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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@saber.towson.edu>
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 22:40:18 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: RE: Why we don't wear Tefillin

 Chaiim Mateh v33n41 writes about why we do not wear tefillin

>>AFAIK, we need also guf noki (clean body) when wearing Tfillin, which
means that even passing gas is considered guf not noki.  Since we cannot
prevent such things for long periods of time (how they did it in days
gone by, I dunno), the time of Tfillin wearing was restricted to the
short period of morning davening.  Women, by nature, have other bodily>>>

I find this reasoning strange and not fully accurate.

1) The **biblical mitzvah** is to "wear tefillin" period. Obviously you
take them off for Bodily functions and this is a rabbinic commandment of
showing respect. But it would not make sense to totally abrogate the
Biblical commandment for the sake of the rabbinic commandment of
'respect for holy objects'.

2) As Chaiim himself notes in ancient days they wore them all day
despite the fact that they might occasionally pass intestinal gas. (In
passing, a person on a healthy diet can avoid ever passing intestinal
gas).

3) I have heard that the reason we dont wear tefillin arose during the
Roman persecution (Just as eg we did not study Torah openly or delayed
saying shma till the Mosaf Kedushah when the Roman spys left the
synagogue)

Personally, if say, I know that I am spending a whole Sunday studying
(eg answering a backlog of Mail-Jewishes) then I will not hesitate to
wear Tefillin (in my house) and during such times I will eat light
snacks (to the best of my knowledge and belief there is no real
prohibition against eating in tefillin if your mind is still on Torah).

Finally I once heard from Rabbi Saul Berman (in passing) "If wearing
Tefillin all day were reinstituted perhaps the higher awareness of
Kedusha would help curtail some of the violations of business ethics in
the Jewish community"

Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA; Dept of Math Towson University
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