Pour recevoir ces e-mails en francais cliquez ici http://www.darkeabotenou.com/blog/fr/subscribe/

New Audio Shi’ur on Moroccan Minhagim by Rosh Kollel Ribi Mordekhai Lebhar s”t at
Kollel Yismah Moshé in Toronto every Monday night at 8:45 :
* 3. Kasher Animals in Morocco
* 2. The Obligation of Halaq Bet Yosef Meat
* 1. The Influence of Qabala in Morocco

***********************************************
Netibot haMa’arab – e”H Ribi Elihayou Biton s”t
Tefilin


16) We have the custom when putting away the tefilin shel rosh to wrap the straps in the form of doves’ wings (see the detailed procedure in this YouTube video). This is is based on what is brought in Masekhet Shabat 130a. There is a story there about the miracle performed for Elisha’ haNabi. He lived at the time of the Romans when they had decreed that anyone caught wearing Tefilin would have a hole gaped in their head to replace where their Tefilin once were. Elisha’, defiant of the decree, continued to wear his Tefilin in public (leShem Shamayim – For the sake of Heaven, and not just to be defiant) when one day a Roman guard saw him and began to chase him. Elisha’ hid his Tefilin Shel Rosh in his hand just before the Roman guard caught him and demanded “What do you have in your hands?”, “A dove” Elisha’ answered. He opened his hands, and out flew a dove. From then on people called him Elisha’ Ba’al haKenafaim (Elisha’ the Master of Wings). To commemorate this miraculous event we wrap our Tefilin in the form of a dove’s wings. The Gemara continues to compare the Bené Yisrael to a dove as it says in the pasuq (Tehilim 68:14) “The wings of a dove are covered with silver,” just as the wings of a dove protect the bird, so to the misvot that we do protect us, Yisrael. See the source in the Magen Abraham(Siman 28) in the name of the Galiya Razya, also see Leqet haQesir (p. 43), Halakha Berura (Heleq 2, p. 160), She-erit Yosef (Heleq 1), and Osar Ta’amé haMinhagim (p. 48 in the name of Maté Moshé (p. 48).


In regards to the “Tefilin Shel Yad” we wrap it as demonstrated below, away from the box itself, so that the strings are not “wrapped” around the boxes, so as to not appear as if the strings of the Tefilin are more important than the boxes themselves, thus by wrapping the shel-rosh in the form of doves’ wings, and by wrapping the shel-yad away from the box we avoid this problem.