Tefillin, or phylacteries, during the Second Temple period around 2,000 years ago were not intentionally dyed black, contrary to the long-held Jewish tradition codified in the Talmud, a new study has revealed.
Researchers from Ariel University, the Israel Antiquities Authority, the University of Exeter (Britain), and the Weizmann Institute of Science conducted extensive scientific analysis of ancient leather tefillin cases discovered in caves near Qumran in the Judean Desert. Their findings, published Thursday in the prestigious PLOS ONE journal, contradict the long-held halachic tradition that tefillin must be dyed black – a ruling from a Talmud sage, who declared that having black tefillin was a religious law originating from Moses at Mount Sinai.
Since the Talmudic era, it has been standard practice to dye tefillin cases black. However, the multidisciplinary study, spanning several years, revealed no evidence that the early tefillin were artificially colored.
"This is an extremely important discovery," Professor Yonatan Adler of Ariel University, who led the research, said. "For the first time, tefillin were scientifically examined for their original color. Where the leather appeared very dark, we now know this resulted from natural aging and degradation over two millennia, not intentional dyeing."
The rare ancient tefillin artifacts were analyzed using advanced spectroscopic techniques and chemical compositional tests. The findings suggest that the black color stipulation emerged later in rabbinic tradition rather than as an original requirement.
"It seems likely that initially, there was no halachic significance to the tefillin's color," Adler explained. "Only in a later period did the sages rule they must be dyed black, though there remained disagreements over whether it was an obligation or merely for aesthetic reasons."
Ilit Cohen-Ofri and Yonah Maor of the Antiquities Authority's Dead Sea Scrolls unit highlighted how the research illuminates the dynamic evolution of Jewish law over generations. Adler noted, "Our studies of these ancient tefillin teach us that halakhah was always a vibrant, living tradition – the opposite of the static perception."
