Q regarding Tefillin

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  • #1730691
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I know that this is probably a stupid question and only someone as stupid as me could possibly think to ask something this stupid, but here goes (because Ain HaBayashin Lomed and all that)…

    Why do we refer to tefillin in the plural in Aramaic as opposed to in Hebrew (i.e. tefillos)?

    The Wolf

    #1730804
    ☕️coffee addict
    Participant

    Tefillin is an Aramaic word the Hebrew word would be totafos

    #1730813

    Tefillin “phylacteries”, are composed of two teffilos, the teffilo “phylactery” shel yad and the teffilo shel rosh, together, they are a pair of teffillin.

    The Dictionary of Jewish usage: a guide to the use of Jewish terms says: “Although “tefillin” is technically the plural form (the singular being “tefillah”), it is loosely used as a singular as well.”

    The Merriam-Webster Dictionary also writes: Tefillin is plural in form but sometimes singular in construction.

    As a concept, either singularly or plural, it is called tefillin.

    #1730850
    thinker123
    Participant

    תפילה- לשון יחיד
    תפילין – לשון רבים
    Not תפילות

    #1730849
    klugeryid
    Participant

    Wow!! Like manna from heaven
    I have long contended, publicly here many times, that rgp is nothing more than a לץ with a search engine.
    Now look what s/he did here.
    Was a simple straight forward question.
    Yet the convoluted answer was clearly lifted straight out of a dictionary, DOES NOT EVEN REMOTELY ADDRESS THE QUESTION!!!!
    If anything it makes it stronger as it clearly states ”Tefillin “phylacteries”, are composed of two teffilos,”’
    I don’t know the author of that but that is exactly what the op asked about
    Since it’s tefillah + tefillah = tefillos
    Let’s call it that

    But our resident genius saw
    Etymological question? OK search word origin.
    Didn’t even realize it’s not addressing the question.

    What a laugh

    #1730914

    coffee addict – ” Tefillin is an Aramaic word the Hebrew word would be totafos”

    1. The word “totafos” in the Torah is also not a Hebrew word (see Rashi – ‎טט in Coptic meaning two, and פת in Afriki (Phrygian) meaning two (Men. 34b)). I will shortly return to this point!
    2. “Totafos” refers only to the tefilah shel Rosh, not the shel yad. I will shortly return to this point too.

    We refer to “tefillin” by that name because that was the name it was called in the Mishna (e.g. Eruvin 10:1, Megillah 4:8, Mo`ed Katan 3:4. N’darim 2:2, M’nachot 3:7 and 4:1, Yadayim 3:3) and in Targum (Yonoson and Unkelus), which referred to it by the name Teffillin because that was the name Yidden always called it before the time of Mishna.

    Getting back to point #1 above, Rashi brings a SECOND explanation to the word טוֹטָפֹת from his teacher Menachem:

    Menachem classified it [טוֹטָפֹת] with “Speak (הַטֵף) to the south” (Ezek. 21:2) and “Preach not (אַל-תּטִּיפוּ)” (Micah 2:6), an expression of speech, like “and as a remembrance” (Exod. 13:9), for whoever sees them [the tefillin] bound between the eyes will recall the miracle [of the Exodus] and speak about it.

    This pshat associates טוֹטָפֹת with speech. It is likely why Yidden called them Teffilin, a word associated with Tefilah (Prayer/speech).

    Returning to point #2, although I listed numerous Mishna that call them teffillin, we DO find the name totofos also used in Mishna: Shabbos 6:1 and 6:5.

    It is interesting to point out that when these Mishna use the word totofos, the Mishna specifically refers to wearing the shel rosh on the head.

    #1730932
    knaidlach
    Participant

    klugeryid.
    ‘Like manna from heaven’.
    good timing! the מן started coming down yesterday ט”ז אייר.

    #1731050
    🍫Syag Lchochma
    Participant

    Kluger- I hate to spoil your fun but I am pretty sure he wrote this post in response to your last comment in the hopes of you saying exactly what you than sad

    #1731053
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Maybe, Tatofos refers to Rosh because it has multiple batim. As explained by the Meiri the head has four senses, having four batim to subjugate our senses whereas the hand has only one.

    #1731089

    syag, I respect you, you know the game.

    #1731104
    jdf007
    Participant

    No one is going to ask about why it’s a pair a pants too?

    #1731129
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Otzar Yisroel Encyclopedia explains that each one individually called Tefilla and together they are called Tefilin. It comes from the word פלא which has many meanings, speech, separation, prayer and hidden. Speech as mentioned above, remembering Yetzias Mitzraim. Prayer, used for praying, tying us to Hashem. Separation, it separates us from the goyim, recognizing that the name of Hashem is on us, and hidden, maybe, the parshiyus are hidden.

