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.
