Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email

Is it necessary to use a kosher animal for all parts of tefillin?

Chazal extrapolate from a pasuk that the hides used for writing the parshios and the leather used for the tefillin shel rosh can only come from a kosher animal. There is a halacha l’Moshe m’Sinai which applies this halacha to the tefillin shel yad, retzuos and sinews used to sew the batim. If one is unsure of the source of the leather, he must be stringent since these halachos have the severity of a Torah law.

[סעיף לז, ס"ק קסו וביה"ל ד"ה טהורים; וראה ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 203]

Which hides are preferable for tefillin?

Leather from all kosher animals is acceptable, even if the animal did not have an acceptable shechitah and even if it is a treifah. Skin from a kosher bird may be used as well. Fish skin should not be used, because it has an unappealing smell. Previously processed klaf can be used to make the batim. Leather from a large animal is ideal, since thin leather will eventually develop a hole and become pasul.

[סעיף לז, ס"ק קסז וביה"ל ד"ה מעור; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו,]

Does the leather for the batim have to be processed?

According to many Rishonim, the leather used for the batim and retzuos must be processed lishmah (to be used for tefillin). Leather which was made to be used for retzuos (a lower kedusha) cannot be used for batim (a higher kedusha). Some Rishonim say that the leather for retzuos and batim does not have to be processed at all. They hold that unprocessed leather is actually preferable for tefillin. If such tefillin are the only ones available, they should be worn. The poskim disagree about whether a brocha should be said when putting on tefillin from unprocessed leather.

[סעיף לז, ס"ק קע-קעא, וביה"ל ד"ה מעובד וד"ה היכא]

According to the opinion of the Rosh, a parsha stumah begins after a closed break space. A closed break means that on the same line there is the end of a previous parsha, a space the equivalent of nine letters, and the beginning of a new parsha. The custom when writing a Sefer Torah follows this view, since even the Rambam can agree that writing this way is a parsha stumah.

Shulchon Aruch rules that the parsha of V’hayo Im Shamoa in tefillin should be written as a stumah, like the way it is written in the Torah. It is impossible to write it as a stumah according to the opinion of the Rosh, however, since in tefillin it is at the beginning of a column. The sofer should begin in the middle of the line instead, allowing it to fall into the category of a parsha stumah according to the Rambam.

According to some Achronim, the Rosh would agree that a parsha stumah can also be formed by completing a line, leaving a full line blank and starting at the beginning of a new line. The blank line is thus sandwiched between two full lines, creating a closed break. The stumah in tefillin can also be written this way, in accordance with the Rosh’s opinion.

Which part of the tefillin must be square?

Does the bayis have to be a perfect square?

Can two pieces of leather that are glued together be used for batim?

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.