    #1731169

    knaidelich – “the מן started coming down yesterday ט”ז אייר.” While the manna stopped Adar 7 (Moshe’s petira), the yidden kept eating it till Nissan 17, The annual date from start of manna till end of manna falls short by a month! That’s odd (and the 40 years of eating manna is imprecise).

    #1731231
    klugeryid
    Participant

    Kluger- I hate to spoil your fun but I am pretty sure he wrote this post in response to your last comment in the hopes of you saying exactly what you than sad

    syag, I respect you, you know the game.

    Thereby proving my other posts about this רשע
    It’s all a game
    Distort דברי חזל-הלכה-השקפה
    Be מלעיג על דברי חכמים
    Insult and malign large swaths of אחינו בני ישראל

    And it’s all a game
    To garner reaction
    To see if ”it ” can correctly predict responses
    נידון בצואה רותחת מפני שהוא צואה רותחת

    #1731290
    TomimTihyeh
    Participant

    Rebbetzin Golden said “totafos un the Torah is also not a Hebrew word”.

    Chas vesholom. The only language other than Lashon Hakodesh contained in the Torah is Aramaic,and that only in the two words yegar sohaduso. Thus say Chazal. When we say that that and pas have meanings in Kaspi and Afriki it is just a soman or a giluy (Rema mipanu, Beer Sheva)

    #1731301

    I always thought that Shabbos 6:1 and 6:5 were talking about women’s jewelry not tefillin.

    #1731348

    kluger – “It’s all a game”

    Moydeh, I am playing you. You are my toy. But c”v to toy with halacha!

    I am always mochel on my own kovod, but never mochel on kovod shamayim.

    When people bash other frum Yidden, and usually these same people trample on S.A. and rely on more kulos than the MO (because they are “lomdim”), I am mochiach and mocheh.

    Chumras is the standard of todays frum yidden. We keep Glat-Kosher and are NOT meikil to eat meatthat is simply kosher. We are machmir in our levush – to dress frum looking. Yet behind closed doors, the frumkeit is water down to the point of issurim according to some shitos!

    The only ones that are insulted and maligned are those that pretend to be frum and are exposed to be kal she’b’kalim (or as I call “frum-b’di’eved”).

    #1731382

    lower – “Shabbos 6:1 and 6:5 were talking about women’s jewellery not tefillin.” Not tefillin, but a HEAD WEAR (-that is the point I noted) , It is the name for an ornament shel rosh. It is interesting to note (not as a proof to anything but simply a notation) that the ornament shel rosh is called “totofos”.

    #1731456

    Tomim – I know that is the pirush al pi drush of Rema MiPanu, but that is not the approach of the Sifsei Chaochomim on Rashi. Certainly not “pshuto shel mikra” of that Rashi.

    #1731507

    The Tur O.C. 25, and Bach bring the possuk ויעמד פינחס ויפלל (Tehillim 106:30 as an origin for calling them Tefillin…

    #1731822
    TomimTihyeh
    Participant

    RGP – how do you explain the Chazal that Aramis has a special chashivus given that the Torah Itself uses that language?

    #1731827

    RG: I can read english and this is what you wrote “It is interesting to point out that when these Mishna use the word totofos, the Mishna specifically refers to wearing the shel rosh on the head.” No, its referring to wearing women’s jewelry on the head or what they generally refer to in english as a “frontlet”

    #1731911

    Some want to use the mishna as proof that certain women wore tefillin.

    #1731920
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    RG. glat kosher has been accepted by the ashkanezim also so it is not a chunra any more as wearing a yarmulka.

    #1731948
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    We find if the majority of people follow a certain behavior it becomes an obligation. Women listening to shofar and davening maariv etc, but for individual chumras it does not apply. Even the chidren don’t need to follow the father’s chumras. פיק חזו מה עמא דבר

    #1732306
    sbeph
    Participant

    Definitely not a stupid question. Reb Yaacov Emden discusses this question towards the beginning of Hilchos Teffilin in Mor Uktziah.

    #1732358
    Neville ChaimBerlin
    Participant

    “Women listening to shofar and davening maariv etc, but for individual chumras it does not apply.”

    Women do not have a chiyuv in maariv according to anyone. Those who do so are encouraged to do it privately as an individual churah to avoid the situation you are describing.

    I believe the M”B holds that women are over on bal gaavah if they wear tefillin, so it is unlikely to ever become a minhag.

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