(from Ben Ish Chai Parshat Bo)
The Tefillin-Torah Connection
The Torah follows the command to put on tefillin with, “ . . . In order that the Torah of G-d should be in your mouth,” implying a causal connection between tefillin and Torah. How does putting on tefillin make sure that G-d’s Torah stays in our mouth?
We are commanded to put tefillin on our left hand, corresponding to the heart, and between our eyes, corresponding to our mind. One of the goals of tefillin is (as we say in the prayer before putting on tefillin) to subjugate our minds and hearts to G-d’s service. The mind is the seat of Chokhma (wisdom) and the heart is the seat of Bina (understanding, used by the Ben Ish Chai here also as intent and will power). If these two powers within us are sanctified, the rest of us will follow. Speech is especially directly affected by the mind and heart, for speech is an expression of our inner intent, will, and ideas. Therefore the Torah tells us that if we put on tefillin on our arms and between our eyes = if we sanctify our hearts and minds, our mouths and speech will be sanctified and “G-d’s Torah will be in our mouths.” If, G-d forbid, the heart and mind are flawed, there will be flaws in our speech and Torah as well.
Understanding our inner dynamics will help us function properly. The heart and mind are intertwined, and usually the gateway to the mind is the heart. If we sanctify our hearts with proper intent, our minds will be filled with proper thoughts. The starting point is the heart, as the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106b) says, “The All-Merciful-One wants the heart.”
The tefillin on our heads are referred to as “between the eyes.” Besides corresponding to the brain within, they also directly correspond to the eyes. Besides the heart-mind connection there is also a heart-eyes connection. Just as there is a heart-mind dynamic there is a heart-eyes dynamic.
The heart’s chief agents are the eyes. The Torah tells us to put the tefillin between the eyes, teaching us that if we sanctify our heart, our eyes will keep on the right track and not become flawed. One who sanctifies his heart will also sanctify his eyes and will merit Torah. [This is hinted at through the following gematria – numerology. The words eye and heart together (einayim lev) are numerically equivalent to the word “rabbi” (reish bet yud), the conventional Jewish way of referring to a Torah scholarway of referring to a Torah scholar.]
Everything begins with the heart. Sanctifying our hearts with proper intent leads to pure thoughts. Sanctifying our hearts will keep our eyes looking at the world positively.
[prepared by Eliezer Kwass]
