Why Don’t Women Lay Tefillin?

Various Halachic, kabbalistic, and educational reasons harmonize.

Q. Why Don’t Women Lay Tefillin?

Women aren’t allowed to lay Tefilin for several reasons: One must be careful to be 100% pure in body and thought while wearing them. Accordingly, even men, though obligated in Tefilin, only don them for the minimal amount of time, and immediately remove them, so as not to accidentally transgress prohibitions. Accordingly, women who aren’t obligated to wear them, shouldn’t take that chance (Rama, Or.Ch. 38). The Olat Tamid adds that keeping one’s body pure is particularly difficult when a woman is menstruating. The Maharam Shick (15) adds that being that Tefilin are worn for the minimum necessary time, as women are exempt, if a woman does lay Tefilin, even privately, it may be Yuhara (religious arrogance, seeming to declare, I can totally concentrate on pure thoughts).  The Targum Yonatan (Dv. 22,5) and others add that it transgresses the prohibition of wearing men’s attire. The kabbalists add that after learning the deeper ideas of Tefilin, one would see no need for women to wear them (Kaf HaChaim).

In addition, one can’t ignore the social and religious context, a woman declares by doing so, clearly defying Jewish tradition, and identifying with the slippery slope of reform. The “positive” direction of Israeli education in the Ulpanot and youth movements, has proven itself much more successful than the orthodox-feminist movement in America. Rather than instilling feelings of inferiority, attempting to copy men, Israeli girls are very proud of their feminine role, stressing altruistic volunteering, national service (absorbing olim, helping handicapped, underprivileged, building new settlements etc.), learning Torah in Midrashot geared for them, and being the backbone of the Jewish family, responsible for building today’s society as well as tomorrow’s. In short, the Israeli educational approach is that idealistic feminism, to be proud of one’s womanhood, is much more true, proud and appealing than apologetically trying to emulate men.