Questions About Tefillin - Part 2: Making Gasos, Correcting Others, and Maybe Putting Them on Wrong

Q. How long do tefillin “gasos” take to produce from scratch?

A. The leather from which the boxes are made is left to harden for a year, so it takes a long time to make tefillin from scratch.

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Q. The rabbi did the first part of the Shema with me, with tefillin. He rushed me, so I missed the last word of the first paragraph. Is there nothing I can do?

A. Reciting Shema and putting on tefillin are separate mitzvos. If you missed a word of Shema, you can always just say it again, without tefillin.

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Q. Someone’s tefillin is the wrong size. Wearing it incorrectly is not a mitzvah. This has been brought to his attention multiple times. Even he admits the issue. Everyone is getting annoyed. How should we resolve this?

A. The issue was brought to his attention, so he's aware. The ball is in his court. The obligation to bring such things to people's attention only goes so far. You can't control other people. If he's been informed, it becomes a matter between him and God.

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Q. The rabbi helped me with tefillin today. Not my normal rabbi, and he was rushing. He signed off on it, but I question if it was done correctly, hence I might lose the mitzvah.

A. Thanks for your question. I have three responses: (1) I think you can rely on the rabbi; he’s the professional and I don't think he’d “sign off” on shoddy work! (2) According to the Talmud (Kiddushin 40a), if one intends to perform a mitzvah but is prevented from doing so, he receives credit nonetheless, so there’s no need to worry about “losing” the mitzvah. (3) If you're concerned, you could always put tefillin on again.

Rabbi Jack's book Ask Rabbi Jack is available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.