Spotting on Black Tefillin Straps?

Ask the Rov: The retzuos of my tefillin have white spots near the knot. Is that a problem?

By Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin – Rov of Anash in Petach Tikvah

One of the eight requirements for tefillin, transmitted to Moshe on Har Sinai, is for the retzuos (straps) to be black. Without this, the tefillin are invalid.¹ L’chatchila, they should be dark black (‘like a raven’), while b’dieved, they are kosher as long as their color is called black.²

What if the retzuah fades over time?

While some are melamed zechus that it’s only necessary for them to be black when they’re first made but not later,³ the implication from the poskim is that the blackness must be constantly maintained (similar to the squareness of the batim).⁴ When renewing the blackness, one should do so lishma and say “L’sheim kedushas tefillin.”⁵

If the retzuah is only partially faded, some employ the rule of rubo k’kulo (majority) to declare the entire retzuah as black.⁶ However, others require the entire shiur to be black. R. Shlomo Zalman Aurbach points out that if the retzua would be called “black” if asked and not “black and white,” even if white spots or cracks are visible, it is considered black and kosher based on its overall appearance without having to employ rubo k’kulo. Though it should be kept entirely black for hidur mitzva.⁷

The outer surface is what must be black, while the inner surface can be any color besides red.⁸ While the Rambam writes that it is a beauty of tefillin for both sides to be black,⁹ the minhag was not so.¹⁰ In recent years, some retzuos are saturated with black ink simply to ensure that the retzuos don’t fade, as they are black through and through.

It is imperative that the black side face outward. If the non-black side flips over in the strap encircling the head or first coil around the bicep, the Alter Rebbe rules that one is not yotzei.¹¹

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From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash