Speaking during the donning of Tefillin

Hello, How should an Ashkenazi person proceed if they spoke between putting on the hand Tefillin (after the blessing) and the head Tefillin? Should they continue putting on the Tefillin? Should they stop and remove them to put them on again with a new blessing? Additionally, what is the source of the law that prohibits speaking between the blessings? And what is the reason?

Hello

One who customarily recites one blessing 'להניח תפילין' for both the hand and head Tefillin, if they spoke after putting on the hand Tefillin, should recite the blessing 'על מצות תפילין' for the head Tefillin. 

For those who recite 'להניח' on the hand Tefillin and 'על מצות' on the head Tefillin, if they spoke between them, they must recite two blessings before putting on the head Tefillin: 'להניח' and 'על מצות'. 

The Mishnah Berurah also writes that even for those following the second custom, it is better to slightly move the hand Tefillin from its place and then return it and tighten the knot, after which they should recite both blessings. 

The source of the prohibition is in the Gemara (Sotah 44b): speaking between the donning of Tefillin is considered a transgression, and one is sent back from the battlefield.

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