How to Put On Tefillin: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide
Putting on tefillin every weekday morning is one of the central mitzvot for a Jewish man from Bar Mitzvah onward. The steps are precise — wrong order, wrong arm, or a missed blessing, and the mitzvah is incomplete. Here's the full sequence, the way Rabbi Levi teaches it to every Bar Mitzvah boy he prepares in Miami.
Before you start
Stand. Remove anything between the tefillin and your skin (watch, sleeve rolled down, etc.). Make sure your tefillin are kosher — printed on the inside but hand-written parchments only, and checked at least every 3–4 years.
Tefillin are worn on weekday mornings only (not Shabbat or major holidays).
Step 1: Arm tefillin (shel yad) first
Right-handed men place the arm tefillin on the left bicep, opposite the heart. Left-handed men place it on the right bicep.
Position the box on the muscle, with the knot facing your heart. Do NOT tighten the strap yet.
Step 2: The blessing for arm tefillin
While the box is in position and the strap is loose, recite: 'Baruch Atah Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'haniach tefillin' — 'Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to put on tefillin.'
Immediately tighten the strap. Do not speak between this point and finishing the head tefillin. For the full Hebrew text, transliteration, and Sephardi variations, see The Blessing for Tefillin.
Step 3: Wrap the arm — 7 times
Wrap the strap around your forearm 7 times, going from the bicep down toward the wrist. The standard custom is to wrap toward the body (inward).
Leave the remaining strap loose for now — you'll come back to the hand wraps after the head tefillin.
Step 4: Head tefillin (shel rosh)
Place the head tefillin on your head, with the box centered above the forehead — the front edge sitting just above the hairline, the knot at the base of the skull.
If you are Ashkenazi, recite a second blessing before tightening: 'Baruch Atah Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al mitzvat tefillin,' followed by 'Baruch shem k'vod malchuto l'olam va'ed.' Most Sephardim do not say this second blessing.
Adjust so the box sits centered, then let the straps hang down in front of your shoulders.
Step 5: Finish the hand wraps
Return to the arm strap. Wrap it around your palm: once around the middle of the hand, then around the middle finger — once at the base, once at the middle joint, once back at the base — forming the shape of the letter shin.
Wrap the remaining strap around your palm and tuck the end in.
While wrapping the finger, say: 'V'erastich li l'olam, v'erastich li b'tzedek u'v'mishpat u'v'chesed u'v'rachamim. V'erastich li b'emunah, v'yada'at et Ado-nai.'
Removing tefillin
Reverse the order: unwrap the hand, remove the head tefillin first, then unwrap the arm and remove the arm tefillin. Roll the straps carefully and store in the bag.
Most common mistakes
Putting the head tefillin on before the arm tefillin.
Speaking between the arm blessing and finishing the head tefillin.
Head tefillin sitting too low (must be above the hairline, not on the forehead).
Arm tefillin slipping below the bicep onto the forearm.
Using tefillin that haven't been checked in 5+ years — Miami's heat and humidity can invalidate the parchments faster than people think. See Why Miami's Climate Affects Your Mezuzot and Tefillin.
Tefillin help in Miami
Rabbi Levi Backman prepares Bar Mitzvah boys, checks tefillin, and sells kosher tefillin across Miami and South Florida. WhatsApp 845-729-1459 to schedule a check or a one-on-one tefillin lesson.
Talk to Rabbi Levi
Have a question about your mezuzot or tefillin? WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach him.
WhatsApp 845-729-1459