The commandment of the tefillin of the head: To place tefillin on the head, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:8), “and they shall be as totafot between your eyes.” Behold, I wrote in the previous commandment what is the content of the tefillin, that it is four sections that are written in the Torah, in the Order of Bo el Pharaoh, in the Order of Va’etchanan and in the Order of Vehaya Ekev. And we were commanded to write these four sections on parchment and to place them on our heads between our eyes and on our upper arm across from the heart. And the matter of these four sections more than other sections of the Torah is because there is in these the acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, the unification of God, and the matter of the exodus from Egypt which forces belief in the creation of the world and the supervision of God over the lower beings — and these are the fundamentals of the Jewish religion. And therefore we were commanded to place these fundamentals between our eyes and upon the tablet of our hearts all day; as the wise men of science have said that these two limbs are the residence of the intellect. And when we place these things upon them as a memory device, we are strengthened about them, and we add to the cognizance of the ways of God, may He be blessed; and [so] we merit life in the world to come. And some of the laws of the tefillin are written above in that of the arm.
And behold I will inform you of the distinction between them in their leather and in their sewing: Know that we make the leather, in which we store [the parchments of] the tefillin of the arm, one chamber; and we place there the four sections that we mentioned, written upon one parchment. But the leather of that of the head we divide into four chambers; and in each one, we put one section from these four sections. And while it is still moist, we make from the leather the resemblance of a [letter] shin with three heads on the right [side] of the one that is laying the tefillin; and the resemblance of a [letter] shin with four heads on the left [side] of the one that is laying [the tefillin]. And we insert straps for the head into the extra leather at the end of the chamber, and that is what the Sages called, maaboret, meaning to say that we pass (maavirin) the straps through it. And afterwards we encircle the measurement of the head of the one that lays [them] with the straps, and we make in that place [at the bottom of the back of the head] one knot in the shape of a [letter,] dalet. And it is impossible to describe this in writing, but everyone teaches his students and it is well-known among us, the holy people. And this is the knot of the tefillin that they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 9a) that every Torah scholar needs to know. And they enumerated it with other things that they said about them that it is fitting to know [how to do] them no matter what. And they are the writing [of the letters], slaughter, circumcision, the blessing of bridegrooms and tsitsit. And the length of the strap of the head should be enough to encircle the head with it and tie the knot behind him, and there should be enough of it to stretch the two ends of the strap until [they are] across from his navel — or at the very least, that one end is until it is across from his heart and one is until it is across from his navel. And the place of the placement of the tefillin of the head — meaning to say the box of leather that the sections [of the Torah] are placed in — is across from the brain, the place where the brain of a baby is frail (Menachot 37a). And this is the explanation that has been received by us about “and they shall be as totafot between your eyes” — that this is what is called “between the eyes.” And behold, the one who places it actually between his eyes contradicts the words of the received tradition. And the rest of the details of the commandment and all of its content is like its fellow that preceded [it].
מִצְוַת תְּפִלִּין שֶׁל רֹאשׁ – לְהָנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין עַל הָרֹאשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו ח) וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ. הִנֵּה כָּתַבְתִּי בַּמִּצְוָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת מַהוּ עִנְיַן הַתְּפִלִּין שֶׁהוּא אַרְבַּע פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הַכְּתוּבוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה בְּסֵדֶר "בֹּא אֶל פַּרְעֹה", וּבְסֵדֶר "וָאֶתְחַנַּן", וּבְסֵדֶר "וְהָיָה עֵקֶב", וְנִצְטַוִּינוּ לִכְתֹּב אַרְבַּע פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת אֵלּוּ בִּקְלָף וּלְהַנִּיחָן עַל רֹאשֵׁנוּ בֵּין עֵינֵינוּ, וְעַל זְרוֹעֵנוּ כְּנֶגֶד הַלֵּב. וְהָעִנְיָן בְּאַרְבַּע פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת אֵלּוּ יוֹתֵר מִבִּשְׁאָר פָּרָשִׁיּוֹתֶיהָ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה, לְפִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּאֵלּוּ קַבָּלַת עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם, וְאַחְדוּת הַשֵּׁם, וְעִנְיַן יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם שֶׁהוּא מַכְרִיחַ אֱמוּנַת חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם וְהַשְׁגָּחַת הָאֵל בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן יְסוֹדוֹת דַּת יְהוּדִית, וְלָכֵן נִצְטַוִּינוּ לְהַנִּיחַ יְסוֹדוֹת אֵלּוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם בֵּין עֵינֵינוּ וְעַל לוּחַ לִבֵּנוּ, כִּי שְׁנֵי אֵלֶּה הָאֵבָרִים, אָמְרוּ חַכְמֵי הַטֶּבַע שֶׁהֵן מִשְׁכַּן הַשֵּׂכֶל, וּבְהַנִּיחֵנוּ עֲלֵיהֶם דְּבָרִים אֵלֶּה לְזִכָּרוֹן נִתְחַזֵּק בָּהֶם וְנוֹסִיף זֵכֶר בְּדַרְכֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ וְנִזְכֶּה לְחַיֵּי עַד. וּקְצָת דִּינֵי הַתְּפִלִּין כְּתוּבִים לְמַעְלָה בְּשֶׁל יָד.
