The Tefillin

There is a connection between the Mitzva of putting on Tefillin, and the exodus from Egypt. The Tefillin contain four chapters from the Torah.

The first two chapters are the same two chapters as those found in the Shema. They are an acknowledgement of the Oneness of G-d and the consequences if one does not observe G-d’s commandments.

The third and fourth chapters that speak of being brought to the land, and the sanctification of the first born of Jewish males and their first born animals, end with the command to place them as “a sign upon their hands, and frontless between your eyes.”

The Tefillin was meant to remind us that the Torah shall be in our mouths. It was also to serve as a reminder that Hashem took us out of Egypt with a “strong hand.”

We see that when one wraps himself with the Tefillin, he is creating a special bond with Hashem. He ties the straps so that G-d’s holy name is bound on his body.

When one does this particular Mitzva, he feels elevated. He is affirming his belief in Hashem and recognizes His greatness when He took us out of Egypt.

The Tefillin might be the most prized possession of an observant Jew. He senses the need for this method of attaching himself to the G-d that is One and took us out of Egypt, every day of the week other than Shabbat.