DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 4.03 MB)
Is One Allowed to Keep Other Items With the Tefillin in the Tefillin Bag?

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 42:3) writes that if one keeps his Tefillin in a bag which is exclusively designated for Tefillin, then once he placed his Tefillin in the bag, he may not then use the bag to keep money inside it. The bag at that point becomes a "Tashmish Kedusha" – an article designated for the purpose of a sacred article – and thus may not be used for money. The Mishna Berura (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) clarifies that the Shulhan Aruch mentions money only as a common example, and in truth, this Halacha applies to all items which are not sacred like Tefillin. Even things which are used for a Misva – such as a Siddur or Tehillim – may not be placed in the bag designated for Tefillin. Likewise, one may not keep in this bag the mirror he uses to help position the Tefillin on his head, or the marker he uses to paint his Tefillin.

Many people keep their small Tefillin bag in a larger bag, which is used also for their Tallit and Siddur. Since this larger bag is not designated exclusively for Tefillin, it may be used for other items, even items which are not used for a Misva, such as money. This Halacha is discussed by Hacham David Yosef (contemporary) in his Halacha Berura (vol. 3, p. 301; listen to audio recording for precise citation).

Summary: A bag which is designated exclusively for Tefillin may not be used to hold anything else, even a Siddur. However, if one keeps his Tefillin bag in a larger bag together with his Tallit and Siddur, then since the larger bag is not designated exclusively for Tefillin, he may keep anything else – even money – in that larger bag.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Saying Kadish and Hazara If A Minyan Formed After Praying BeYachid
Answering “Amen” to the Beracha “Shomer Et Amo Yisrael Mi’kol Dabar Ra La’ad”
The Status of Israeli Residents Visiting America with Regard to “Barech Alenu”
Holding and Kissing the Sisit During Shema
Reciting the 'Yag Middot' Privately and with a Minyan; Counting the 'Yag Middot' with One's Fingers
Learning After One Finishes the Amida, Before the Hazzan's Repetition
The Proper Way to Hold One's Hands During Tefila
Must One Wear a Belt During Tefila?
If One Does Not Remember During the Amida Which Beracha He Just Recited
Insights On The Kadish
Reciting Berachot, Praying or Studying Torah When One Needs to Use the Restroom
Halachot Concerning the Recitation of the First Verse of Shema
Standing for the Recitation of Shema
"Keri" and "Ketiv": Words in the Torah That are Not Pronounced According to Their Spelling
Studying Torah or Praying When One Smells a Foul Odor
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found