* Tefillin are very delicate, and can be ruined quite easily. They must be stored properly and inspected frequently. If they have been exposed to excessive heat, cold, or humidity they should be inspected by an expert. If the corners of the Tefillin become worn they should be inspected.

* The Tefillin and its straps must be black. One should be especially careful that the paint on his Tefillin straps does not wear off and change color. One can purchase special kosher paint at a religious article store. Prior to painting Tefillin, a short Prayer, “"לשם קדושת תפילין (“L’shem Kidushat Tefillin") is said, which means "For the sake of the holiness of Tefillin".

* Tefillin straps must be at least .43 of an inch (1.1 centimeters) wide. The straps tend to shrink in the area of the knots; one should therefore periodically inspect his Tefillin straps in those areas.

* Tefillin are holy religious articles. If they fall to the ground, one should consult his Rabbi to determine what should be done.

* One can wear Tefillin in the morning from the time that it is bright enough outside to recognize a friend at a distance of approximately two yards. One is obligated to wear his Tefillin each weekday morning with the only exception being the morning of the Fast Day of the Ninth of Av. Tefillin are not to be worn at night.

* If one has not yet put on Tefillin, and the sun has already set, one may still put on Tefillin until approximately thirteen and one half minutes after sunset. One should consult a Rabbi to determine whether a blessing should be recited that late in the day.

* Tefillin are not to be worn on the Sabbath or Holidays. During the”Chol-Hamoed” (Intermediate) portion of the holidays of Passover and Succoth, the custom differs depending on location; one should therefore consult his local Rabbi.

· In localities where the custom is to return the Torah to the Ark after "ובא לציון" )"Uvah Letzion"( one should not remove his Tefillin until the Torah has been returned to the Ark.

· On Rosh Chodesh the custom is to remove the Tefillin following the “Kaddish” and prior to the “Mussaf” (“Additional”) prayer.

· If one is exceedingly short on time he must say the following prayers before removing his Tefillin:
1)”שמע ישראל-ואהבת” " Shema Yisrael -V'ahavta”
2)”והיה עם שמוע” “ V'haya Eem Shamoa.”

Note- The text of all the the Prayers mentioned above can be found in a weekday Prayerbook (siddur)

· One who must leave his house early in the morning and cannot take his Tefillin with him should consult with his Rabbi in order to determine the earliest possible time to wear Tefillin. If, for some reason, one’s Tefillin were not available for use in the morning and became available only in the afternoon, one should put on the Tefillin and should recite a chapter of Psalms (Tehillim) while wearing them.

There are a number of guidelines for respectful behavior while wearing Tefillin:

* A person who is dirty cannot wear Tefillin. Someone who has a gaseous stomach for more than a short while cannot wear Tefillin.

* Tefillin cannot be worn in a dirty place or a place that has an offensive smell.

* Tefillin cannot be worn in a shower or bathroom even if the room is currently clean.

* If one takes his Tefillin off and puts them on again, he is obligated to recite the blessings again.

* One must retain a serious attitude while wearing Tefillin.

* One must not sleep while wearing Tefillin.

* One must not eat a full meal while wearing Tefillin.

* One must treat his Tefillin respectfully.

* One should remove them in an honorable way and store them in a proper location.

Many communities whose members are of Sephardic descent have the custom of wearing a Tallit from the age of Bar Mitzvah. Those observing this custom should be careful to follow the following rules:

1) The Tallit should be large enough in length and width so that a nine-year-old child would be able to cover most of his body with it. A rectangular shaped Tallit that resembles a scarf is not acceptable.
2) Wearing a large Tallit during Morning Prayer does not fulfill the obligation to wear a small Tallit, or a four cornered garment called “Tzitzit,” during the day.
3) It is preferable that the Tallit be made of 100% lamb's wool.
4) One should make sure that the strings on the corners are in good condition. If the strings are not in good condition one should purchase new strings from a store that specializes in selling Jewish ritual items. The strings should be replaced by someone Bar- Mitzva age or older who is familiar with the laws of how to do so. 5) The Tallit is put on before the Tefillin at the beginning of the prayers, and taken off after the Tefillin following the completion of the prayers.
6) The Tallit is to be worn even on days when the Tefillin are not worn with the exception of the fast day of "The Ninth of Av". On the Ninth of Av the Tallit and Tefillin are usually not worn during the morning service, but rather are put on before the Afternoon Prayers (“Mincha”) are recited.
7) In case one does not have a Tallit, he must still wear his Tefillin.
8) One should not enter a bathroom while wearing his Tallit.
9) The proper time to wear a Tallit is during the daytime. If one must leave his home early in the morning and cannot take the Tallit with him, he should consult his local Rabbi for advice.
10) The Tallit and Tefillin may be carried together. They should be carried in such a way as to make the Tallit more accessible than the Tefillin.

How to put on the Tallit:

Before putting on the Tallit one should inspect the fringes on all four corners to make sure that none of the strings are missing or damaged. If any strings are missing, one should seek an expert's advice before wearing the Tallit.

When wearing a new Tallit one must make two blessings:
1) The first blessing said is “שהחיינו” ( “Shehechiyanu,”) which is a blessing of Thanks to the Almighty for allowing one to fulfill this mitzvah for the first time.

"ברוך אתה ה אלוקינו מלך העולם שהחינו וקימנו והיגיענו לזמן הזה”
“Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech Haolam Shehechyanu Vekeyemanu Vehegeyanu Lazman Hazeh.”

“Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, and King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.”

