עברית
Halachot and Customs
Are Tefillin and Tallit Bags Required to be Buried?
Question
Hello respected Rabbi, My wife gave me a new bag for tallit and tefillin (fabric). Now I have two questions:
1. What is the law regarding the old bags (trash, inside a pouch, two pouches, burial, etc.)?
2. My son found that my old tefillin bag fits his tallit; is it permitted to use it for a tallit or is that a degradation of sanctity?
Thank you very much!
Answer
Greetings,
1. A bag in which the tefillin are placed in their boxes, even if it is a simple bag not made for honor, is worthy of burial. If it is not clear that it was used for tefillin, it is permitted to discard it in the garbage. However, a velvet embroidered pouch made for honor is a sacred object requiring burial by Halacha. A nylon bag protecting the velvet pouch is a utensil for a utensil; if it is clear it was used for tefillin, although it does not require burial, it should not be discarded disrespectfully (Ganzi Hakedosh, Chapter 6, Section 15). A cloth pouch traditionally used for the tallit, although by law it may be discarded, should not be thrown in a disrespectful manner. The nylon cover wrapping it, if it is not clear it was used for this purpose, may be discarded in the garbage. Modern pouches, some containing gold thread around them, should not be discarded disrespectfully (ibid., Chapter 17, Section 15). 2. Since the tefillin bag requires burial by Halacha, it is forbidden to use it for a tallit, as this is considered a degradation of sanctity (see ibid., Chapter 1, Section 19).
