Bind them as a sign: Tefillin

And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: It is because of what the Eternal did for me when I came out out of Egypt. And it shall be a sign to you upon your hand, and a memorial between your eyes, that the Torah of the Eternal may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Eternal brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

And when your child asks you tomorrow, saying: What is this? You shall say to them: By strength of hand the Eternal brought us out from Egypt, from the house of slaves; and then, when Pharaoh refused to let us go that the Eternal killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the human first-born, and the animal first-born; therefore I offer to the Eternal all that opens the womb, the males; but all the first-born of my sons I will redeem. And it shall be a sign upon your hand, and for totafot between your eyes; for by strength of hand the Eternal brought us out of Egypt.’

HEAR, ISRAEL: THE ETERNAL OUR GOD, THE ETERNAL IS ONE. And you shall love the Eternal your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates.

(Exodus 13:9) "And it [the account of the exodus] shall be to you as a sign..." — one roll of parchment containing four sections [of the Torah]. It would be logical then: Since the Torah mentions tefillin for both the hand and for the head, then just as there are four compartments in the headpiece, so there should be four compartments in the armpiece. [Therefore] the Torah says: "and it shall be to you as a sign" — one parchment containing four sections.

I might think that just as in the armpiece there is one parchment, so, should there be [only one] in the headpiece. It would be logical then: Since the Torah prescribes tefillin for both the hand and for the head, then just as in the handpiece there is one parchment, so too should there be in the headpiece. [Therefore] the Torah says: four times (in respect to the headpiece) "le'totafot." But in that case perhaps one should make four headpieces of four sections each? [Therefore] the Torah says "and as a memorial between your eyes." One compartment for four sections.

"So that the Torah of the Eternal will be in your mouth": What is the intent of this?

From "And it shall be to you as a sign," I would assume that women, too, are included (in the mitzvah of tefillin). And this would be logical: Since both mezuzah and tefillin are positive commandments, then if we have learned that mezuzah pertains to women and men, the same is true of tefillin. [Therefore] the Torah says: [in respect to tefillin] "so that the Torah of the Eternal be in your mouth." [the mitzvah of tefillin pertains] only with one who is commanded to study Torah. From here they derived: All are commanded to put on tefillin except women and bondsmen. Michal the daughter of [King Saul] would wear tefillin. Jonah's wife would go up (to Jerusalem) for the festival. Tavi, Rabban Gamliel's bondsman would wear tefillin.

(1) 1. The four section from the Torah are: "Sanctify to me..."; "When you bring...", which are in the book of Shemot; and "Listen..." and "When you listen..." They are written separately, and we cover them with leather, and they are called tefillin. We place them on the head and tie it on the arm, even if one crown of one letter of the four section are not properly written, the Torah says that they are prevented from being fit, until they are written completely as they have been established...

(3) 3. Tefillin have ten details that are all halachah according to Moses from Sinai, and all of them prevents tefillin from being it, therefore if one changes one of them those are unfit tefillin. Two of these are with regards to their writing, and eight of them are regarding the covering and the tying of the straps. These are the two regarding their writing: They must be written in ink, and they must be written on parchment

How do we write the parchments for the headpiece? We write the four sections on four pieces of parchment, and roll each one separately, and place them in the four compartments which are joined together with one piece of leather. For the arm piece, we write the four sections from the Torah in four paragraphs on one piece of parchment, and roll it up like a sefer Torah form the end to the beginning and we place it in the compartment of the arm piece.

There are eight halachot with regards to the making of tefillin that are halachah from Moses at Sinai, and therefore each of them prevent tefillin from being fit, and if one changes but one of them, they are until, and they are:

1. They must be square, and they are sown shut in a square, and they casing must be square on all sides.

2. In the leather of the headpiece is the shape of a shin on the right and on the left.

3. The parchments must be tied with a piece of parchment.

4. The parchments must then be tied with hair above the scrap, and then placed into the compartments.

5. They must be tied shut with sinew.

6. They must be made with a passage from leather covering that straps can pass through easily.

7. The straps must be black.

8. They knot must be in the shape of a dalet.

The tefillin for the head does not prevent the arm piece, and the tefillin for the arm does not prevent the headpiece, because they are two commandments, each one on its own.

How does one say the blessing for the headpiece? One says: who makes us holy and commands us regarding refilling. And for the arm piece, one says: who makes us holy and commands us to place tefillin.

What is this referring to? When someone puts on one of them, but if one puts on both, one says one blessing, which is "to place tefillin." Then one ties on the arm piece and afterwards the headpiece, and when they take them off, they take off the headpiece and afterwards they take off the arm piece.

The holiness of tefillin is a high level of holiness. While the tefillin are on one's head and on one's arm, one is humble, and in awe of God, and does not participate in jokes or in idle conversation, and does not think inappropriate thoughts but rather turns their heart to matters of truth and righteousness...