How to Make a Tefillin

Tefillin are some of the most sacred and sanctified garments of the Jewish religion. Creating a tefillin is no easy task, requiring many years of training and learning of laws and requirements to complete a true tefillin. Understanding the method and components of a tefillin through the following steps will help you to create your own tefillin.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 5 pieces of parchment paper
• Calligraphy pen
• Torah
• Specially made arm tefillin leather boxes painted black with cubed top and flat, wide bottom with a Hebrew shin raised on each side and four interior compartments
• Specially made head tefillin leather boxes painted black with cubed top and flat, wide bottom with one internal compartment
• Leather straps
• Black paint

1. Lay out the leather straps which will be used to bind the tefillin boxes to the head and arms. Paint them black with the black paint and let dry.

2. Locate Exodus 13:1-10, Kadesh, in the Torah. On one of the pieces of parchment paper, inscribe this section with the calligraphy pen. On another piece of parchment paper, the one that will contain all four Torah selections, inscribe there as well.

3. Locate Exodus 13:11-16, VeHayah Ki Yeviacha, in the Torah. On one of the pieces of parchment paper, inscribe this section with the calligraphy pen. On another piece of parchment paper, the one that will contain all four Torah selections, inscribe there as well.

4. Locate Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Shema, in the Torah. On one of the pieces of parchment paper inscribe this section with the calligraphy pen. On another piece of parchment paper, the one that will contain all four Torah selections, inscribe there as well.

5. Locate Deuteronomy 11:13-21, Vehayan Im Shamoa, in the Torah. On one of the pieces of parchment paper inscribe this section with the calligraphy pen. On another piece of parchment paper, the one that will contain all four Torah selections, inscribe there as well.

6. Insert the piece of parchment paper with the four Torah selections into the tefillin's arm leather box with only one compartment.

7. Insert the four separate parchment pieces into each individual section of the head tefillin leather box.

8. Thread one leather strap through the bottom of the tefillin leather box for the head. Knot it in the shape of the Hebrew letter dalet, with a loop large enough to fit around the head.

9. Thread one leather strap through the bottom of the tefillin leather box for the arm. Make an adjustable loop for the arm, knot it with the Hebrew letter yod.