Three things I did know about tefillin TB Menakhot 32-36

TB Menakhot 32b  Scoring

Although I knew that the Torah scroll and the mezuzah scroll needed to be scored, I didn’t know that the scrolls inside the tefillin didn’t needed to be scored.

“§ The baraita indicates that if it were permitted to reduce the sanctity of an item from a level of greater sanctity to a level of lesser sanctity, one could make a mezuza from phylacteries that became worn. The Gemara raises a difficulty: But a mezuza requires scoring, i.e., the parchment must have lines etched in it before writing, as Rav Minyumi bar Ḥilkiya says that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya says that Rav says: Any mezuza that is not scored is unfit, and Rav Minyumi bar Ḥilkiya himself says concerning this: The scoring of a mezuza is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. With regard to phylacteries, by contrast, he does not teach that their parchment requires scoring.

“The Gemara answers that this is a dispute between tanna’im, as it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yirmeya says in the name of our teacher, Rav: Phylacteries and mezuzot may be written when the scribe is not copying from a written text, and their parchment does not require scoring.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Gail Budiansky sent me the reason why tefillin doesn’t need scoring. “The reason is that the purpose of scoring is to straighten the writing, to preserve its beauty. Since tefillin are not designed to be read, as they are covered with hide and sewn up, this act is unnecessary. A mezuza, by contrast, can be open and read it at any time (Meiri citing Rambam). Others suggest that the reason is that the mezuza is examined and read carefully every seven years, whereas tefillin are checked only once every 50 years (Ran on Megilla 18b). Yet others say that the differences do to the fact that tefillin a written a very thin parchment, which might be torn scoring (Nimmukei Yosef) The Meiri says that in fact this is the effect, not because. Since tefillin do not require scoring, they are written on thin parchment.” (Notes, and Bavi Noe edition)    

TB Menakhot 34b Rash and Robben Tam’s tefillin

The shel rosh, the tefillin worn on the head, has for different compartments, corresponding to the four different times tefillin that are mentioned in the Torah. The four citations are “קַדֶּשׁ־לִ֨י-Sanctify Me” (Exodus 13:1-10); “-It shall come to pass when (God) brings you” (Exodus 13:11-16); “-Shema Yisrael” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9); and “-It will be that if you hearken” (Deuteronomy 11:13-21).

I knew that Rash’s shel rosh and his grandson’s Robben Tam’s shel rosh disagreed on the order of the four citations. The basis of this disagreement is found on TB Menakhot 34b.

“The Sages taught in a baraita: How does one arrange the four passages inside the phylacteries? The passage of: “Sanctify unto Me” (Exodus 13:1–10), and the passage of: “And it shall be when He shall bring you” (Exodus 13:11–16), are placed on the right; the passage of: “Listen, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4–9), and the passage of: “And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently” (Deuteronomy 11:13–21), are placed on the left.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Rashi understands this baraita to mean you place the parchments in the order they appear in the Torah starting on the right and moving chronologically until one reaches the far left compartment. Robben Tam understands this writer to mean you start with on the far right compartment with דֶּשׁ־לִ֨יקַ followed by והָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־יְבִֽאֲךָ֤ יְ-הוָֹה֙. Then you place in the farthest left compartment שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל moving right with וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ. That means that וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ and וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ are in the middle two compartments.

The vast majority of Jews only put on Rashi’s tefillin; however, there are some Jews who put on both Rashi’s and Robben Tam’s tefillin understanding of this mitzvah to fulfill both understanding of this mitzvah.  

TB Menakhot 36a One blessing or two?

“§ Rav Ḥisda says: If one spoke between donning the phylacteries of the arm and the phylacteries of the head, he must recite the blessing again when donning the phylacteries of the head.

“The Gemara notes: One can infer that if he spoke, yes, he must recite a blessing when donning the phylacteries of the head, but if he did not speak, he does not recite a blessing. The Gemara challenges this: But Rav Ḥiyya, son of Rav Huna, sent a ruling in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: On the phylacteries of the arm one says the blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us through His mitzvot and commanded us to don tefillin. On the phylacteries of the head one says the blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us through His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the mitzva of tefillin. This indicates that one always recites a blessing when donning the phylacteries of the head.

“Abaye and Rava both say, to resolve this apparent contradiction: Rabbi Yoḥanan meant that if one did not speak, he recites one blessing; if he spoke, he recites two blessings, when donning the phylacteries of the head as well as when donning the phylacteries of the arm.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Based on the ambiguity of Rav Ḥisda’s statement two different traditions arose. The Sefardim only recite one blessing for both the shel yad, the shel rosh tefillin placed on the arm, in the shel rosh. They only recite “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us through His mitzvot and commanded us to don tefillin.” If a person talks in between placing the shel yad and the shel rosh, he repeats this blessing.

The Ashkenazim recite two blessings. : On the tefillin of the arm one says the blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us through His mitzvot and commanded us to don tefillin. On the tefillin of the head one says the blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us through His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the mitzva of tefillin.   If he talks between the placing the shel yad and the shel rosh, he repeats the first blessing again and then continues with the second blessing.

Ashkenazi Jews have the custom of reciting the phrase “בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד: -Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever” which annuls an unnecessary blessing. Since there’s a doubt whether the second blessing is absolutely needed, they take no chances and recite the above phrase.