2) The second blessing, which is recited daily, (or every time that the Tallit is put on), is “להתעטף”(”Lehitatayf “). This blessing refers to the Mitzva of wearing a four cornered garment while praying.

"ברוך אתה ה אלוקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו להתעתף בציצית”
“Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech Haolam Asher Kidishanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu Lehitatayf Betzitzit.”

“Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to wrap ourselves tzitzit.”

The Tallit is put on in the following way:
1 )One should spread his Tallit out behind his back in the air with the "crown" facing skyward.

2) One should have intent to fulfill the religious obligation of wearing the Tallit,
and then recite the Blessing (as explained above) over the Tallit.
3) With two hands one should bring the Tallit from behind him towards his face,

The edge of the Tallit should reach his mouth.
4) One should bring forward the sides of the Tallit . He should bring the sides

of the Tallit to his left side and hold it there for at least three seconds.
5) One should then lower the Tallit down his back and arrange the top of his Tallit on his head.

Some communities follow the custom of the "Ben Ish Chai"(a Rabbi and Halachic authority). According to the “Ben Ish Chai,” the Proper way to put on the Tallit is as follows:

1) One should hold the Tallit in his two hands as one holds a scarf, behind his head, with the "crown" of the Tallit facing up. He should then make the blessing and cover his head with the Tallit up to the end of his forehead. Two corners of the Tallit would hang forward over his right shoulder. The other two corners of the Tallit should be hanging forward over his left shoulder.

2) One should then take the two corners of the Tallit from his right shoulder and throw it onto his left shoulder from behind.

3) Whichever method has been used up to that point, the next step would be to hold the Talliit in position for at least three seconds, and then arrange the Tallit behind one’s back. One should make certain that the strings of the Tzitzit do not touch the floor.

One should keep the Tallit on his head for the “שמונה עשרה” ("Shmona Esrei” or”Silent Devotion”) Prayer. This will help retain proper concentration during that prayer.

One who wears his Tallit on his head must be certain that his Tefillin protrude and are visible to others. Some have the custom that unmarried young men use the above described procedure when putting on their Tallit, but not to cover their heads with their Tallit when praying.

13) The straps of the Tefillin should be aligned so that the painted portions of the straps are facing away from the person wearing them. are facing away from the person wearing them.

14) Before tightening the “Head” Tefillin the following Blessing should be recited:

“ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו על מצות תפילין “

“Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech Haoolam Asher Kidishanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu Al Mitzvat Tefillin”

“Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments, and has commanded us regarding the commandment of Tefillin.

15) After tightening the Tefillin one must say the following brief sentence:

"ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד”

“Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Leolam Vaed.”

“Blessed is the Name of his glorious kingdom for all eternity.”

NOTE: There may be different customs regarding the particular order in which the Blessings are said while putting on the Tefillin. If one has questions about this or any part of the process, a Rabbi should be consulted.

16) After one has completed the tightening of his "Head" Tefillin he may once again speak and sit even though one has still not completed putting on Tefillin.

17) During the final winding of the straps on his hand, and completing the process of putting on the Tefillin, one should be standing. One should take the "Hand" strap, and tighten the strap across the lower front of his hand by pulling on the strap between the thumb and the first finger. By doing so one is forming the left leg of the Hebrew letter “Shin”.

18) The next step is to bring the strap forward between the ring and middle finger, and encircle the middle part of the middle finger once and then the lower part of the middle finger twice.



NOTE: Some have the custom to circle the middle finger in the reverse order meaning first twice at the bottom of the finger and then once in the middle of the finger.

19) One should say the following prayer in Hebrew, while encircling his middle finger:

וארשתיך לי לעולם, וארשתיך לי בצדק ובמשפט ובחסד וברחמים. וארשתיך לי באמונה וידעת את ה

“Vi’Ayarastich Lee Leolam, Vi’Ayrastich Lee Bitsedek UviMishpat Uvichesed Uverachamim; Vi’Ayrastich li Be’Emunah, Veyada’at Et Hashem.”

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you to me with righteousness, justice, kindness, and mercy. I will betroth you to me with fidelity and you will know G-d.” (Hoseah 2:21-22)

The “Head” Tefillin is removed while one is standing. One should also remove his "Hand" Tefillin while standing, up to the point where he was before he placed his

“Head” Tefillin.

One should next fully remove his “Head” Tefillin, wrap it up in its box, and put it into its bag. Then one should remove the "Hand" Tefillin put it in its box wrapped and then put into its bag. The Tefillin should be placed in its box in such a way as to ensure that the "Hand" Tefillin will be taken out of the bag before the “Head” Tefillin the next day.
It is considered proper to kiss the Tefillin and handle them gently. There are numerous customs as to how to fold the straps; one should observe the custom of his father or ask his Rabbi. One should wait until the end of the Prayer Service before putting away his Tefillin.

People of Ashkenazi descent remove their Tefillin while standing.
One must remove the straps from his hand up to the point where he had earlier

put on his “Head” Tefillin.

One should next fully remove his “Head” Tefillin, wrap it up in its box and put it into its bag. Then one should remove the "Hand" Tefillin put it in its box wrapped, and then put into its bag. The Tefillin should be placed in its box in such a way as to ensure that the "Hand" Tefillin will be taken out of the bag before the “Head” Tefillin the next day. It is considered proper to kiss the Tefillin and handle them gently.

There are numerous customs as to how to fold the straps one should observe the custom of his father or consult his Rabbi. One should wait until the end of the Prayer Service before putting away his Tefillin.