The Mishna Berura (28:9) notes that men should wrap their tefillin to appear like a dove’s wings. He explains that the intention is to commemorate the following story (Shabbat 49a):

“On one occasion, the evil kingdom of Rome issued a decree against Israel that, as punishment, they would pierce the brain of anyone who dons phylacteries. Nevertheless, Elisha would don them and defiantly go out to the marketplace. One day, an official (kasdor) who was appointed to enforce the decree saw him; Elisha ran away from him, and the official ran after him. When the official reached him, Elisha removed the phylacteries from his head and held them in his hand. The officer asked him: ‘What is that in your hand?’ Elisha said to him: “It is merely a dove’s wings.” A miracle was performed: He opened his hand, and, indeed, it was found to be a dove’s wings. Therefore, in commemoration of this miracle, they would call him, “Elisha, man of wings (Elisha baal knafayim).”

The Gemara asks: And what is different about doves’ wings from those of other birds that led Elisha to say that he had doves’ wings in his hand? The Gemara answers: “Because the congregation of Israel is likened to a dove, as it is stated: ‘You shall shine as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her pinions with yellow gold,’” (Psalms 68:14). Just as this dove, only its wings protect it and it has no other means of protection, so too, the Jewish people, only mitzvot protect them.

Let us delve into this story to appreciate our commemoration of this episode with our tefillin.

Hillel Jachter wonders why the Gemara lauds Elisha for apparently reckless behavior. Chazal warns us against relying on a miracle (Pesachim 64b and Megillah 7b), and tefillin is not a mitzvah for which we must sacrifice our lives. So, why did Elisha baal knafayim endanger himself by publicly defying an edict of the Roman rulers who brutally suppressed dissenters?

For an answer, we must ponder why the Chashmonaim gravely endangered their lives by militarily resisting the mighty Greek army, which vastly outnumbered and outgunned them. We answer that the Chashmonaim recognized that if they did not fight the Greek juggernaut, Torah life would not continue. Since the Torah (Devarim 31:21, with Rashi) promises that the Jews will never completely forget the Torah, the Chasmonaim recognized that Hashem’s promise was at risk, and therefore, Hashem would certainly help them succeed.

I suggest that, similarly, Elisha realized that the Romans sought to eliminate tefillin observance and, thereby, wreak havoc on Torah life. After all, Chazal (Rosh Hashanah 17b) says that a karkafta d’lo manach tefillin—a Jew who does not wear tefillin, is denied a place in Olam Haba. Chazal makes such a statement about very few mitzvot. Hence, Elisha was confident Hashem would help him in his efforts to fight the Roman decree and preserve the crucial mitzvah of tefillin.

Accordingly, we wrap our tefillin like dove’s wings to recall the Elisha baal knafayim story, thereby reminding us of tefillin’s centrality. Hillel adds that it reminds us to resist the ambient culture’s lures that seek to seduce us to stray from tefillin and its goals. Hillel’s idea fits perfectly with the Gemara’s observation that tefillin protects us, as do doves’ wings. Another reason emerges from a dove’s wings propelling it to soar to the heavens. So too, tefillin and all mitzvot propel Jewish neshamot to soar and achieve our spiritual goals. Accordingly, when we wrap tefillin to look like a dove’s wings, we remind ourselves to allow tefillin to propel us to great Torah heights.

Conclusion

The Rishonim (such as Tosafot Menachot 20b s.v. nifsal) write that “minhag Yisrael Torah hee—our customs constitute Torah.” Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik says that this phrase not only teaches us to follow our minhagim. It also shows that minhagim must be studied and investigated to understand their basis and deep meanings. Our efforts to explain the custom of wrapping tefillin like dove’s wings exemplify the rich lessons that emerge from reflecting upon our minhagim.

Rabbi Jachter serves as the rav of Congregation Shaarei Orah, rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a get administrator with the Beth Din of Elizabeth. Rabbi Jachter’s 19 books may be purchased at Amazon and Judaica House.