Wearing Tefillin
Join Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman and learn the practical halachot relevant to wearing tefillin. Explore what the great sages say from the Talmud down through today’s leading poskim.
Wearing Tefillin: Lesson
Hello Everyone
We will have two classes on Tefillin. In today’s class we will discuss the significance of the mitzvah. It may come as a surprise to some of you to hear this, but during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries many Jews did not put on tefillin. This was not due to laziness or to fear of persecution. Rather there was a widespread belief that only saintly people were worthy of fulfilling this mitzvah.
So today we will see the discussions about the holiness of tefillin and what this mitzvah demands of us.
Finally we will also discuss the opinions regarding whether women may put on tefillin.
Wearing Tefillin: Lesson
Hello Everyone
One of the realities of the Halacha’s system is the reality of disagreements between Torah sages. When we study Gemarah for a long time we become ( or at least I became) sort of used to seeing these arguments. For some people these arguments are a simple of the Halacha’s vitality. The fact that disagreements are accepted means that those who participate in the study of Halacha respect and even expect creativity (within limits).
One of the most well known disagreements in the Halacha is the disagreement between Rabbeinu Tam and his grandfather Rashi. Rabbeinu Tam rued that the tefillin of his grandfather were assembled incorrectly and were invalid.
It is remarkable and even incomprehensible that Rabbeinu Tam would have ruled against his renowned grandfather.
Today we will discuss their disagreement as explained by Rav Dessler zt”l.
Rabbi Dr. Stuart Fischman graduated from Yeshiva University in 1980 and the dental school of Columbia University in 1985. In 1989 he began studying and teaching at Yeshivat Hamivtar and now studies and teaches at Yeshivat Machanaim in Efrat. He has rabbinic ordination from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.