31 Jan Bo; Tefillin As A Sign

Inspired by the teachings of Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth

Excerpt from parshas Bo

13-9; The Exodus will be a sign (an observance) for you when you wear tefilin on your arm, and a reminder when you wear tefilin on your forehead between your eyes, so that God’s Torah will be on your lips, for with a mighty hand God brought you out of Egypt. (Kehot Chumash)  

Tefillin
Placed on the arm opposite the heart (the emotive attribute of Binah), and on the head (the intellectual attribute of Chochma), the Tefillin signify the submission of one’s mind, heart and actions to the Almighty, as well as the rule of intellect over emotion The Mitzvah of Tefillin and its practice facilitates the attainment by the individual of unity of mind and heart, intellect and emotion. (Chabad)  

The rosh (head) is associated with  chochma-intellect  and the yad (arm) tefillin is  binah,  the emotive experience of the heart. Together in balance and harmony  they interinclude to be a conduit to bring about  Daat – Knowledge thus making it possible to have rectified speech and accordingly rectified thought and action as it does in our tshuvah and prayer.

Brothers and interinclusion  

We see the interinclusion of midos (character attributes) in the Torah where one brothers acquire character traits from the other for examples brothers like Jacob from Esau. This also occured with Moshe and Aaron

Aaron spoke on behalf of G-d and Moshe. Moshe speech difficulties from a disharmony of mind and heart.  It was Aaron who first spoke to Pharoah on behalf of G-d and Moshe. Where Moshe was of the primary emotive emanation of netzach , there was an interinclusion of Aarons attribute of Hod that then allowed Moses to have rectified Moshe’s ability to speak to Pharoah

Remember

To remember the Exodus from Egypt is written as ‘pakod yifkod’ which is ‘to remember deeply’. The mitzvah to remember the Exodus is repeated many times in the Torah. The Exodus is a significant point of the creation of the Nation of Israel, and like Creation of the Universe it contains concealed sparks of holiness that need to be revealed and ignited to bring the Final Redemption. To observe (the sign) of tefillin on the arm and head helps create the potential for a powerful spiritual experience of the interinclusion and rectification of the head and heart to acquire DAAT- KNOWLEDGE,  and t the ability to have clarity to reveal and elevated the concealed sparks of holiness of the Exodus.
Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counseling
lawrencejlax@gmail.com