What is the Meaning of 'Totafot'?

Shalom u'vracha!

Our sages received in the Oral Torah that this section (Shema until 'u'v'sharecha' and 'v'haya im shamoa') is to be placed on the head. This is the mitzvah of tefillin, where we place the written passage on parchment inside a container made of animal hide.

The meaning of the word 'totafot' is debated among the commentators. Some explain that it refers to a 'crown', as it is called in Aramaic a type of ornament on the head. Others hint that the word 'totafot' is composed of two words in two different languages: 'tet' in an ancient language meaning 'two' and 'pat' in Africa meaning 'two'.

In the name of Rabbi Benjamin Shmueli