עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is It Necessary to Remove the Watch Before Putting on Tefillin?
Question
I have seen in Yalkut Yosef that it is permitted to put on tefillin when wearing a watch. Are there sources that say it is forbidden? Thank you very much.
Answer
Greetings, Although there are those who are stringent and hold that one must remove the watch before putting on tefillin, as they consider it a barrier, the opinion of most poskim is that it is not considered a barrier. Therefore, the view of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, in Shut Yabia Omer Part 3 (Siman 2), is that fundamentally there is no need to remove the wristwatch when putting on tefillin. Nevertheless, those who are stringent and remove it will have a blessing. See also the lengthy discussion in Shut Yabia Omer Part 2, Orach Chaim, Siman 2. Also see the book Minhagei HaRashash Part 1, Chapter 3, Paragraph 5, where Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, in his later years, removed the watch when putting on tefillin.
Blessings, Hillel Meirs
