[Avodah] Ta'amai d'kra - why do we put tephillin on our weaker arm

[Akiva Miller via Avodah]

M Cohen asked:

: why do we put tephillin on our weaker arm?
...
: the arm tephillin represents shibud of our strength to HKBH
: then arm tephillin should be on our stronger arm

R' Micha Berger suggested:

> Perhaps the point is to wrap your tefillin using
> your stronger arm, rather than on it.

which I understand as: We are accustomed to connecting the tefillin with
the (passive, weaker) arm on which they are placed, but perhaps the point
is to look at the (active, stronger) arm which is doing the tying and
wrapping.

This answers a related question that has bothered me for quite some time:
Halacha forbids us (men) from using the strong arm for cleaning after
defecation, as that would be disrespectful to the tefillin. (Orach Chayim
3:10) The logic always bothered me: If it is bad to use a once-soiled arm
for handling the tefillin for the few seconds of tying and wrapping, isn't
it even worse for a once-soiled arm to support the tefillin for the
duration of shacharis or longer?

RMB's post speaks to both the original question and mine too:

> The hand being used to do the tying is doing avodas Hashem
> and therefore should be the strong hand

And so too, the hand being used to do the tying is doing avodas Hashem and
therefore that's the one that should be the cleaner hand.

Akiva Miller
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