Editing Tefillin (section)

===Boxes===
In earlier Talmudic times, tefillin were either cylindrical or cubical, but later the cylindrical form became obsolete.<ref name="Kiell1967">{{cite book|first=Norman|last=Kiell|title=The psychodynamics of American Jewish life: an anthology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eG1CAAAAIAAJ|access-date=4 July 2011|year=1967|publisher=Twayne Publishers|page=334}}</ref> Nowadays the boxes should be fashioned from a single piece of animal hide and form a base with an upper compartment to contain the parchment scrolls.<ref name="Eider1985Page11">{{cite book|author=Shimon D. Eider|title=Student Edition of Halachos of Tefillin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrbbdzcfTxkC&pg=PR6|access-date=30 June 2011|date=September 1985|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-050-3|page=11}}</ref> They are made in varying levels of quality. The most basic form, called ''peshutim'' ("simple"), are made using several pieces of parchment to form the inner walls of the head tefillin. The higher quality tefillin, namely ''dakkot'' ("thin"), made by stretching a thin piece of leather, and the more durable ''gassot'' ("thick") are both fashioned from the single piece of hide.<ref name="Eider1985Page21-22">{{cite book|author=Shimon D. Eider|title=Student Edition of Halachos of Tefillin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrbbdzcfTxkC&pg=PA21|access-date=30 June 2011|date=September 1985|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|isbn=978-1-58330-050-3|pages=21–22}}</ref>

The main box which holds the tefillin scrolls, known as ''ketzitzah'' (קציצה), is cubical. Below it is a wider base known as the ''titura'' (תיתורא). At the back of the ''titura'' is a passageway (''ma'avarta'', מעברתא) through which the tefillin strap is threaded, to tie the tefillin in place.

On both sides of the head-tefillin, the Hebrew letter ''[[Shin (letter)|shin]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|ש}}) is moulded; the ''shin'' on the wearer's left side has four branches instead of three.

Nowadays it is customary to paint the tefillin black, but archaeological findings show that it is not certain that it was always this way.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient tefillin were not dyed black, study finds |url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/13/ancient-tefilin-were-not-dyed-black-study-finds/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.israelhayom.com}}</ref>