What Has Seven Legs & Only Two Shins?

Answer

Well spotted! Those two Shins on the Tefillin have profound significance. The Zohar explains the depth behind the unusual four-legged Shin. We just need to do some maths to work it out.

Every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value. The value of Shin is 300. So two Shins add up to 600.

Then, if you place one Shin next to the other, they spell the word Sheish, which is Hebrew for the number six.

So we have 600 and 6.

Now, if you count the legs on the two Shins, there is the three-legged one and the four-legged one, all together seven legs.

We are now left with 600, 6 and 7.

600 + 6 + 7 = 613

613 is the total number of commandments in the Torah. It is no coincidence that the Shin combination adds up to that number. Tefillin is one mitzvah that represents them all.

Tefillin is like a miniature version of the whole Torah. Tefillin bind our thoughts and actions to G-d. The head represents how we think, the arm how we act. Between them, they symbolise a life devoted to every mitzvah, not just one.

Judaism is about finding holiness in the everyday and bringing G-d down into our physical world. The daily practice of putting on Tefillin illustrates this perfectly. A black leather box becomes sacred. Your arm and head become holy. Your daily routine becomes elevated.

That's why Tefillin are so important. They are a gateway mitzvah. Put them on daily and wrap yourself in the whole Torah, from your head down to your shins.