The ceremony of putting on tefillin – phylacteries – for the very first time,marks the coming of age of the young Jewish man when he reaches 13. The boy is now considered an adult who takes on the responsibility for performing the religious precepts. One of these precepts, the commandment to “lay tefillin” is mentioned in the Bible several times. In Deuteronomy 11:18, Jewish males are directed to “Bind them as a sign upon your hand, and let them serve as frontlets (totafot) on your forehead.”
