I have tefillin in a felt tefillin/tallis bag, and around that bag for the past years I have a plastic bag. If the plastic bag is now getting old can I throw out the bag or does the plastic bag that surrounded the tefillin bag need geniza? Also lets say I take my tefillin and put them in a plastic shabbos bag to carry them home, does that bag need geniza even though it is just a temporary bag that my tefillin just happen to be put into because of convenience?
Answer:
The plastic case around the tefillin bag is a tashmish or a tashmish, and it may be discarded. If a simple bag is used, it does not attain the kedushah of a tashmish, because it is considered as if it was stipulated that the bag will be used for other (mundane) matters.
Sources: See Orach Chaim 144, and Mishnah Berurah; only an item that is meyuchad (specific) for kedushah receives the status of tashmishei kedushah.
If the plastic case was meyuchad for the tefillin bag and is a tashmish can it be thrown out? I don’t totally understand the Rav’s answer.
Even if the plastic case is set aside for the tefillin bag, it can be thrown out, because it is only a tashmish de-tashmish.
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