תפילינות של בני תימן: התפילין הקדומות של אבותינו

This study briefly reviews the tefillin used by the Jews of Yemen until the modern era - the date of their immigration to the Land of Israel. The tefillin - the "tefillinot" in their language - were almost different from those produced today. The study includes historical and halachic documentation and is especially based on an examination of ancient tefillin. Dozens of photos of these rare tefillin are attached to this essay. From the research it appears that the changes that occurred in the production of tefillin did not only occur among the Jews of Yemen, but also in many of the communities of Israel, including communities in Europe. This was the situation until about two hundred years ago. Following new technological developments, in recent generations there have been several changes in the shape of the tefillin, at the level of their production and their composition. The research shows that these strictures are not to criticize the tefillin of our ancestors, since in many cases these were based on halachic ruling methods different from what is accepted nowadays.