Ask The Rabbi: Are you Fulfilling the Mitzvah of Tefillin Correctly?

Unfortunately, It Is common to see people wearing tefillin shel rosh incorrectly. I would like to go through some relevant sources to give a refresh on this lofty mitzvah.

Location of the Tefillin Shel Rosh on the Front of the Head

The place of the head tefillin (which is the forward-most edge of the titura) should be positioned above the original hairline of the forehead, and it extends back until the area in which the cranium covering the brain of a baby is soft.^[1] The tefillin must also be centered at the midpoint of the width of the head, aligned in the space between the eyes.[2]

If the tefillin descends even a little on the forehead beyond the original hairline, one does not fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin shel rosh.^[3]

 The Daas Kedoshim learns merit bidiaved (post facto) for those whose titura (tefillin base) of the tefillin droop lower on the forehead than the correct location, provided that the bayis of the tefillin still is by the original hairline.^[4]

Location of Tefillin Shel Rosh on the back of the Head

The head tefillin knot (in the shape of the letter dalet) needs to be placed on the back of the head, centered, above the top of the neck, which is the base of the skull, opposite the face.[5] The starting point of this area is on the bump descending into the indentation (occipital notch), on the back of the head (see the footnote).[6]

The Mishna Berurah writes that the knot should not descend to the point corresponding to the throat. One should be careful that not even a small part of the knot should descend to the nape, the area void of scalp hair.[7]

^[1] Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 27:9); Shulchan Aruch Admor Hazaken 27:14. The Talmud (Menachos 35b) derives that the shel rosh needs to be placed high up on the head where a bald patch could be made; thus, it is forbidden to be placed on the forehead.

[2] Shulchan Aruch Admor Hazaken 27:

^[3] See Mishna Berurah 27:33 - "one whose even part of their tefillin descends below the hairline, they do not fulfill the mitzvah, and their blessing is in vain." Ketzos Hashulchan 8:10, "if one wears even part of their tefillin on their forehead below the root hairs of the hair line, they do not fulfill the mitzvah."

Some individuals err in wearing their tefillin descending lower than the original hairline since they think that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was not careful in this matter. The following is a letter the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote to Mr. Dov Lent dated 28th of Tammuz, 5722 [July 30, 1962]. “The location of the Tefillin on the head is, of course, explicitly given in the Shulchan Aruch. If you have noticed that a certain person seems to have placed the Tefillin lower than the original hairline, it is undoubtedly because the hair of that person had receded, and from a distance it would have been difficult for you to determine actually where the original hairline was. On the other hand, it is also possible that at that particular time the Shel-Rosh had slipped unknowingly to the person, although he usually frequently checks the position with his hand as required by the Din.”

 ^{255 Daas Kedoshim 27:2. The Daas Kedoshim also tried to learn merit for those whose tefillin bayis (box) droops lower than the original hairline, as long as the majority of the tefillin bayis is placed by the original hairline. However, in a later printed work called Ashel Avraham (also written by the Daas Kedoshim), he retracted the latter post facto leniency and was only lenient about the titura.}

[5] Magen Avraham 27:15; Shulchan Aruch Admur Hazaken (Orach Chayim 27:15).

[6] Mishna Berurah 27:35 writes that it is "good that the main portion of the knot should be above the indentation…"

In Kovetz Lekutei Dinim (Greenglass), it is quoted in the name of the Rebbe Rayatz that it is good to have the top part of the knot above the occipital notch and the bottom part on the occipital notch.

[7] Mishna Berurah 27:35.