Glossary

The entries selection comes from the book “Dictionary of Judaica” (2005), which was written by a group of authors led by Eva Kosáková . Entries were further processed by Jaroslav Kuntoš, Dana Veselská, Olga Sixtová, Michaela Scheibová and Lenka Uličná. The book can be purchased at our e-shop.

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Tefillin (Heb.)

Also known as phylacteries: rolled-up parchments with a Hebrew text placed in small, square-shaped boxes (Heb. batim, plural of bayit) which are bound with a long strap to the hand and forehead during prayer. Their use is based on a biblical commandment (Ex 13:1–10 and 11–16, Deut 6:4–9 and 11:13–21) and the procedure for attaching them is subject to strict rules. An intricately decorated silver case of identical shape to the box for the parchments is sometimes used for protection from damage. Tefillin boxes vary in size, but are usually between 3 and 5 centimetres. The strips of parchment inserted in the tefillin boxes contain the Hebrew text of the relevant biblical verses, which are written by a trained scribe. For tefillin attached to the arm, the passages are written consecutively on a single piece of rolled-up parchment; for tefillin placed on the head, they are written on four different pieces of parchment, the order of which inside the case is based on two different traditions.

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