and shel, rosh since kissing it is giving it honor, it is permitted. <ref>Sh"t Rivivot Ephraim 1:27:1 </ref>

# If one injured one's arm, one should wrap one's [[Tefillin]] on top of the rag that covers the wound. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, place of donning and how to don, seif 10 </ref> Nonetheless, one should try to avoid wrapping one's [[Tefillin]] over one's bandage. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, place of donning and how to don, seif 11 </ref> Furthermore, in a case where donning the [[Tefillin]] over a rag is necessary, one does not recite a bracha on the [[Tefillin]] shel yad, but one should recite a bracha on the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh and have the [[Tefillin]] shel yad in mind. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, place of donning and how to don, seif 12 </ref>

# If one mistakenly took the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh first, one must put it down and put on the [[Tefillin]] Shel Yad first. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 25:6, Kaf Hachayim 25:42 </ref>

# If one mistakenly put on the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh first, one should put on the [[Tefillin]] shel yad afterwards and need not take off the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh before putting the [[Tefillin]] shel yad on. However, if one put the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh on incorrectly, one should take it off, put on the [[Tefillin]] shel yad, and then re-don the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, one who only has one tefila, seif 2 </ref>

# It is strictly forbidden to talk between the placement of the arm and head [[Tefillin]]. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 25:9 based on Gemara Menachot 36a, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10:3. see also Gemara Sota 44b which informs us that for such a transgression an individual would return from the battlefield</ref> Furthermore, one should not answer [[Kaddish]] or [[Kedusha]] between putting on [[Tefillin]] shel yad and [[Tefillin]] shel rosh, yet one should pause to listen to [[Kaddish]] or [[Kedusha]].<ref>Shulchan Aruch 25:10, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[tefillin]], seif 14 </ref> If one mistakenly answered, one does not recite a bracha on the head [[Tefillin]]. <ref> Kaf Hachayim 25:63-64, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[tefillin]], seif 14 </ref> One should not answer "[[amen]]" to another's bracha between donning the [[Tefillin]] shel yad and [[Tefillin]] shel rosh. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[tefillin]], seif 15 </ref> Nevertheless, if one accidentally answered "[[amen]]" to another's bracha, one does not make a bracha on the [[Tefillin]] shel rosh. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[Tefillin]], seif 15 </ref>

# However, if one spoke by mistake about things unrelated to the [[Tefillin]], one must recite the bracha of al mitzvat [[Tefillin]] as the Ashkenazim do. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 25:9, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[tefillin]], seif 3 </ref> If one mistakenly spoke about things related to the [[Tefillin]] one need not recite another bracha. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 25:10 </ref>  

# It is prohibited to recite a bracha on stolen [[Tefillin]], including [[Tefillin]] that one bought from a thief. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[tefillin]], seif 30 </ref>

# If one removes one's [[Tefillin]] and puts on a different pair, one recites a bracha upon donning the other pair. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 10, laws of the donning of [[Tefillin]], seif 23 </ref>

==Where the Tefillin Are Placed==

# Next, the head [[Tefillin]] is placed on top of the head, "between the eyes" but not lower than the hairline (or if balding, where one's hairline once was). <ref> Ben Ish Chai Chayei Sarah Halacha 1 </ref>  The knot of the head [[Tefillin]] sits at the back of the head, upon the part of the occipital bone that protrudes just above the nape. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 27:10 </ref> The two straps of the head [[Tefillin]] are brought in front of the shoulders, with their blackened side facing outwards. <ref> Shulchan Aruch 27:11 </ref>

==Removing the Tefillin==

# According to Ashkenazim, one should remove one's [[Tefillin]] standing, however, the Sephardic minhag is to remove the [[Tefillin]] shel yad sitting.<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:20, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu (comments on Kitzur 10:26)</ref>

# One should remove one's [[Tefillin]] shel rosh before one's [[Tefillin]] shel yad.<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:20</ref>

# One should not remove one's [[Tallit]] until one removed one's [[Tefillin]].<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:20</ref>

==Sources==

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