6697 —ביטול המנהג לדחות את התחלת הנחת התפילין אצל נערים ספרדים לאחר גיל מצות

B"H, 24 Shevat, 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

It has long been known to me that among Sephardic Jews they are not so precise about the count of their years, and consequently the year in which a boy completes thirteen years^[1] is not so clear, and they are in no hurry to begin putting on tefillin^[2]. More than that: among some of them there is a bad custom^[3] of postponing the beginning of putting on tefillin until they are able to make a feast and "family celebration"^[4], etc., etc. — even though it is almost certain that he came of age for the yoke of mitzvos long ago^[5].

Since this report has been received from several places, it is apparently true, and it is understood that they must do everything possible about it, with the necessary energy, to abolish this bad custom. Especially according to what is explained in the teachings of Chassidus^[6], that putting on tefillin draws down new mochin (intellectual faculties)^[7] — from which it is understood how this affects all matters of Torah and mitzvos, which are the life of the true Jew^[8].

The above is also understood by way of mussar, according to the intent of tefillin even in its plain sense — to subjugate the heart and the mind^[9], which rule over a person and over all his affairs in thought, speech and action; and this is easily understood^[10].

Surely there are several ways to correct this, and among them: that the institution^[11] arrange a joint feast for several boys at once — all those who have certainly reached the age of mitzvos, and those whose age is in doubt but leans more toward obligation; and this is easily understood^[12]. And if some gifts are given, according to the ability and possibilities of the fund, of course, there will surely be no difficulties in this.

It may be worthwhile to stir up Tzeirei Agudas Chabad^[13], so that in their visits to the settlements, etc., they will rouse our Sephardic brethren^[14] about this.

Surely you will consider the above with proper attention, and inform us of the results.

With blessings for good news^[15] in all the above,

In the name of the Rebbe shlita^[16]

Secretary

Publisher's notes

Printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 11, p. 200. A copy like this was sent to several.

Notes

1. Completes thirteen years (מלאת שלש עשרה שנה): כ"כ = כל כך. "Thirteen years" follows Avos 5:21: בן שלש עשרה למצות, "At thirteen, for mitzvos." Since they do not know their year of birth with certainty, it is not known when the boy turned thirteen and became obligated in mitzvos, tefillin among them.

2. In no hurry to begin putting on tefillin (ואין ממהרים בהנחת תפילין): Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 37:3: קטן היודע לשמור תפילין בטהר' שלא יישן בהם ולא יפיח בהם... חייב אביו לקנות לו תפילין לחנכו, "A minor who knows how to keep tefillin pure, not to sleep in them and not to pass wind in them… his father must buy him tefillin to train him"; the Rema there: וי"א דהאי קטן דוקא שהוא בן י"ג שנים ויום א'... וכן נהגו ואין לשנות, "Some say this minor is specifically one who is thirteen years and one day… and so is the custom, and it is not to be changed"; and the Magen Avraham there (37:4): ועכשיו נהגו להניח ב' או ג' חדשים קודם הזמן, "Now the custom is to put them on two or three months before the time." So too the Alter Rebbe rules (his Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 37:3): ויש מי שאומר שקטן זה הוא בן י"ג שנה ויום א'... וכן נהגו במדינות אלו מקדם. ועכשיו נוהגים לחנכו ב' וג' חדשים קודם הזמן, "One opinion holds that this minor is thirteen years and one day… and so was the custom in these lands of old; and now the custom is to train him two or three months before the time." The Kaf HaChaim (37:14) writes that although the Rema says the custom follows that opinion, אנו אין לנו אלא כדברי הרב ב"י ז"ל שסובר דקטן ממש, "we have only the words of the Beis Yosef, who holds that it means an actual minor" — that is, by Sephardic practice, following the Beis Yosef, even a boy under thirteen who knows how to keep tefillin is trained in them. So by the Sephardic view too, there is no basis for putting off tefillin until after the age of mitzvos.

3. A bad custom (מנהג ביש): ביש = bad (Aramaic).

4. Family celebration (זבח משפחה): In the words of the verse (Shmuel I 20:29): כי זבח משפחה לנו בעיר, "for we have a family feast in the city." Here: a family bar mitzvah feast; as long as they cannot afford it, they put off the tefillin.

