Pair of tefillin made by the greatest sofer , the sacred gaon Rabbi Netanel Sofer [Tefilinsky], for whom giants of his generation such as the Chafetz Chaim, the Ba’al HaLeshem, and the Minchat Elazar of Munkacs ‘stood in line’ to have the privilege of a pair of tefillin prepared by him. This is a complete pair – shel yad and shel rosh , batim and parashiyot , and even cases for the tefillin ( sheidelach ), all made by Rabbi Netanel’s sacred hands.
As is known, the sacred Rabbi Netanel Sofer prepared only about thirty pairs of tefillin in his short life, written mainly for gedolei hador , who already in Rabbi Netanel’s lifetime appreciated the tremendous value and sanctity of tefillin made by him. Famous owners of Rabbi Netanel’s tefillin included: the Chafetz Chaim; the author of Leshem Shevo V’Achlamah ; the Mahari”l Diskin; Rabbi Aryeh Levin – who bought one pair for himself and another for the Alter of Slabodka; Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook; Rabbi Shmuel Salant; Rabbi Chaim Berlin and others. (In light of this, it is quite reasonable to assume that these tefillin here belonged to a gadol hador. ) Many of the pairs of tefillin were lost during turbulent times, and the few that remain have become very scarce. This pair of tefillin is extraordinarily rare, one of the few that survived from among the original thirty pairs. The tefillin have been examined at a renowned and authorized sta”m institute, and despite the passage of almost 100 years from when they were written, they are mehudar . The institute has included a confirmation of positive identification of these tefillin as “Rabbi Netanel’s tefillin” and in their being kosher l’mehadrin , including a photograph of the parashiyot .
The reason that after so many years the tefillin are in such excellent and stunning condition is that Rabbi Netanel knew the secret chemical compounds of the various components and knew how to create a one-of-a-kind ink. This ink was not only most kosher but also beautiful and elegant. It shone with a special and eye-catching luster that adhered well to the parchment. Parashiyot written by him nearly a hundred years ago are so well-preserved they look as if they were written just yesterday or the day before. Not a single tag or tip of a yud has undergone age-related disintegration or deterioration. It was a concoction of Rabbi Natanel’s that is unknown to this day. There was a tradition in Jerusalem that his tefillin never had to be checked! He said himself that the letters would not deteriorate and the tefillin would not become blemished nor invalidated unless something unexpected happened to them. Those who nevertheless insisted on checking their tefillin (like these tefillin) attested that they looked as if they had just been delivered by their creator.
When Rabbi Netanel concluded the writing, he began the preparation of the batim for the tefillin. He also had hidden methods for processing the leather to get the best possible squares, without any machinery. To this day, his special methods remain a mystery – how such results can be obtained without mechanization and technology – ” sod Hashem l’yereiav. ” Rabbi Netanel placed the prepared tefillin in cardboard boxes ( shaidelach ) also made by him. He put a printed letter in the box of the tefillin shel rosh , “To the sofer who examines these tefillin – the grooves of the four batim reach the stitching itself. The thread can be run between one bayit and another to fulfil the opinions of the Ramba”m, the Tosafot Ro”sh and the Sma”g. According to the Nimukei Yosef and the Mordechai , it is halachah l’Moshe miSinai and the square will not be ruined by this at all. Remember that the length of the thread should be about a small finger’s length longer than its measure, and it should run through easily. [Signed] Netanel HaSofer, native of Jerusalem.”
“Rabbi Natanel’s tefillin” were characterized not only by their eternal beauty, elegance and durability, but also maximum halachic hiddur . It is told that the Chafetz Chaim said of Rabbi Natanel that he had the required intentions according to all opinions, and that there was no stringency or hiddur that did not find expression in the tefillin he produced. The gaon Rabbi David Bahara”n said it differently: When the Chafetz Chaim edited his sefer Mishnat Sofrim , he corresponded with Rabbi Natanel and clarified the details of the laws and customs he knew. Rabbi Natanel’s actual writing was also in sanctity and purity that began with immersion in a mikveh. He then shut himself in his room and concentrated on his work while wearing tefillin so that he would not be cut off from his thoughts and intentions. Thus, when he was elevated from this world, alone in his dalet amot , he would seclude himself in his study in the Kerem neighborhood for long hours. He placed a tablet with the text of a prayer on his writing desk, which he used to recite every morning at the beginning of his work: “May the shechinah hover over my handiwork and may I succeed in my writings as I write these tefillin for the sanctity of the mitzvah of tefillin.”
Many gedolei hador wanted, but did not succeed, in obtaining Rabbi Netanel’s tefillin. The most famous of these was the Minchat Elazar of Munkacs, who wrote about his unsuccessful attempts, “In Jerusalem, there is a wondrous craftsman. I have seen his tremendous work, and in my time, the Admo”r, Rabbi of the Jewish people, requested through delegates to prepare batim like these, as they fulfil both in this way, and have many other virtues aside from their beauty, but he does his work very slowly, in an orderly way, they must be brought early. The Jewish nation is not bereft of people who are diligent in mitzvahs, and as such he cannot do this for us …”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Netanel Tefillinsky, also known as Rabbi Netanel Sofer .
Tefillin shel yad : The square of the bayit is 30×30 mm. The square of the titurah is approximately 49×49 mm. The size of the titurah including ma’aravta is approximately 50×66 mm. Height: approximately 40.5 mm.
Tefillin shel rosh : The square of the bayit is approximately 30×30 mm. The square of the titurah is approximately 49×49 mm. The size of the titurah including ma’aravta is approximately 66×50 mm. Height: 43 mm.
Wear and chafing in the cardboard boxes. Placed in a new velour case. Rabbi Netanel placed a leaf inside the box with the tefillin shel rosh with an explanation of how the tefillin were prepared, and a list of the hiddurim.
The tefillin are mehudar and in very fine condition. Confirmation included from a well-known authorized sta”m institute regarding the kashrut b’hiddur of the tefillin and the positive identification of Rabbi Netanel Sofer’s script. The code of the authorization is ABLT 48 – 09041. The tefillin are sewn and closed, and the parashiyot were not examined by us; photographs of the parashiyot are from the institute. The purchaser retains the right to examine the tefillin before they are removed from the auction house premises.
