Commentary for Menachot 68:1

ת"ר לטטפת לטטפת לטוטפת הרי כאן ד' דברי רבי ישמעאל

Our Rabbis taught: It is written, Letotefeth, letotefeth, and letotafoth,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The word (frontlets, i.e., the tefillin) occurs three times in the Torah, twice (Deut. VI, 8 and XI, 18) defectively written, so that ,upyyk in each instance the word might be read in the singular, and once (Ex. XIII, 16) written plene, , which indicates the plural number,' thus ,upyyk making a total of four. It must be noted that this Talmudic statement does not agree with the Masoretic text, for , written plene, is not to ,pyyk be found at all in our versions. V. Tosaf. s.v. .');">¹</span> making four in all.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence the rule that the tefillin worn on the head must be composed of four compartments, each containing a specified portion of Scripture.');">²</span> So R'Ishmael. R'Akiba says, There is no need of that interpretation, for 'tot' means two in Katpi<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' perhaps the Coptic language.');">³</span>

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