Pair of miniature tefillin uniquely and meticulously crafted by R. Netanel Sofer Tefillinski. Beit Yosef (Ashkenazic) script. Jerusalem, [ca. 1890s].
These tefillin belonged to R. Yehoshua Leib Diskin Rabbi of Brisk (1818-1898), who wore them throughout the day while studying. The tefillin were specially manufactured for him following his detailed instructions, by his disciple the renowned scribe R. Netanel Sofer of Jerusalem, who scribed the parashiot and crafted the batim with many enhancements.
The Maharil Diskin gifted these tefillin to his disciple R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Yadler, author of Tiferet Tzion, as a tribute to his years of toil in composing the Tiferet Tzion series on the Midrash. The tefillin were then passed down from generation to generation in the Yadler-Goldberg family: first to his son, the Jerusalem Maggid R. Benzion Yadler-Goldberg, and later to his grandson R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Yadler-Goldberg. The latter attested in a letter (enclosed) that the Maharil Diskin, who purchased these tefillin at great cost from R. Netanel Sofer and donned them throughout the day, later gifted them to his grandfather R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Yadler, who also wore them all day. Upon the latter's passing, the tefillin were inherited by R. Benzion Yadler, who likewise wore them throughout the day. (Enclosed: letter from the son of R. Benzion Yadler and additional letter from his grandson, attesting to the authenticity of the tefillin, the transfer of ownership and the sale to the present owner).
R. Netanel Sofer's tefillin were legendary, and requests were received from all over the world for the holy tefillin he produced. Many prominent Torah leaders tried to obtain tefillin and mezuzot scribed by R. Netanel Sofer, including: R. Shmuel Salant, the Maharil Diskin, R. Chaim Berlin, the Leshem, the Alter of Slabodka, R. Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, and others. It is known that the Chafetz Chaim expended great effort in obtaining such tefillin, and greatly rejoiced upon receiving them.
R. Netanel Sofer Tefillinski-Lipschitz (1866-1918), a holy Tzadik and prominent Torah scholar of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Jerusalem, who was blessed with remarkable technical and creative abilities. He personally performed all the tasks required for making tefillin from beginning to end: processing the parchment for the parashiot and the leather for the batim and straps, preparing the ink, cutting the straps, crafting the batim, etc. When it came to writing the parashiot, R. Netanel would scribe each letter and tag in holiness and purity, wrapped in his tallit and tefillin, never speaking while writing. R. Netanel Sofer worked so meticulously, that he produced very few sets of tefillin, and even during his short lifespan (he passed away at the age of 52), the tefillin of R. Netanel Sofer were rare commodities.
Until this day, several mezuzot and parashiot of tefillin made by R. Netanel Sofer are extant, and they are remarkable for the special halachic precision of the shape of the letters and for their superb scribal writing. The special ink produced by R. Netanel Sofer remains sharp and black, even a hundred years later.
Reputedly, R. Netanel produced altogether around 30 pairs of tefillin, most of which were in regular, not miniature size. The present pair of tefillin is the only known extant miniature pair of tefillin by R. Netanel. Experts attest that these tefillin have an additional enhancement not found in other tefillin produced by R. Netanel – the parashiot were written in four lines only, rather than in the usual seven lines.
R. Netanel Sofer would paste printed papers inside the tefillin boxes, detailing the virtues of his tefillin, in regard to the script, parchment and ink, which he guaranteed would last for a very long time. He writes that the various enhancements were approved by leading Torah scholars, reputedly referring to R. Shmuel Salant and the Maharil Diskin, whom he consulted on all halachic issues relevant to the manufacture of tefillin.
Torah leaders yearned to don the tefillin worn by the Maharil Diskin during his Torah study. They viewed it as a great segulah, and expended much effort to merit to lay them even once.
Arm-tefillin: Bayit: approx. 17.5X17.5 mm. Base: approx. 28.7X28.5 mm. Base including passageway: approx. 45.8X28.7 mm. Height: 26.5 mm.
Head-tefillin: Bayit: approx. 18.5X18.5 mm. Base: approx. 29.5X29.3 mm. Base including passageway: approx. 45.1X29.5 mm. Height: 27.1 mm.
Non-original straps, tied in accordance with halachah. Enclosed separately are worn straps (possibly the original straps by R. Netanel). New, non-original plastic protective cases, placed in a new leather tefillin pouch.
Tefillin in good condition. Examined over the years by Stam proofreaders and experts, who confirmed that they are indeed in the distinctive hand of R. Netanel Sofer, and attested to the kashrut and exceptional beauty of the tefillin (see enclosed reports). The tefillin are sewn and closed – we did not examine the parashiot; see photographs of parashiot in enclosed material and in the Pe'er Yerushalayim institute – code TPBB 1466.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.