Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email

Can tefillin be worn on Shabbos?

Tefillin can be worn on weekdays throughout the day. On Shabbos, however, there is no mitzvah to wear tefillin, and doing so is a transgression of the prohibition of bal tosif. Even if one does not intend to be yotzei the mitzvah, laying tefillin on Shabbos is forbidden mid’rabonon. There is a concern that one may remove them while walking outside and end up carrying them in a reshus harabim. Some maintain that there is no such prohibition. As in the case of Shabbos, one should not put on his tefillin at night. The wearer may fall asleep and fail to maintain the bodily cleanliness which is necessary when wearing tefillin.

[שו"ע כט, א, ומשנ"ב א-ב; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 2 ;סימן ל, ס"ק א]

May one put on tefillin during bein hashemashos?

One may not put on tefillin in the morning until it is light enough to recognize a casual acquaintance from a distance of four amos. Until this time, there is still a concern that one may fall asleep in his tefillin. There is a disagreement among the poskim in defining the exact time that tefillin can be put on. The views range from six minutes after alos hashachar to a half-hour before netz hachamah. Some poskim allow a person to lay tefillin during bein hashemashos. Others only allow this if a person has not yet put on tefillin during the day.

[שו"ע ל, א, ומשנ"ב א ו־ג; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 2]

Can tefillin be worn at night?

One who is wearing his tefillin at sunset may continue wearing them until he is ready to go to sleep. After tzeis hakochavim they should only be worn privately, and one should not instruct others to follow this practice. If the tefillin could be lost or stolen if they were removed, they may even be worn publicly at night. In such circumstances, some poskim even allow the tefillin to be put on again after having been removed.

שו"ע ל, ב, משנ"ב ה-ט, וביה"ל ד"ה אם, וד"ה מותר; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 5]

According to the teachings of Kabbalah, the proper way to remove tefillin is by removing the straps which are wrapped around the middle finger. The shel rosh is then removed, followed by the shel yad.

The custom is to wrap the retzuos before putting the tefillin away. They should be wrapped on the sides of the tefillin and not directly on the bayis. There is also a custom to wrap the retzuos in the form of the wings of a dove.

When one who is wearing tefillin is reminded of what he is wearing, he should touch both his shel yad and shel rosh. This keeps the wearer’s focus on his tefillin and helps ensure that they are situated in the proper place.

Can a traveler put on tefillin while it is still dark?

Can tefillin ever be worn openly outside?

Can tefillin be worn after one is mekabel Shabbos?

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.