The commandment of the tefillin of the head: To place tefillin on the head, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:8), “and they shall be as totafot between your eyes.” Behold, I wrote in the previous commandment what is the content of the tefillin, that it is four sections that are written in the Torah, in the Order of Bo el Pharaoh, in the Order of Va’etchanan and in the Order of Vehaya Ekev. And we were commanded to write these four sections on parchment and to place them on our heads between our eyes and on our upper arm across from the heart. And the matter of these four sections more than other sections of the Torah is because there is in these the acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, the unification of God, and the matter of the exodus from Egypt which forces belief in the creation of the world and the supervision of God over the lower beings — and these are the fundamentals of the Jewish religion. And therefore we were commanded to place these fundamentals between our eyes and upon the tablet of our hearts all day; as the wise men of science have said that these two limbs are the residence of the intellect. And when we place these things upon them as a memory device, we are strengthened about them, and we add to the cognizance of the ways of God, may He be blessed; and [so] we merit life in the world to come. And some of the laws of the tefillin are written above in that of the arm.
וְהִנְנִי אוֹדִיעֲךָ הַחִלּוּק שֶׁבֵּינֵיהֶן בְּעוֹרָן וּבִתְפִירָתָן. דַּע, שֶׁהָעוֹר שֶׁגּוֹנְזִין בְּתוֹכוֹ תְּפִלִּין שֶׁל יָד עוֹשִׂין אוֹתוֹ בַּיִת אֶחָד וּמַנִּיחִין שָׁם אַרְבַּע פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁזָּכַרְנוּ כְּתוּבוֹת בִּקְלָף אֶחָד, וְהָעוֹר שֶׁל רֹאשׁ עוֹשִׂין אוֹתוֹ חָלוּק לְאַרְבָּעָה בָּתִּים, וּבְכָל אֶחָד מַנִּיחִין פָּרָשָׁה אַחַת מֵאַרְבַּע פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת אֵלּוּ. וְעוֹשִׂין מִן הָעוֹר בְּעוֹדֶנּוּ רָטֹב דְּמוּת שִׁי"ן עִם שְׁלשָׁה רָאשִׁין מִימִין הַמֵּנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין, וּדְמוּת שִׁי"ן עִם אַרְבַּע רָאשִׁין מִשְּׂמֹאל הַמֵּנִיחַ, וּמַכְנִיסִין רְצוּעַת הָרֹאשׁ בְּתוֹךְ אוֹתוֹ הָעוֹר הָעוֹדֵף בְּסוֹף הַבַּיִת, וְהוּא שֶׁקּוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ חֲכָמִים מַעְבֹּרֶת, כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁמַּעֲבִירִין בָּהּ הָרְצוּעָה, וְאַחַר כָּךְ מַקִּיפִין מִן הָרְצוּעָה כְּשִׁעוּר הָרֹאשׁ שֶׁל מֵנִיחַ, וְעוֹשִׂין בְּאוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם קֶשֶׁר אֶחָד הֶעָשׂוּי בְּצוּרַת דָּלֶ"ת, וְזֹאת הַצּוּרָה אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְצַיְּרָהּ בְּמִכְתָּב, אֲבָל כָּל אֶחָד מְלַמְּדָהּ לְתַלְמִידָיו, וִידוּעָה הִיא בֵּינֵינוּ עַם הַקָּדוֹשׁ, וְזֶהוּ קֶשֶׁר תְּפִלִּין שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (חולין ט, א), שֶׁכָּל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם צָרִיךְ לֵדַע אוֹתוֹ, וּמָנוּ אוֹתוֹ עִם שְׁאָר דְּבָרִים גַּם כֵּן שֶׁאָמְרוּ עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁרָאוּי לֵדַע אוֹתָן עַל כָּל פָּנִים, וְהֵן כְּתָב, וּשְׁחִיטָה, וּמִילָה, וּבִרְכַּת חֲתָנִים, וְצִיצִית. וְאֹרֶךְ רְצוּעַת הָרֹאשׁ כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּקִּיף בָּהּ הָרֹאשׁ וְיִקְשֹׁר בָּהּ הַקֶּשֶׁר מֵאֲחוֹרָיו, וְיִהְיֶה