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What is the writing on the scrolls inside Tefillin?

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

  

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They are four passages from the Five Books of Moses, written with feather and ink on parchment by a qualified scribe. The Torah talks about Tefillin four times and each of these passages is placed in the Tefillin.

The four passages are as follows (known by their first words):

1. Kadesh—Exodus 13:1-10.

2. V’hayah ki Y’viacha—Exodus 13:11-16.

3. ShemaDeuteronomy 6:4-9.

4. V’haya im Shamoa—Deuteronomy 11:13-21.

Here’s the whole thing:

Passage 1: Exodus Chapter 13:1-10

1.The L-rd spoke further to Moses, saying, 2Consecrate to Me every first-born; man and beast, the first issue of every womb among the Israelites is Mine. 3And Moses said to the people, Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how the L-rd freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten. 4You go free on this day, in the month ( Or on the new moon.) of Abib. 5So, when the L-rd has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall observe in this month the following practice: 6Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival of the L-rd. 7Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory. 8And you shall explain to your son on that day, It is because of what the L-rd did for me when I went free from Egypt. 9And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes in order that the Teaching of the L-rd may be in your mouth that with a mighty hand the L-rd freed you from Egypt. 10You shall keep this institution at its set time from year to year.

~~~

Passage 2: Exodus Chapter 13:11-16

11And when the L-rd has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and has given it to you, 12you shall set apart for the L-rd every first issue of the womb: every male firstling that your cattle drop shall be the L-rds. 13But every firstling ass you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every first-born male among your children. 14And when, in time to come, your son asks you, saying, What does this mean? you shall say to him, It was with a mighty hand that the L-rd brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage. 15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the L-rd slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, the first-born of both man and beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the L-rd every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every first-born among my sons. 16And so it shall be as a sign upon your hand and as a symbol (Others: frontlet.) between your eyes with a mighty hand the L-rd freed us from Egypt.


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RELATED CATEGORIES

Life Cycle » Bar/Bat Mitzvah » Tefillin

Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.
Tefillin
Black leather boxes containing small scrolls with passages of the Bible written on them. Every day, aside for Sabbath and Jewish holidays, the adult Jewish male is required to wrap the Tefillin--by means of black leather straps--around the weaker arm and atop the forehead.
Moses
[Hebrew pronunciation: Moshe] Greatest prophet to ever live. Led the Jews out of Egyptian bondage amidst awesome miracles; brought down the Tablets from Mount Sinai; and transmitted to us word-for-word the Torah he heard from G-d's mouth. Died in the year 1272 BCE.
Exodus
1. The miraculous departure of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage in 1312 BCE. 2. The second of the Five Books of Moses. This book describes the aforementioned Exodus, the giving of the Torah, and the erection of the Tabernacle.
Deuteronomy
The fifth of the Five Books of Moses. This book is a record of the monologue which Moses spoke to the Israelites in the five weeks prior to his passing.
Shema
The most fundamental Jewish prayer, recited twice daily. This prayer, of Biblical origin, professes the belief in G-d's absolute unity.
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.