Spirituality

How To Wrap Tefillin

1. After putting on the tallit, begin by
rolling up the sleeve of the weaker (non-
writing) arm above the bicep.

Tha t "II

Video offers history, meaning and instruction
on the mitzvah of wearing tefillin.

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2. Place the bayit (box) on the shel yad
(arm tefillin) on the top of the bicep so
that the box is facing toward the heart.

3. Take the strap and place it through
the slip knot. Before tightening the
strap. Recite blessing.

4. According to your tradition, wind the
strap clockwise (Ashkenazic) or counter-
clockwise (Sephardic) below the elbow.

5. Continue to wind the tefillin strap
seven times around the forearm and
wrap the remaining strap around the
palm of the hand.

Rabbi Deborah
Orenstein, Jewish
6. Hold the shel rosh (head tefillin) in
educator and editor,
your hands. Recite blessing.
offers a response to
nyone who has ever helped their teen learn to tie a tie
understands the frustration of the task. Now imagine
the situation of those
teaching someone to put on tefillin.
uncomfortable with
Michael Balkin
Michael Balkin of West Bloomfield had an idea
women in tefillin.
7. Place the shel rosh around the
head, making sure that the bayit
to make not only the wrapping of the tefillin simpler, but
"How normal of you," she says, that some-
rests on your hairline above and
to couple the lesson with a study on the religious practice's
thing essentially foreign to you for a couple
between your eyes.
background and significance. Tefillin are the pair of leather
of millennium seems odd."
boxes (phylacteries) containing parchment scrolls that are
Narrated by Rabbi David Wolpe, the
strapped to the weaker arm and to the head above the hair-
video features Rabbi Joel Rembaum of
line during morning weekday prayers.
Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, who calls
8. The knot on the back of the tefill-
Balkin's vision, says Ralph Zuckman, president of the
himself a "link in the chain of Rembaums
in strap should be resting on the soft
spot on the back of your head. Take
Congregation Shaarey Zedek Men's Club, sparked the creation
binding themselves to their Judaism."
the straps and drape them on either
"of an inspirational and instructional video on the mitzvah of
Demonstrating, step-by-step, the place-
side of the neck.
tefillin," titled "The Ties That Bind."
ment of each component of the tefillin,
"Going to minyan and seeing how many people don't know
Rabbi Rembaum includes discussion of the
how to use tefillin, I saw a need for the video," says Balkin, a
meaning and the blessings that accompany
former president of the Southfield synagogue's men's club.
each part of the process.
9. Unwind the strap from around
After presenting his concept to the synagogue, Balkin says he
At a total cost of $50,000, a large por-
the palm. Wind the strap around the
decided, "If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right." So,
don of the donations for the videotape
middle and first (index) fingers once.
he enlisted the men's club, got the backing of the synagogue and
came from local supporters, including
pitched the idea to Rabbi Charles Simon, executive director of
Balkin, the =Shaarey Zedek rabbis, Harold
the Federation of Jewish Men's . Clubs.
and Penny Blumenstein of Bloomfield
10. Wind the remainder of the strap
Rabbi Simon and Balkin set out to raise money throughout
Hills, the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum
two more times around the middle
the country and interview production teams. When they discov-
Parenting Center in West. Bloomfield and
finger. Recite blessing.
ered independent film producer Mark Rothman at Ness
U.S. Ambassador to Norway David
Herinelin and wife Doreen.
Productions, Inc. they had their director and scriptwriter as well.
The 24-minute video was produced in Los Angeles at Sinai
So far, 300 tapes have been sold to men's
Temple and the University of Judaism, with input from the
clubs throughout the United States.
11. Bring the remainder down to the
Balkin says the tape, dedicated to the
Institute of Conservative Judaism. Balkin attended much of the
wrist and wrap it three times around
the top of the hand to form the let-
five- to six-day video taping.
memory of his late father, Sam Balkin, is
ter shin.
The documentary-style video is actually a series of commen-
priced to be "sold as a service, to make
Reverse the steps to remove.
taries, interspersed with historical photos and segments demon-
sure everyone who wants to learn to put
strating the construction of the tefillin.
on tefillin, can."
Ranging from putting "a halt to the craziness" of the morn-
The dramatic ending of the video is the
ing to the symbol of winding it like a bandage reminiscent of
blending of scene after familiar scene, of
Instructions and bless ings
healing, lay persons and clergy in the video discuss family tradi-
leather wrapped on arm after arm, with voices reciting the
for
wrapping:- t011in.
tions, feelings and meanings behind the wearing of tefillin.
prayers,. in Hebrew and in English, loudly and in whispers.
Originally produced for men, the
Against the musical background, the
video was edited later to offer an
adults and youth are fulfilling a mitz-
For information on obtaining "The Ties That
egalitarian version as well, citing the
vah stated in the Torah, "And you shall
Bind" ($28), or a kit including the video, a set
Conservative movement's inclusion
bind them as a sign upon your hand
of tefillin and tefillin bag (5220), call Andrew
of women in fulfilling the com-
and they shall be as frontlets between
Beider, of West Bloomfield: (248) 851 - 0925.
mandment of wearing tefillin.
your eyes"(Deuteronomy 6:8). II

SHELLI DORFMAN
StaffWriter

10/29
1999

74 Detroit Jewish News