Dvar Torah

Nothing between you and your tefillin

Still in the Ben Ish Chai’s Chayei Sarah halachot, and he hits a rule that sounds simple: nothing can block between the tefillin and your body, not under the boxes and not under the straps. Dirt on your arm or forehead? Wash it off first.

Then he gets weirdly specific, and it’s honestly 2026-relevant. Wear glasses? Don’t tuck the arms of your glasses under the head strap against your skin. Slide them between the strap and your hat instead. And if that just won’t work, at least be careful during the big moments: Shema with its berachot and the Amidah.

And the hair. He brings that later authorities had real doubts about guys who grow their hair really long and thick, since that much hair can act like a bandage sitting between the tefillin and the head. Same worry for hair hanging down onto the forehead, below where it actually grows. He even says people need to be reminded about this stuff, because it’s easy to miss.

Teen takeaway: The mitzvah is direct contact: you and Hashem, no middleman. Glasses strap on top, hair out of the way, clean skin. Five seconds of setup, zero buffering.

Source: Ben Ish Chai, Halachot 1st Year, Parashat Chayei Sarah (on chatzitzah under tefillin: wash off dirt, glasses arms between strap and hat, at minimum during Shema and Amidah, the Acharonim’s concern about long hair and hair hanging below its roots). Hebrew text checked on Sefaria. Written in-house (no Rabbi input this run). Teen reference, not a personal ruling. Ask your rav for your own practice.