{"id":6259,"date":"2010-01-15T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2010-01-15T09:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=6259"},"modified":"2018-05-24T11:39:16","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T08:39:16","slug":"02-15-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/02-15-11\/","title":{"rendered":"11 – Tefillin and Tzitzit while Reciting Shema"},"content":{"rendered":"
We must pray and recite Shema<\/i> of Shacharit<\/i> with tefillin<\/i>, as it says in the Shema<\/i> paragraph, \u201cAnd you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.\u201d The Chachamim<\/i> say, \u201cA person who recites Shema<\/i> without wearing tefillin<\/i> is as if he gives false testimony of himself\u201d (Berachot<\/i> 14b). Nevertheless, even a person who does not have tefillin<\/i> is required to recite Shema<\/i>, since these two mitzvot<\/i> are not interdependent. If a person cannot fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin<\/i>, he should at least fulfill the mitzvah of Shema<\/i>, and he is not considered giving false testimony, since it is due to circumstances beyond his control (Mishnah Berurah<\/i> 46:33; see earlier in this book 12:9, footnote 10).<\/p>\n
It is customary to touch the tefillin<\/i> of the arm when saying, \u201cBind them as a sign on your hand,\u201d and the tefillin<\/i> of the head while saying, \u201cAnd they shall be as frontlets between your eyes,\u201d and then to kiss the hand that touched the tefillin<\/i> (Shulchan Aruch<\/i> 61:25; Chayei Adam<\/i> 14:15).<\/p>\n
It is also customary to wrap oneself in tzitzit<\/i> before Shacharit<\/i> since the third paragraph of Shema<\/i> discusses the mitzvah of tzitzit<\/i>. It is customary to hold the tzitziyot<\/i> with one\u2019s left hand adjacent to the heart during the time one says Shema<\/i> as a reminder of what is written, \u201cPut these words\u2026 on your heart\u201d (Shulchan Aruch<\/i> 24:2). Some take the two tzitziyot<\/i> in front and others gather all four tzitziyot<\/i>.[9]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n It is customary before the paragraph of Vayomer<\/i> to take the tzitziyot<\/i> with one\u2019s right hand (Mishnah Berurah<\/i> 24:4) or with both hands (Kaf HaChaim<\/i> 24:8) and while saying the word \u201ctzitzit<\/i>,\u201d kiss the tzitzit<\/i>, and while saying, \u201cu\u2019re\u2019item oto<\/i>\u201d, (\u201cand you shall see them\u201d), look at them. Some pass them over their eyes and kiss them. It is also customary to kiss the tzitzit<\/i> at the end of the paragraph while saying \u201cemet<\/i>.\u201d We continue to hold the tzitziyot<\/i> until the words, \u201cv\u2019nechemadim la\u2019ad<\/i>,\u201d in Birkat<\/i> Emet V\u2019Yatziv<\/i>, and then we kiss the tzitziyot<\/i> again and put them down (Mishnah Beru<\/i>rah<\/i> 24:4; Kaf HaChaim<\/i> 24:8, 18). There are additional customs concerning this; however, all these customs are enhancements of the mitzvah and do not prevent one from fulfilling one’s obligation if they are not performed.<\/p>\n