"Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead." - Deuteronomy 6:8

Known as putting on or laying tefillin, the ritual practiced by males over 13 is a prelude to morning prayer and serves as a physical reminder of both the divine directive and of the Exodus, which freed the Jews from the bondage of Egypt.

"It tells us we are now bound only to God," said Cantor James Gloth of Temple B'nai Israel, where a program on tefillin will be presented tomorrow as part of the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs annual World Wide Wrap. The program seeks to encourage Jews to take up the practice of laying tefillin, which has fallen into disuse among many Americans.

Jewish men often receive a set of tefillin for their Bar Mitzvah, which also marks reaching the age of manhood, but outside more traditional circles, many do not make the ritual a part of their daily lives, Cantor Gloth said.

He finds that, like physical exercise, putting on tefillin has its benefits. "The idea behind it is to bind us to God in a spiritual and physical way. I think of it as a spiritual recharging of my batteries."

In some branches of Judaism, women may put on tefillin, although the practice is more commonly used by men.

Cantor Gloth puts on tefillin each morning either before prayer in his home or at the synagogue, where he often leads the Minyan, or gathering of at least 10 Jews, for morning prayer. He will provide instruction in the method of laying tefillin at tomorrow's program at the synagogue.

Putting on tefillin is done while standing and begins with rolling up the sleeve of the weaker arm (left for the right-handed and vice versa) and removing any watches or bracelets. The person then puts on a tallit or prayer shawl, and says a blessing.

The straps of the tefillin for the hand (tefillin shel yad) are then unwrapped and the arm placed through the opening near the tefillin box. (Each box contains the same four verses from the biblical books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.) A knot in the leather strap is placed inside the arm toward the heart and the box goes on the bicep. The person wrapping the tefillin then says another blessing.

At this point, there are several options for wrapping, but Cantor Gloth always wraps the leather strap around his arm toward his body. One wrap holds the box in and then there are seven successive wraps on the forearm with none touching the other. When this is complete, the excess strap is wrapped loosely around the hand to be attended to later.

Next, the straps of the head tefillin (shel rosh) are unwrapped and the box placed in the middle of the forehead. The strap goes around the head with the knot in the back, near the nape of the neck and the strap hangs loosely in front over the chest. Another blessing is recited.

Then the excess strap on the hand is unwound and rewrapped over the back of the hand, three times around the middle finger, and once around both the middle and ring fingers, followed by recitation of another blessing.

The strap then is brought across the back of the hand, creating the letter "V," and wrapped around the middle of the hand, creating the Hebrew letter "shin," which is the first letter of Shaddai, a name for God meaning almighty.

To be kosher, tefillin and the parchments inside their boxes must be checked by a scribe or rabbi twice every seven years. Tefillin are not worn on the sabbath or on holidays or between the time of the death of a close relative and the funeral.

Cantor Gloth said putting on tefillin helps converge the mind, heart, and body into a total self bound together with God.

"I really do feel bound to God when I wear tefillin. I feel closer to God as a result of it and that seems to be what everyone is seeking."

A program on wrapping or laying tefillin will be presented at 8:15 a.m. tomorrow in Temple B'nai Israel, 2727 Kenwood Blvd., followed by Minyan at 9 and brunch. More information is available at www.worldwidewrap.org.

First Published January 26, 2002, 12:08 p.m.