Obj. ID: 39246  Tefillin bag, Israel/Eretz Israel, circa 1930

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Religious Jews put on Tefilin - phylacteries - every weekday morning and they were carried to the synagogue for this purpose. To make this transport easier and to protect the Holy objects, the Tefilin were usually placed in a container, most often fashioned from some sort of textile. Such was the custom in most countries where Jews lived.

This set of two tefilin bags probably originates in two places. The embroidered material, in a heavy classical card embroidery, is from some European country and of a much earlier period than the much newer gold thread name which is probably from Israel. The velvet material is embroidered with two twisted column, a crown and the name of the owner for whom it was fashioned. Finding two identical Tefilim bags with the identically embroidered owner's name is exceptionally rare. They are different in that each is identified as a particular type of two different Tefilin sorts. One is made according to Rashi and the other according to Rabeinu Tam. The bas are marked accordingly so the owner can know which set of Tefilin to use at any particular time. The Rashi is generally used for the regular Shacharit prayer and the Rabeinu Tam for the second prayer immediately afterwards, centering around the Shema Yisrael.

Inscription: Shmuel Yankovitz, Rashi, R(abeinu)"T(am)