Walking to Shul Wearing Tallis and Tefillin - Part 2
Question: Can one fulfill this practice even if his tallis and tefillin are already in the shul?
Discussion: Kaf Hachaim32 says he should try and have someone bring them to the shul courtyard where he should put them on before entering the shul. In the event that this can’t be done, he should enter the shul, retrieve his tallis and tefillin, and then exit the shul and put them on in the courtyard. He should recite the words “Eshtachaveh el Heichal kodshecha b’yirasecha” only after putting the tefillin on.
Question: Regarding putting on one’s tallis at home, does this only apply during the week, or does it also apply on Shabbos and Yom Tov?
Discussion: The Zohar only discusses leaving one’s home wearing tallis and tefillin together. Therefore, on Shabbos or Yom Tov when people don’t wear tefillin, there would be no advantage to walking to shul wrapped in one’s tallis.33
Question: Granted, in the Diaspora the presence of non-Jews makes it impractical to fulfill this ideal. However, it is rare in our times to encounter filth in the streets.34 So why isn’t it standard practice, at least in Eretz Yisrael?35
Discussion: Perhaps the reason is a fear that one will not keep his thoughts on his tefillin. In earlier times, most people davened very early and, when walking to shul, would only encounter other men who were also walking to shul. But nowadays, one encounters all sorts of people who could distract his thoughts. Therefore, it is difficult to walk the streets with the clarity of thought described by the Zohar.
The above, along with the general practice nowadays of not wearing tefillin more than necessary, seems to account for why many people don’t put on their tallis and tefillin at home.
That said, if a person can put on his tallis and tefillin at home and walk to shul without encountering any of these obstacles, it would indeed be preferable to do so. At the very least, one should make an effort to put on his tallis and tefillin in the courtyard or lobby of the shul so that he can enter and say, “Eshtachaveh el heichal kodshecha – b’yirasecha.”
32 25:17.
33 Kaf Hachaim 25:20.
34 Regarding whether or not dumpsters in Eretz Yisrael qualify as a reason not to wear tefillin in the street, see Betzel Hachochmah VI:26, Ohr Letzion II, 6:18 and Halichos Shlomo 20:1. See also Da’as Notah III, footnotes 86 and 87. Thankfully, newer garbage disposal systems present no problem at all.
35 Apparently, this question should apply just the same in the Diaspora to neighborhoods where only religious Jews live.