Tefillah Tips - Shema Yisrael X
"Ukshartam Leot al yadecha Vehayu letotafot bein eynecha - Bind them as a sign upon your hand and let them be totafot frontlets between your eyes." This next phrase of the Shema instructs us to physically take these precious words of Torah, insert them into Tefillin and strap them to our bodies in two places: on the arm and on the head.
Two points that need to be explored are 1) why on the arm and on the head? And 2) The Torah does not state the arm, it says the hand. According to the literal translation one could place Tefillin on the palm of their hands?!
The first thing to note is how without Torah shebaal peh, the oral law, the Jewish people would be lost. In this case there is no specific mention of Tefillin, their color, their shape...only through the wisdom of the Talmud do we find correct instruction how to proceed.
Rav Schwab zt"l points out in his book On Prayer that the oral law states that we place the Tefillin specifically on our bicep adjacent to the heart. The bicep fuels the hand physically while the heart fuels the attitudes and desires that motivate us to accomplish.
The reason why Tefillin is placed on both the arm and head is because every person is made up of two components the physical and the spiritual. Everyone has drives and impulses that stem from the intellect as well as from the emotion. Wearing Tefillin near the heart and the mind encourages and empowers us to channel both our intellect as well as our emotions to be in consonance with G-d's Will.
Herein lies the prescription for spiritual success. It's not enough to declare ones love and dedication towards the Creator, we need to actualize the feelings and incorporate them into daily life. We need to literally fasten these lessons to our hearts and minds in order to activate the truths and lessons contained within.
May we all utilize the daily recitation of the Shema and our daily opportunities for Mitzvot e.g. Tefillin, Brachot, and Tefilla to bind ourselves closer to Hashem during this precious month of Elul.