If you have heard someone mention a second pair of tefillin, you have met the difference between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam. Both contain the same four Torah passages, but they follow different halachic opinions about their arrangement; Rashi is the primary pair used to fulfill the daily mitzvah.
This guide explains what Rabbeinu Tam tefillin are, which pair is worn every day, and who wears both.
The Four Passages and Their Order
Every pair of tefillin contains four passages: Kadesh Li, Vehaya Ki Yeviacha, Shema, and Vehaya Im Shamoa. Rashi and his grandson Rabbeinu Tam disagreed about the sequence in which they are placed in the shel rosh. In Rashi tefillin they follow the order they appear in the Torah; in Rabbeinu Tam tefillin the last two are switched.
The parshiyot must be written in the required sequence, and each pair must be prepared and assembled for its intended arrangement. A finished pair should not be converted by moving its parchments yourself. The way both are written by hand is covered in how tefillin are made.
Which Pair Is Worn?
The accepted practice is that Rashi tefillin are the primary pair, worn every weekday, and the pair a Bar Mitzvah boy receives. Some men also don a Rabbeinu Tam pair after the Rashi pair to fulfill both opinions at the highest level of hiddur. Rabbeinu Tam is always the additional pair, never a replacement; if this is new to you, our guide to what is tefillin covers the basics.
Whether to wear it is a matter of established custom. A person follows the practice of his father and community, and the differences track the same traditions behind Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Chabad tefillin.
Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam in Chabad
Among those who wear Chabad tefillin, adding a Rabbeinu Tam pair from Bar Mitzvah is widespread, and both pairs are written in ktav Alter Rebbe. Our matching Superior sets share the same specified batim size, strap standard, and checking process, while their parchments are prepared for the respective arrangement. Our primary Alter Rebbe tefillin are the everyday pair.
Those who keep both add the matching Rabbeinu Tam tefillin. Compare the full range in our kosher tefillin collection.
Leave a Comment