Beschreibung:

TEFILLIN (PHYLACTERIES) OF THE BEN ISH HAI, RASHI AND RABBEINU TAM PAIRS, [BAGHDAD: 19TH CENTURY] Two tefillin shel yad (each 1 1/2 x 1 in.; 40 x 25 mm) and two tefillin shel rosh (1 5/8 x 1 1/8 in.; 42 x 28 mm and 1 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.; 44 x 30 mm, respectively), all four painted black with long black straps emerging from them. All four worn around edges; leather dry; paint chipped and faded in places; slight staining. Tefillin shel yad housed in a worn purple velvet pouch with gold-colored drawstring; tefillin shel rosh housed in a worn gold-colored velvet pouch with gold-colored drawstring. Accompanied by two letters on paper, comprising the Judeo-Arabic correspondence between David Solomon Sassoon and Rabbi Jacob ben Joseph Hayyim on the subject of the tefillin of the latter’s father, both with fold lines and some slight wear; each letter housed in a plastic sleeve along with its translation into Hebrew. Two pairs of tefillin that belonged to the great Rabbi Joseph Hayyim of Baghdad. The commandment of tefillin is derived by rabbinic tradition from four passages in the Torah (Ex. 13:1-10, Ex. 13:11-16, Deut. 6:4-9, Deut. 11:13-21) that require the placement or binding of a “sign,” “reminder,” or “symbol” both on the arm and between the eyes. These two leather boxes are known, respectively, as the tefilin shel yad and the tefillin shel rosh, and each of them contains all four of the aforementioned passages written on parchment. However, whereas the texts in the shel yad are all inscribed on one large slip of parchment, those in the shel rosh are copied onto four separate pieces, each of which is placed into one of the shel rosh’s four compartments. In the Middle Ages, a dispute arose between Rashi (1040-1105) and his grandson Rabbeinu Tam (1100-1171) about the exact order in which the shel rosh slips should be arranged: Rashi understood that they must be placed in the order in which they appear in the Torah, while Rabbeinu Tam held that the last two passages, Deut. 6:4-9 and Deut. 11:13-21, should be reversed. General practice follows the opinion of Rashi, but many authorities, including Rabbi Joseph Caro (1488-1575) in the Shulhan arukh (Orah hayyim 34:2-3), recommend that the pious make sure to don Rabbeinu Tam tefillin as well. In his Sefer ben ish hai, R. Joseph Hayyim of Baghdad writes that fulfillment of the commandment of tefillin sustains the existence of the heavens and the earth, and he expounds upon the intentions one must have while donning them. Like Caro, R. Joseph Hayyim encourages God-fearers to wear both sorts of tefillin, but they do so for different reasons: Caro feels that only one decisor, Rashi or Rabbeinu Tam, could have been correct in his understanding of the nature of the commandment, so because there is a doubt as to whom to follow, a God-fearer should try to fulfill both opinions. R. Joseph Hayyim, by contrast, cites Rabbi Isaac Luria Ashkenazi as having heard from the prophet Elijah that both opinions are true; a God-fearer, then, would elect to satisfy each as an enhanced way of fulfilling the commandment. In fact, for R. Joseph Hayyim, Rabbeinu Tam tefillin are, in a certain sense, of higher status than Rashi tefillin and should therefore be positioned above the latter when both pairs are worn at the same time (first year, Parashat va-yera). Moreover, while Caro does not allow Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin to be stored in the same pouch, since only one of them is actually sacred, R. Joseph Hayyim sees no problem in keeping one pouch for both types of tefillin shel yad and another for both types of tefillin shel rosh (first year, Parashat hayyei sarah). The present lot comprises one set each of Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin that once belonged to R. Joseph Hayyim. As documented in multiple sources, the family of Solomon David Sassoon maintained a close relationship with the Ben ish hai, the latter having made time in his busy schedule to correspond with Solomon David, Flora, Rachel, David Solomo