Is there a length of time that a person must wear his tefillin each day? 

The Torah does not specify how long a person needs to wear his tefillin. Some poskim say that one must wear them all day. Others say that one must wear them for a minimal amount of time every day to be yotzei but wearing them throughout the day is praiseworthy. It has become accepted practice not to wear tefillin throughout the day, since it is difficult to maintain the standards required when wearing tefillin throughout the entire day.

סעיף ב וביה"ל ד"ה מצות


What should be done if a person discovers that his tefillin have always been pasul?



According to some, one who used a pair of tefillin for an extended period and then learned that they were never kosher is like a Kohein who served in the Beis Hamikdosh and then found out that he was disqualified to serve. In that case, the halacha is that all the service which he performed in the past is valid. Similarly, one who unintentionally wore posul tefillin is viewed as having been yotzei tefillin all his life, and all the brochos he recited were not in vain. Others disagree with the analogy and maintain that he was never yotzei the mitzvah. If he was accustomed to saying Boruch Shem after reciting the brocha of al mitzvas tefillin, it rectified all the times that he said the first brocha in vain. The poskim say that as form of teshuva, a person in this situation should accept upon himself to wear his kosher tefillin for a longer period of time daily.

ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 4



Is it ever permissible to say Kriyas Shema without tefillin?


A person should not say Kriyas Shema without tefillin. The Gemara says that a person who does so is like one who testifies falsely about himself. When one recites the pasuk containing the commandment to wear tefillin, it is as if he is claiming to be doing the mitzvah when in fact he is not. Nonetheless, if one is concerned that he will not recite Kriyas Shema in time if he puts on his tefillin, he should say Kriyas Shema without tefillin. Likewise, if one is careful to recite Kriyas Shema before sunrise and he is concerned that he will miss that time, he may recite Shema without tefillin.

סעיף ב וס"ק ו; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 6
  • The letter kuf is formed from a chof that is slightly thinned out on its right side. The leg of the kuf looks like an “ende” nun, with a slightly thinner head. Its bottom is also slightly shorter and is tapered to a point.

  • The three branches of the letter shin join at one point towards the bottom. This makes the shin similar to the letters kuf and reish, which also stand on one point. These three letters form the word sheker (falsehood). The Gemara explains that just as these letters do not have “feet”, a lie cannot stand on its own.

  • Each letter of Sta”m must be mukof gvil (surrounded by parchment). Therefore, there must be margins between the lines and the edges of the parchment.


  • When should a child begin laying tefillin?






  • May women wear tefillin?






  • Who should put on tefillin immediately before Kriyas Shema?
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.
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