בָּהּ כְּדֵי לְהִמָּתַח שְׁנֵי רָאשֵׁי הָרְצוּעָה עַד כְּנֶגֶד טַבּוּרוֹ, אוֹ לְכָל הַפָּחוֹת, רֹאשָׁהּ הָאֶחָד עַד כְּנֶגֶד הַלֵּב, וְהָאַחֵר עַד כְּנֶגֶד הַטַּבּוּר. וּמְקוֹם הֲנָחַת תְּפִלִּין בָּרֹאשׁ, כְּלוֹמַר, קְצִיצַת הָעוֹר שֶׁהַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת מֻנָּחוֹת בְּתוֹכָהּ הוּא כְּנֶגֶד הַמֹּחַ, מָקוֹם שֶׁמֹּחוֹ שֶׁל תִּינוֹק רוֹפֵס (מנחות לז א), וְזֶהוּ הַפֵּרוּשׁ הַמֻּקְבָּל לָנוּ, בִּוְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ, שֶׁזֶּהוּ הַנִּקְרָא בֵּין הָעֵינַיִם, וְהַמְנִיחָן בֵּין הָעֵינַיִם מַמָּשׁ הֲרֵי זֶה מַכְחִישׁ דִּבְרֵי קַבָּלָה. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֵי הַמִּצְוָה וְכָל עִנְיָנָהּ כְּמוֹ בַּחֲבֶרְתָּהּ הַקּוֹדֶמֶת.
And behold I will inform you of the distinction between them in their leather and in their sewing: Know that we make the leather, in which we store [the parchments of] the tefillin of the arm, one chamber; and we place there the four sections that we mentioned, written upon one parchment. But the leather of that of the head we divide into four chambers; and in each one, we put one section from these four sections. And while it is still moist, we make from the leather the resemblance of a [letter] shin with three heads on the right [side] of the one that is laying the tefillin; and the resemblance of a [letter] shin with four heads on the left [side] of the one that is laying [the tefillin]. And we insert straps for the head into the extra leather at the end of the chamber, and that is what the Sages called, maaboret, meaning to say that we pass (maavirin) the straps through it. And afterwards we encircle the measurement of the head of the one that lays [them] with the straps, and we make in that place [at the bottom of the back of the head] one knot in the shape of a [letter,] dalet. And it is impossible to describe this in writing, but everyone teaches his students and it is well-known among us, the holy people. And this is the knot of the tefillin that they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 9a) that every Torah scholar needs to know. And they enumerated it with other things that they said about them that it is fitting to know [how to do] them no matter what. And they are the writing [of the letters], slaughter, circumcision, the blessing of bridegrooms and tsitsit. And the length of the strap of the head should be enough to encircle the head with it and tie the knot behind him, and there should be enough of it to stretch the two ends of the strap until [they are] across from his navel — or at the very least, that one end is until it is across from his heart and one is until it is across from his navel. And the place of the placement of the tefillin of the head — meaning to say the box of leather that the sections [of the Torah] are placed in — is across from the brain, the place where the brain of a baby is frail (Menachot 37a). And this is the explanation that has been received by us about “and they shall be as totafot between your eyes” — that this is what is called “between the eyes.” And behold, the one who places it actually between his eyes contradicts the words of the received tradition. And the rest of the details of the commandment and all of its content is like its fellow that preceded [it].