Talmud for Exodus 13:9

Rebbi Jeremiah asked: Since you say, one opens for him by the honor of his father and mother; in things between him and the Omnipresent, one does not open for him by the honor of the Omnipresent¹²Since this is not mentioned in the Mishnah. Since “the Omnipresent” is a name of God, the scribe inserted an apostrophe to make a later correction or erasure possible.. But since in matters between him and his father and mother one opens for him by the honor of his father and mother; similarly, in things between him and the Omnipresent should one not open for him by the honor of the Omnipresent? What is the honor of the Omnipresent? For example, that I shall not make a tabernacle¹³Lev. 23:42., that I shall not take a lulab¹⁴One of the “four kinds”, Lev. 23:40., that I shall not put on phylacteries¹⁵Ex. 13:9,16.. One understands that he does it for his own benefit. As in the following¹⁶Job 35:7. The reward of good deeds is purely the benefit of the doer.: “If you are just, what are you giving Him?” “If you sinned, what would you do to Him?¹⁷Job 35:6. The mention of this verse and the sermon following are induced by the preceding quote.” Rebbi Yannai said, one who listens to his urges is as if he worshipped idols. What is the reason? “In yourself there shall be no alien force; do not bow down to a foreign god.¹⁸Ps. 81:10. The alien forces are the evil urges in a person; they are put in parallel with idol worship. In the Babli, Šabbat 105b, the statement is attributed to R. Abin.”

The hand-tefillah is put on the upper part of the hand³⁵The biceps, and not on the palm of the hand. [because Scripture declares, And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand,³⁶Ex. 13, 9. which means that the sign shall be for thee³⁷Where only he who wears the tefillah can see it, i.e. on the biceps covered by the sleeve. but not for others³⁸Had the tefillah been put on the palm of the hand it would be visible to all.]. ³⁹The part enclosed in square brackets is based on Men. 37b (Sonc. ed., p. 229).So also [the Scriptural expression] between thine eyes⁴⁰Ex. 13, 9. [implies] the upper part of the head, [because] upon thy hand and between thine eyes [occur in juxtaposition we infer]: as upon thy hand [means] on the upper part of the hand, so between thine eyes [means] on the upper part of the head. This is according to R. Eliezer b. Jacob; R. Judah says: It is stated upon thy hand and it is also stated [in the same verse] between thine eyes [the inference being that] as upon thy hand [refers to] a place that is susceptible of ritual uncleanness by one [symptom of] leprosy,⁴¹The biceps, like any other part of the body that is free from hair, is declared ritually unclean by one symptom only, viz. white hair in the leprous spot. so also between thine eyes [refers to] a place that is susceptible of ritual uncleanness by one [symptom of] leprosy.⁴²Viz. the upper part of the head, whose symptom of uncleanness is yellow hair in the leprous spot. The region between the eyes, however, where both hair and clean flesh are to be found, can be declared unclean by either of the two symptoms (yellow or white hair) and must therefore be ruled out. [Another reason:] It is stated between thine eyes and it is also stated, Nor make any baldness between your eyes:⁴³Deut. 14, 1. as baldness occurs where there is hair [on the head] so you must put the tefillah only where there is hair [on the hand].⁴⁴Since both verses contain the expression between … eyes. It is stated, And thou shalt write them⁴⁵Referring to the mezuzah (Deut. 6, 9). and it is also stated [in juxtaposition] and thou shalt bind them;⁴⁶The tefillin (ibid. 8). [hence the inference that] the hand that writes [the mezuzah]⁴⁷i.e. the right hand, with which most people write. is the hand that binds [the tefillah].⁴⁸The hand-tefillah is therefore put on the left hand.

Thus used R. Eliezer to say: Great is the commandment of tefillin, for the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke as follows to Israel, But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.⁹⁵Josh. 1, 8. ‘Sovereign of the universe,’ said Israel to the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘is it possible for us to meditate day and night [in the Torah]?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, answered them, ‘My children, put tefillin on your heads and on your arms and I shall account it to you as if you meditated in the Torah day and night’; as it is stated, And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in thy mouth.⁹⁶Ex. 13, 9.