For donations Click Here

Proping up Siddur with Tefillin Box

1) Can one use any black marker or paint to darken tefilin straps? I don’t think the average marker is made out of any impure animals.
2) Can one use tefillin cases to prop open a siddur to a page or is this considred a tashmush kedusha?

Answer:

1) The paint used to color tefillin must be kosher to eat. Since it is impossible to know the source of the ingredients in regular markers, it is advisable to use specially made tefillin markers. Having said this, it is certainly probable that other markers do not contain non-kosher materials, and therefore one can use them if there’s nothing else available.

Remember to say “lesheim mitzvas tefillin” when painting the tefillin.

2) The tefillin case is considered tashmishei kedusha (Mishnah Berurah 154:7 and sha’ar ha-tzion), and therefore shouldn’t be used to prop up a siddur.

However, if this is a person’s common and daily custom, there is room to consider this as a tenai (condition) made lechatchilah that the tefillin boxes will be used for propping up the siddur. Because there is some mitzvah element in this use, there is room to be lenient in this matter.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *