Forgetting to Remove Tefillin on Rosh Chodesh

Q. If one forgot to remove their tefillin before Musaf and began Shemoneh Esrei, should they take off their tefillin in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei when you remember?

A. The Mishnah Berurah (25:61) writes that if you forgot to remove your tefillin before beginning Musaf, you should not interrupt Shemoneh Esrei to remove them, since it is a minhag based on a chumra (extra stringency). Piskei Teshuvos (25:28 n. 215) suggests that if one prefers, they may slide the tefillin shel Rosh to the side and put a shirt under the shel yad, so that halachically it is as if they are not wearing tefillin.

Pischei Teshuvos (25:28) also cites poskim who state that if someone is davening Shacharis and hears a tzibur reciting kedusha with “Keser,” he can respond even though he is wearing Tefillin.

The Taz (quoted in MB 25:62) writes that in places where “Keser” is not recited in the kedusha of Musaf, if someone wants to leave on their tefillin during Musaf, it is not necessary to correct them. However, the Mishnah Berurah adds when davening with others, one may not deviate from the minhag of the congregation.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.