Tefillin

  • Sephardim do not put on tefillin during Ḥol ha-Mo`ed (the middle days of festivals). 
  • They say only one blessing to cover the tefillin of the arm and the head, rather than one for each. However they say the second blessing if they are interrupted and have to say something after placing the arm tefillin.
  • Sephardim wind the tefillin strap anti-clockwise (for a right-handed person). The form of the knot and of the wrappings round the hand is also different from that of the Ashkenazim.
  • The letter shin on the head tefillin has a different calligraphy than on the Ashkenazi tefillin.
  • The script used in Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot is different from the Ashkenazic and nearer to the printed square characters.[16]

 

tefillin sephardic knot photo courtesty Wikicommons