The Torah commands us to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt by wearing Tefillin (phylacteries) on the arm and head: "These words will be for a sign on your arm and a reminder between your eyes, so that God's Torah will be in your mouth; for God brought you out of Egypt with a strong arm." (Exodus 13:9)
What is the connection between Tefillin and the Exodus? How does wearing Tefillin ensure that the Torah will be "in our mouths"?
On the surface, the Exodus from Egypt was a one-time, historical event, forging a potent memory in the collective consciousness of the Jewish people and all of mankind. But if we listen to our inner soul, we will recognize that the Exodus is in fact a continuous, ongoing act. Those miracles and signs launched the continual revelation of the hand of God, publicly and visibly, on the stage of world history. The Exodus was an outburst of Divine light, vibrant and active, in all realms of the universe. Its inner resonance continues to make its impact throughout the ages.
In the prayer said before donning Tefillin, we reflect that we strap them on the arm to remember God's "outstretched arm" ("zero'a netuya"). What does this metaphor mean?
The word zero'a ('arm') is from the root zera ('seed'). The redemption of Israel in Egypt was a Divine seed, planted at that point in time. That wondrous event prepared the way for the spread of its message, unhindered and uninterrupted, stretching out across the generations. When we bind the Tefillin to our arms, we are reminded of God's "outstretched arm", constantly building and perfecting worlds, elevating all of their treasures of life to the pinnacle of divine happiness, in the revelation of God's holy strength.
Yet, there is a deeper connection between the mitzvah of Tefillin and the Exodus.
The purpose of the liberation from Egyptian bondage was to combat the profane nature of life, which threatened to drown mankind in the depths of its crassness and vulgarity. Since the unrefined aspect of life is so compelling, so overwhelming, God needed to reveal a "strong arm" to overcome man's base character, and allow the light of his holy nature to shine from within. The sacred action of fastening the Tefillin to the arm and head assists us in this vital work, transforming the coarse, secular forces of life into strength of noble living, beautiful in its holiness.
To triumph over mankind's crass, profane spirit - then at its peak in the corrupt culture of Egypt - required God's "strong arm". So, too, on the individual level, we require a strong effort so that God's Torah will be on our tongue. Tefillin are called a sign and a reminder, evoking the wondrous signs and powerful miracles of our release from Egyptian slavery. We must engrave the legacy of those miracles on our powers of action, emotion and thought. By binding these memories to our hand, heart and mind, we transform our coarse nature to a holy one. Then the Torah will naturally "be in your mouth", in the thoughts of our hearts.
Only with this powerful mitzvah, encompassing both arm and eye, deed and viewpoint, can we carry on the Divine process initiated in Egypt with a "strong arm".
[Based on Olat Ri'iah I pp. 26-7, 39]
What is the connection between Tefillin and the Exodus? How does wearing Tefillin ensure that the Torah will be "in our mouths"?
On the surface, the Exodus from Egypt was a one-time, historical event, forging a potent memory in the collective consciousness of the Jewish people and all of mankind. But if we listen to our inner soul, we will recognize that the Exodus is in fact a continuous, ongoing act. Those miracles and signs launched the continual revelation of the hand of God, publicly and visibly, on the stage of world history. The Exodus was an outburst of Divine light, vibrant and active, in all realms of the universe. Its inner resonance continues to make its impact throughout the ages.
In the prayer said before donning Tefillin, we reflect that we strap them on the arm to remember God's "outstretched arm" ("zero'a netuya"). What does this metaphor mean?
The word zero'a ('arm') is from the root zera ('seed'). The redemption of Israel in Egypt was a Divine seed, planted at that point in time. That wondrous event prepared the way for the spread of its message, unhindered and uninterrupted, stretching out across the generations. When we bind the Tefillin to our arms, we are reminded of God's "outstretched arm", constantly building and perfecting worlds, elevating all of their treasures of life to the pinnacle of divine happiness, in the revelation of God's holy strength.
Yet, there is a deeper connection between the mitzvah of Tefillin and the Exodus.
The purpose of the liberation from Egyptian bondage was to combat the profane nature of life, which threatened to drown mankind in the depths of its crassness and vulgarity. Since the unrefined aspect of life is so compelling, so overwhelming, God needed to reveal a "strong arm" to overcome man's base character, and allow the light of his holy nature to shine from within. The sacred action of fastening the Tefillin to the arm and head assists us in this vital work, transforming the coarse, secular forces of life into strength of noble living, beautiful in its holiness.
To triumph over mankind's crass, profane spirit - then at its peak in the corrupt culture of Egypt - required God's "strong arm". So, too, on the individual level, we require a strong effort so that God's Torah will be on our tongue. Tefillin are called a sign and a reminder, evoking the wondrous signs and powerful miracles of our release from Egyptian slavery. We must engrave the legacy of those miracles on our powers of action, emotion and thought. By binding these memories to our hand, heart and mind, we transform our coarse nature to a holy one. Then the Torah will naturally "be in your mouth", in the thoughts of our hearts.
Only with this powerful mitzvah, encompassing both arm and eye, deed and viewpoint, can we carry on the Divine process initiated in Egypt with a "strong arm".
[Based on Olat Ri'iah I pp. 26-7, 39]