Halachah 1 — Writing and Arrangement of the Tefillin
The head‑tefillin contain the four parashiyot written on four separate parchments, each rolled individually and placed into four separate compartments, all covered by a single leather housing.
The arm‑tefillin contain the four parashiyot written on one parchment in four columns, rolled like a Torah scroll and placed into a single compartment.
Halachah 2 — Open and Closed Paragraphs (P’tuchah and S’tumah)
The correct paragraph formatting is essential.
If a passage that must be written open (p’tuchah) is written as closed (s’tumah), or vice versa, the tefillin are invalid.
- The first three parashiyot are p’tuchot.
- The fourth (V’hayah im shamo’a) is s’tumah.
Halachah 3 — Full and Defective Spellings (Malei and Chaser)
Great care must be taken that each word is written:
- either full (malei) or
- defective (chaser)
exactly as in a verified Torah scroll.
- Writing a full form where a short form is required may sometimes be corrected by erasing.
- Writing a short form where a full form is required cannot be corrected.
Halachah 4 — Spellings in the First Parashah
The Rambam lists the exact correct spellings of all words in the first parashah (Kadesh Li), specifying which require:
- vav,
- yud,
- or omission thereof.
Deviation from these spellings invalidates the tefillin.
Halachah 5 — Spellings in the Second Parashah
Likewise, the Rambam details the precise spellings of every potentially ambiguous word in V’hayah ki y’viacha, including:
- missing or present vavim,
- heh vs. yud endings,
- full vs. deficient forms.
Halachah 6 — Spellings and Enlarged Letters in Shema
In Shema:
- the ayin of Shema and
- the dalet of echad
must be enlarged.
All other spellings are carefully defined, including omissions and inclusions of yud and vav.
Halachah 7 — Spellings in V’hayah Im Shamo’a
The Rambam specifies all full and deficient spellings in the fourth parashah, including:
- words written with one vav instead of two,
- required omissions,
- and required full spellings.
Halachah 8 — Crowns (Tagin) on Letters
Certain letters require crowns (tagin), shaped like small zeiynin, similar to Torah scrolls.
These apply only to specific letters in these four passages.
Halachah 9 — Exact Count of Crowned Letters
There are sixteen letters across the four parashiyot that receive crowns, with specified numbers of zeiynin on each.
Failure to add, subtract, or modify crowns does not invalidate the tefillin.
Halachah 10 — Inspection of Purchased Tefillin
If tefillin are purchased from a non‑expert, they must be checked.
- From a batch of 100 pairs, three must be inspected.
- If found valid, the remainder may be assumed kosher.
If purchased in separate bundles, each bundle must be checked.
Halachah 11 — Presumption of Validity Over Time
Once tefillin:
- are written,
- or purchased from a verified expert,
- or properly inspected,
they never require re‑inspection, provided their compartments remain intact, even after many years.
We do not suspect fading or perforation.
Hillel the Elder testified that his tefillin were inherited from his grandfather