5. He came of age for the yoke of mitzvos long ago (שמזמן הגיע לעול מצות): Sha'arei Teshuvah on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 37 (§4): וכל שהגיע לי"ג ויום א' אף שאין ידוע שהביא שערות חייב בתפילין מדינא מחמת חזקה דרבא דכל שהגיע לכלל שנים חזקה הביא סימנים, "Whoever has reached thirteen and a day, even if it is not known that he has grown two hairs, is obligated in tefillin by law, by Rava's presumption that whoever has reached the age presumably has the signs." Cited in the Kaf HaChaim there (37:13), who adds in the name of the Bach that from thirteen years and a day הוא בעצמו חייב לקנות לו תפילין כי היכי דחייב בכל מ"ע מן התורה, "he himself must buy himself tefillin, just as he is obligated in all the positive mitzvos of the Torah." So a boy who has almost certainly reached that age is already obligated in tefillin by Torah law.

6. The teachings of Chassidus (תורת החסידות דא"ח): דא"ח = דברי אלקים חיים, "words of the living G‑d," a name for Chassidus.

7. Draws down new mochin (המשכת מוחין חדשים): See, for example, Likkutei Torah, Masei, explanation of the maamar "Eleh Masei," section 2: כמו טלית וציצית המשכת המקיף ובחי' ל"ב נתיבות חכמה, ובתפילין המשכת מוחין, "as the tallis and tzitzis draw down the encompassing light and the thirty-two paths of wisdom, and tefillin draw down mochin"; and Tanya, ch. 41: ודרך פרט: בתפילין, ליבטל וליכלל בחי' חכמתו ובינתו שבנפשו האלהית בבחי' חכמתו ובינתו של א"ס ב"ה המלובשות דרך פרט בפ' 'קדש', 'והיה כי יביאך', "In particular, with tefillin, to nullify and include the faculties of chochmah and binah of his divine soul in the chochmah and binah of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, which are clothed in particular in the sections 'Kadesh' and 'Vehayah ki yeviacha'." Putting on tefillin draws mochin from above, and therefore it affects all of the boy's Torah and mitzvos.

8. Which are the life of the true Jew (שהם הם חיי איש ישראל האמיתי): In the manner of the blessing "Ahavas Olam" in the evening prayer, said of the words of the Torah and the mitzvos: כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו, "for they are our life and the length of our days."

9. To subjugate the heart and the mind (לשעבד הלב והמוח): Following the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 25:11: יכוין בהנחת התפילין... וישעבד להקב"ה הנשמה שהיא במוח, וגם תאות ומחשבות לבו, לעבודתו יתברך, "In putting on tefillin one should intend… to subjugate to the Holy One, blessed be He, the soul which is in the brain, and also the desires and thoughts of his heart, to His service" (and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 25:5: "and the heart, which is the seat of desires and thoughts"); cited in Tanya, ch. 41: והיינו כמ"ש בש"ע: 'לשעבד הלב והמוח כו'', "as it is written in the Shulchan Aruch, 'to subjugate the heart and the mind.'"

10. In thought, speech and action; and this is easily understood (במחדו"מ, וק"ל): במחדו"מ = במחשבה דיבור ומעשה; וק"ל = וקל להבין. Since the heart and mind rule all of a person's affairs, in thought, speech and action, and tefillin subjugate them to G‑d, delaying tefillin affects all of his affairs.

11. The institution (המוסד): The institution to which the letter was sent. A letter in this wording was sent to several (see the publisher's note), and the recipients' names were not printed.

12. And this is easily understood (וק"ל): A joint feast arranged by the institution removes the reason for the delay — the family's inability to make a feast — and even a boy whose age is in doubt but leans toward obligation begins putting on tefillin at once, without waiting for his age to be clarified.

13. Tzeirei Agudas Chabad (צעירי אגו"ח): אגו"ח = אגודת חסידי חב"ד: Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in the Holy Land. See, for example, vol. 17, letter 6149, to the administrations of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad and the Oholei Yosef Yitzchak network in the Holy Land, on "trips to kibbutzim and the like, fixing classes and founding schools."

14. Our Sephardic brethren (אחב"י הספרדים): אחב"י = אחינו בני ישראל, "our brethren, the children of Israel".

15. Good news (בשו"ט): בשו"ט = בשורות טובות.

16. In the name of the Rebbe shlita (בשם כ"ק אדמו"ר שליט"א): כ"ק אדמו"ר שליט"א = כבוד קדושת אדוננו מורנו ורבנו שליט"א. The letter was written and signed by the secretary in the Rebbe's name.

Summary

Written by the secretary in the Rebbe's name and sent to several: among some Sephardic families a boy's tefillin are put off until a family feast can be made, though he has almost certainly come of age. The Rebbe calls for abolishing this custom, since tefillin draw new mochin and subjugate heart and mind, and suggests joint bar mitzvah feasts and visits by Tzeirei Agudas Chabad.