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By Rabbi Moshe Nisan Wiener

In connection with this week’s inspiring JEM Living Torah video on the practice of wearing Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, entitled “Two Pairs Are Better Than One: When the Rebbe Went Public with the Chabad Custom to Put on Two Pairs of Tefillin,” many readers may be interested to know that a concise halachic monograph by Rabbi Moshe Nisan Wiener directly addresses the key questions and challenges that have been raised regarding this practice.

Notably, an earlier version of this work was recommended by the Rebbe to a rov who had approached him with concerns about the custom, underscoring the publication’s credibility and significance.

Be’Inyan Hanachas Tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam – Ta’anos u’Me’aniyos (“On the Wearing of Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin – Challenges and Responses”) was prepared specifically to strengthen understanding of the topic and to present the major questions alongside well-sourced responses.

It is structured as a series of six thematic “claims and responses,” each engaging a central issue in the debate:

• The historical origins of the dispute between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam regarding the order of the parshiyot in tefillin, arguing that multiple traditions already existed in earlier generations and that both approaches have deep roots in classical sources.
• The claim that tefillin found at the grave of Yechezkel support only Rashi’s view, which the author challenges by demonstrating that such findings cannot conclusively establish normative halachah.
• The meaning of Zoharic passages often cited to argue that only one set of tefillin is required; the work shows that authoritative manuscript versions and leading commentators understand the Zohar as supporting the spiritual necessity of both.
• The position of later halachic authorities, including the Aruch HaShulchan and the Vilna Gaon, analyzing their arguments with respect while also presenting counter-evidence from other major poskim and kabbalistic sources.
• The concern of “yuhara” (religious ostentation) cited in Shulchan Aruch, with the author demonstrating that in contemporary practice—where many sincere Torah-observant Jews wear Rabbeinu Tam tefillin—this concern does not apply in the same way.

The work concludes that, particularly in light of the teachings of the Arizal and many later authorities, wearing both Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin represents an obligatory and meaningful fulfillment of the mitzvah, grounded in serious sources and longstanding tradition.

Overall, the publication offers readers a structured, source-based, and intellectually honest presentation of a complex halachic issue, making it valuable for rabbanim, educators, advanced students, and thoughtful laypeople alike.

Availability: The publication is available on Amazon and can be viewed at no cost in digital format for broader availability.

A brochure of over twenty volumes by Rabbi Wiener on a variety of halachic topics can be viewed here.

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P.S. The following is a personal memory connected to the precious inyan of hanachas Tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam, from a time before the Rebbe publicly revealed that the hour had come for this practice to be embraced by all.

During my years as a talmid in Mirrer Yeshiva on Ocean Parkway, I would often travel to the Lubavitcher Yeshiva on Ocean Parkway to attend the deep and inspiring shiurim of R’ Yoel Kahn z”l, together with the members of the “770 Kevutzah,” who were then present as shluchim of the Rebbe to strengthen and uplift the yeshiva. Through my connection with them, I became aware of the custom among Lubavitcher bochurim to ask the Rebbe upon turning eighteen whether they should begin putting on Tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam.

Having already passed that age, I brought the question to the Rebbe at my next yechidus, which took place in connection with my birthday. The Rebbe’s response was encouraging and positive. At the same time, with his characteristic sensitivity and wisdom, the Rebbe added that I should put on the Tefillin in a private setting—such as a classroom or dormitory room—so that it should not appear as though I were introducing new minhagim within the environment of Mirrer Yeshiva. (This was, of course, before the Rebbe later emphasized publicly the universal importance of wearing Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin.)

From the very next morning, the matter became personal and real. Each day, I would borrow a pair of Tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam from one of the Kevutzah bochurim at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva, until the pair I had ordered was completed. When my own Tefillin finally arrived, I began bringing them daily to Shacharis at Mirrer Yeshiva, carefully wrapped in a simple brown paper bag.

After davening, I would quietly enter the room of the Rosh Yeshiva, with whom I had a close relationship, and whose family I was also privileged to be close with. There, in that private and respectful setting—and often in the Rosh Yeshiva’s presence—I would put on Tefillin d’Rabbeinu Tam, treasuring both the mitzvah itself and the delicate balance of loyalty to the Rebbe’s guidance together with deep respect for the world in which I was growing.

Years later, the Rebbe suggested that I prepare a publication about Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin – a guidance that I fulfilled only partially with the kuntres described above and which I pray I may one day be zoche to properly expand.

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