Commentary
The commandment to wear tefillin occurs in
Parashat Bo (Exodus ch.13). It is repeated in Parashat Vaetchanan (Deuteronomy
ch.6) and Parashat Eikev (Deuteronomy ch.11) both of which are read in the two
Shabbatot that followTisha B'Av.
"And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes".
R. David ben
Joshua Maimuni makes a memorable
statement on this passage when he
warns us not to be overly concerned with physical symbols. He writes:
' The
verse: “They shall be unto you as a sign upon your hand and as frontlets
between your eyes” (Exod 13:16) is an allusion for us to constantly reflect
through our spiritual and intellectual faculties. All allusions and hints refer
to God and warn against our preoccupying ourselves with things other than Him.
Indeed, preoccupation with the building renders us oblivious of the builder.'
Esoteric Epistle (trans P.Fenton)
Like his predecessors in the Maimuni dynasty,
he expressed a deep respect for the meaning of the ritual
symbols of Judaism, but also warns us
against making them into superstitious totems or fetishist amulets. All such symbols are aids to memory….both of
our commitment to the covenant and to the
"remembrance/dhikr" of the
Divine.
From a Sufi
perspective, to focus on the Builder rather than the building underlines the tenet that the meditator should aim to avoid all focus on any thing which is
not G-d.
Nachman Davies
Motsei Tisha B'Av
July 24 2026