Phylacteries (Tefillin) and Their Sephardic Leather Case

Phylacteries (tefillin) are two cubic boxes of black leather containing biblical passages written on parchment by hand, attached by straps to the arm and head during morning prayer on weekdays, in fulfillment of the commandment to bind these words "as a sign on the hand" and "between the eyes." The Sephardic type follows its own rules of writing, folding of parchments and winding of straps. The cases that preserve them between uses, in the Mediterranean tradition, are often of stamped leather or turned wood, sometimes accompanied by a fabric pouch. This object is among the most fundamental prayer accessories of adult Jewish male life.