Rabbeinu Tam's Tefillin

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Hebrew

עֵינֶיךָ לְמַעַן תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת יְיָ
בְּפִיךָ כִּי בְּיָד חֲזָקָה הוֹצִאֲךָ יְיָ
מִמִּצְרָיִם: וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת הַחֻקָּה
הַזֹּאת לְמוֹעֲדָהּ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה:
וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִאֲךָ יְיָ אֶל אֶרֶץ
הַכְּנַעֲנִי כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לְךָ
וּלַאֲבֹתֶיךָ וּנְתָנָהּ לָךְ: וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ
כָל פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם לַיְיָ וְכָל פֶּטֶר
שֶׁגֶר בְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לְךָ
הַזְּכָרִים לַיְיָ: וְכָל פֶּטֶר חֲמֹר
תִּפְדֶּה בְשֶׂה וְאִם לֹא תִפְדֶּה
וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ וְכֹל בְּכוֹר אָדָם בְּבָנֶיךָ
תִּפְדֶּה: וְהָיָה כִּי יִשְׁאָלְךָ בִנְךָ
מָחָר לֵאמֹר מַה זֹּאת וְאָמַרְתָּ
אֵלָיו בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ יְיָ
מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים: וַיְהִי
כִּי הִקְשָׁה פַרְעֹה לְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ
וַיַּהֲרֹג יְיָ כָּל בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם
מִבְּכֹר אָדָם וְעַד בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה
עַל כֵּן אֲנִי זֹבֵחַ לַיְיָ כָּל פֶּטֶר
רֶחֶם הַזְּכָרִים וְכָל בְּכוֹר בָּנַי
אֶפְדֶּה: וְהָיָה לְאוֹת עַל יָדְכָה
וּלְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹזֶק
יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ יְיָ מִמִּצְרָיִם:

Sephardi

einecha lema'an tihyeh torat Adonai
beficha ki b'yad chazakah hotziacha Adonai
mimitzrayim: v'shamarta et hachukah
hazot lemo'adah miyamim yamimah:
vehayah ki yevi'acha Adonai el eretz
hakena'ani ka'asher nishba lecha
ula'avotecha unetanah lach: veha'avarta
kol peter rechem la-Adonai vechol peter
sheger behemah asher yihyeh lecha
hazekharim la-Adonai: vechol peter chamor
tifdeh veseh ve'im lo tifdeh
va'arafto v'chol bechor adam bevanecha
tifdeh: vehayah ki yish'alcha bincha
machar leimor mah zot v'amarta
elav bechozek yad hotzi'anu Adonai
mimitzrayim mibeit avadim: vayehi
ki hikshah par'oh leshalchenu
vayaharog Adonai kol bechor be'eretz mitzrayim
mibechor adam ve'ad bechor behemah
al ken ani zove'ach la-Adonai kol peter
rechem hazekharim vechol bechor banai
efdeh: vehayah le'ot al yadechah
uletotafot bein einecha ki bechozek
yad hotzi'anu Adonai mimitzrayim:

English

your eyes, so that the words of the Lord's Torah will always be in your mouth and remembered by you, because the Lord took you out of Egypt with a mighty hand. You should keep this law of Pesach at its set time, from year to year. It will be that when the Lord brings you to the Land of Israel, the land of the Canaanites—as He promised to you and your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and gives it to you, at that time you should set aside for the Lord every firstborn that opens its mother's womb; of every firstborn animal that you have, the males should belong to the Lord. You should redeem every firstborn male donkey by giving a lamb to a Kohen. If you do not redeem this male donkey, then you can not use it, because it is holy. Instead, you must break its neck and kill it. You will redeem every human firstborn among your sons by paying a Kohen five silver coins. It will be that when your son will ask you in the future, saying: What is this commandment of redeeming a firstborn? You should say to him: The Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery, with a mighty hand. The Egyptians didn't let the Jewish Nation use wagons to take their belongings out of Egypt, only donkeys. Miraculously, they were able to carry everything on the donkeys, which is why firstborn donkeys are considered holy. It happened when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go: the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt; both human firstborns and animal firstborns. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord every male that opens its mother's womb, and I redeem every firstborn of my sons. Tefillin will be as a sign on your hand and a reminder between your eyes, to remind us that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

THE SIX REMEMBRANCES

Exodus from Egypt

Hebrew

לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ
מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל
יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ:

Sephardi

lema'an tizkor et yom tzeit'cha
mei'eretz mitzrayim kol
yemei chayecha:

English

God tells the Jewish Nation: Eat matzot on Pesach so that you will remember the day you came out of the land of Egypt throughout all the days of your life.

Giving of the Torah

Hebrew

רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד
פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר
רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ כֹּל
יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ1 וּלְבְנֵי
בָנֶיךָ: יוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתָּ לִפְנֵי יְיָ
אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּחֹרֵב:

Sephardi

rak hishamer lecha ushmor nafshecha me'od
pen tishkach et hadevarim asher
ra'u einecha ufen yasuru milevavecha kol
yemei chayecha vehoda'tam levanecha1 ulivnei
vanecha: yom asher amadta lifnei Adonai
Elohecha bechorev:

English

Just be careful; guard yourself carefully so that you will not forget the things that your eyes saw at the Giving of the Torah, and so that the memories of the Giving of the Torah will not be removed from your heart throughout all the days of your life. Make it known to your children1 and to your children's children—that which you saw on the day you stood before the Lord, your God at Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai).

Amalek

Hebrew

זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק
בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם:
אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ2 וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל
הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ
וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱלֹהִים: וְהָיָה בְּהָנִיחַ יְיָ
אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ מִכָּל אֹיְבֶיךָ מִסָּבִיב
בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ
נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ תִּמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר
עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח:

Sephardi

zakhor et asher asah lecha amalek
baderech betzet'chem mimitzrayim:
asher karecha baderech2 vayezanev b'cha kol
hanecheshalim acharecha ve'atah ayeif veyagea
v'lo yarei Elohim: vehayah behaniach Adonai
Elohecha lecha mikol oyevecha misaviv
ba'aretz asher Adonai Elohecha noten lecha
nachalah lerishtah timcheh et zecher
amalek mitachat hashamayim lo tishkach:

English

Remember what Amalek did to you when you were traveling on the way, when you came out of Egypt; how he met you on the way,2 and cut down all the weak people who trailed behind you, while you were tired from thirst and exhausted from travel. He did not fear God. Therefore, it will be that when the Lord, your God, will let you rest from all of your enemies around you—when you finish conquering the Land of Israel, the land that the Lord, your God, gives you as an inheritance to pass on to your children—at that time you should wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget what Amalek did to you!

Complaints in the desert

Hebrew

זְכֹר אַל תִּשְׁכַּח אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִקְצַפְתָּ
אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בַּמִּדְבָּר:

Sephardi

zechor al tishkach et asher hiktzafta
et Adonai Elohecha bamidbar:

English

Remember, do not forget, how you angered the Lord, your God, when you complained in the desert.