Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran

New Readings and Interpretations

Ariel Feldman

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9783110725438
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Jewish Literary Criticism

This monograph studies ancient tefillin (also known as phylacteries) and mezuzot found in the Caves of Qumran. Most of these miniature texts were published by the end of 1970s and thus have long been available to scholars. And yet in several respects, these tiny fragments remain an unfinished business.

A close scrutiny of their editions reveals a presence of texts that have not been fully accounted for. These fall into three categories. First, there are multiple tefillin and mezuzot that contain legible fragments which their editors were unable to identify. Second, several tefillin and mezuzot feature imprints of letters that have not been deciphered. Third, there are texts which were provisionally classified as tefillin and mezuzot yet left unread.

This monograph offers a detailed study of these unidentified and undeciphered texts. It thus sheds new light on the contents of ancient tefillin and mezuzot and on the scribal practices involved in their preparation.

1 Tefillin and Mezuzot from the Judean Desert: The Artifacts

Tefillin and mezuzot from the Judean Desert constitute a relatively large corpus of artifacts. ¹ The first encounter with the tiny fragments, minuscule scripts, and leather cases of varying shapes and sizes may prove to be quite bewildering. This chapter seeks to provide a brief introduction to these items. It begins with a discussion of tefillin, both texts and cases, and then turns to mezuzot.

Tefillin from the Judean Desert

The Hebrew/Aramaic noun tefillin (sg. tefillah), the precise origins of which remain obscure, appears in the texts of rabbinic Judaism. ² Whether the artifacts studied here were called “tefillin” in late Second Temple times, the period to which they are dated, is unknown. ³ Though potentially anachronistic, the use of this term seems to be supported by the scholarly consensus that these objects are the forerunners of the later rabbis’ tefillin. ⁴

Broadly speaking, tefillin, both Second Temple artifacts and those prescribed by the later halakhah, are comprised of two main components: an inscribed leather slip (or slips) and a case in which this slip (or slips) was placed. The findings from the Judean Desert yield both the cases and the inscribed slips. ⁵ Each of these components deserves a closer look.

Tefillin cases. ⁶ A recent study counts 27 tefillin cases from the Judean Desert. ⁷ Some of them were found during organized excavations. Others were discovered by the Bedouins, which renders their precise provenance uncertain. ⁸ Based on the available information, most of the cases came from the caves of Qumran, Wadi Murabbaʻat produced one case, and another one was found in the caves of Naḥal Ṣeʾelim. ⁹ These numbers are, however, subject to change when the tefillin that have been long unaccounted for are published. ¹⁰

The tefillin cases appear to fall into two main categories: those with four compartments and those with one compartment only. ¹¹ They are commonly understood to belong to a head and an arm tefillin respectively. This interpretation relies on a similar distinction in the rabbinic texts. ¹² Among the cases with four compartments from Qumran, Yonatan Adler differentiates between two sub-categories. There are tefillin cases in which the compartments are separated by stitches made with a tendon thread. ¹³ These constitute the vast majority. Yet there are also three cases where the compartments are separated by a cut through the leather, in addition to the stitches. He suggests that these two sub-types reflect different interpretations of the biblical commandment. ¹⁴

Overall, tefillin cases have a rectangular shape and are exceedingly small. Cohn observes that a typical size of a leather patch from which cases with four compartments were made is 25 × 25 mm, whereas single cell cases were typically formed from a patch measuring 35 × 10 mm. ¹⁵ As to the final product, the available data suggest that the length of a closed tefillin case with four compartments ranges between 35 and 20 mm, while the width does not exceed 20 mm. ¹⁶ The larger exemplars among the one-compartment cases measure 20 × 15 mm. ¹⁷

Leather slips. As with tefillin cases, the precise number of tefillin slips from the Judean Desert is somewhat difficult to determine. Table 1 (below) counts some 39 slips. ¹⁸ To these one must add the recently re-discovered tefillin awaiting to be unfolded. The assessment of the slips is further complexified by two factors. First, it is not entirely clear whether the criteria used by scholars to differentiate between the slips of tefillin and mezuzah are adequate. In some cases (see below) a text identified as a mezuzah could also be a tefillin and vice versa. Second, several slips designated as tefillin yield wording that does not match the scriptural pericopae found either in tefillin from the Judean Desert or in those described in the rabbinic sources. One example is 4QPhyl N (4Q141) containing verses from Deuteronomy 32. Its editor considered it to be a part of tefillin 4QPhyl L-N (4Q139–141). ¹⁹ David Nakman, however, proposes that 4QPhyl N is not a tefillin but an amulet. ²⁰ Moreover, there are also 4QPhyl T (4Q147) and 4QPhyl U (4Q148) which resemble tefillin slips but contain a non-biblical text (see Chapters 5–6). Elsewhere, Faina Feldman and I suggested that these too could be amulets ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Frequently Cited Sources
• Introduction. Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran: An Unfinished Business
• 1 Tefillin and Mezuzot from the Judean Desert: The Artifacts
• 2 Tefillin and Mezuzot among Other Manuscripts of Exodus and Deuteronomy from the Judean Desert
• 3 1QPhyl (1Q13)
• 4 4QPhyl L (4Q139)
• 5 4QPhyl T (4Q147)
• 6 4QPhyl U (4Q148)
• 7 4QMez C (4Q151)
• 8 8QPhyl (8Q3)
• Conclusion
• Subject Index
• Index of Ancient Sources