Intention When Putting On Tefillin
Question
Is a person obligated, when putting on tefillin, to have intention (kavana) before putting them on?
Or must one say the “L’shem Yichud”?
Answer
Shalom and blessings.
There are two kinds of intention (kavana) when putting on tefillin:
The first intention is that one intends to put them on for the sake of fulfilling the mitzvah. In this regard it is ruled that mitzvot require intention, and this intention is indispensable even after the fact (bediavad). (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, siman 60, se’if 4).
There is an additional intention when putting on tefillin: that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us to place these four parshiyot, which contain the unity of His Name and the Exodus from Egypt, on the arm opposite the heart and on the head opposite the brain, so that we remember the miracles and wonders He performed for us, which testify to His unity and that He has the power and dominion over the upper and lower worlds to do with them as He wills. And that a person should subjugate to the Holy One, blessed be He, the soul that is in the brain, as well as the heart, which is the source of desires and thoughts; and through this he will remember the Creator and lessen his worldly pleasures. (In the words of the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, siman 25, se’if 5). This intention is required only ideally (lechatchila) and does not invalidate the mitzvah after the fact (bediavad). (Mishnah Berurah there, se’if katan 15).
Reciting “L’shem Yichud” is the custom of some communities, but it is worthwhile for everyone to say it, because these intentions are mentioned there.
