Sunday, 19 December 2021

Tefillin Bag

Question: Can I use my old tefillin bag to store my shofar?

Answer: The Gemara (Sanhedrin 48a) teaches that a cloth designated for and subsequently used to wrap tefillin may not later be repurposed to hold money. Once an item has been used for a mitzva-related purpose, it retains its kedusha and may no longer be used for mundane purposes.

The Shulchan Aruch (OC 42:3) rules that a bag designated for tefillin may not be used for money if it has been used even once for tefillin. Such a bag is classified as tashmishei kedusha, an accessory that serves a sacred object. The Rema adds that if one explicitly stipulated beforehand that the bag could be used for other purposes, it remains permissible to do so.

The Mishna Berura (402:11) clarifies that this restriction does not apply to a tallis bag, even if one regularly places their tefillin bag inside it. Likewise, in Biur Halacha (34:4), he writes that as long as one consistently returns their tefillin to their protective boxes before placing them in the tefillin bag, the bag itself does not attain the status of tashmishei kedusha and may be used for other items.

The Minchas Elazar (1:27) questions whether a tefillin bag still retains its kedusha, as the knots of the tefillin remain exposed rather than being enclosed within the tefillin boxes (see Piskei Teshuvos 42:3).

Nevertheless, R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo, Tefilla 4:35) maintains that tefillin bags do not require geniza (burial), since the tefillin are always stored in protective boxes before being placed inside the bag.

In conclusion, one may use an old tefillin bag to store a shofar.​