Can I adjust the date of hanochas tefillin according to our schedule?

The Gemara lists various mitzvos in which a father must educate his son: once a boy knows how to wave a lulav, he is obligated in the mitzva of lulav; and once he’s mature enough to maintain a state of guf naki (bodily purity) while wearing tefillin, his father is obligated to purchase tefillin for him as part of his chinuch.¹

The rishonim debate what age this is. Many understand this to be the age of chinuch, when the child is able to put on tefillin, which could be several years before his bar mitzva. However, Rashi writes that even at the average age of chinuch (i.e., age 6-9), a boy is not mature enough for tefillin, which require a high level of care to maintain purity. At the other extreme, the Ba’al Ha’itur limits it to age thirteen and onward.²

While the Shulchan Aruch applies it to a mature child, the Rama records the Ashkenazic custom to begin only at age thirteen. The Magen Avraham notes the later custom to begin training a boy 2-3 months before his bar mitzva, and this is the Alter Rebbe’s conclusion.³

The minhag Chabad is to begin two months before the bar mitzva.⁴ The Rebbe explains that although there is reason to push it off until the day of the Bar Mitzvah, the Rebbeim chose the earlier date to increase in light, similar to spreading Chassidus in recent generations, based on the mashal of grinding the crown jewel.⁵

For the first while, the boy does not recite a bracha, until he’s proficient to put them on in the correct manner and position, so the bracha shouldn’t be in vain.⁶ There is no fixed timing for this.

If Chol Hamoed falls during the two preparatory months, resulting in fewer days of wearing tefillin, the Rebbe responded that the boy may begin a week earlier.⁷ However, the date should not be changed just for convenience reasons.

See Sources (open PDF)