According to Halacha, Is the actual mitzvah of tefillin on having it on your body or placing it on your body? The reason I ask is because if it’s the former, you could sit still and have someone else put your tefillin on you for you, if it’s the latter you could not. Would it be different with a woman/minor putting tefillin on you?
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1I don't have sources, but anecdotally it's very common for people to put tefillin on others who are unable to on their own.– shmoselCommented Feb 21 at 19:45
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Also possible that shlichus would work in this case (ie for some reason you can't get someone to wear tefillin for you, but if they put it on you it's as if you did it yourself) - צ"ע– AKACommented Feb 22 at 21:56
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1 Answer
The Mishnah Berura in 27:6 when discussing one who doesn’t have a right hand, and therefore can’t physically put on his tefillin on his left hand, says that someone else can put it on for him:
אבל אם נעשה גידם בימין אפילו נקטע לו כל היד חייב בתפילין ויבקש לאחרים שיניחוהו עליו
Regarding whether a woman or non Jew can put them on, or only someone else who is also mechuyav, is a machlokes Rishonim brought by the Hagaos Maimonis in Tzitzis 1:12 with Rabbeinu Tam saying that she can’t put the tefillin on and other Rishonim saying she can. However, all agree that there is no problem for someone else to put them on, rather only if that person isn’t mechuyav in the mitzvah.
Rav Wosner in Shevet Halevi 1:8 discusses this question at length with all the different angles, if the mitzvah is to put them on, or have them on, and whether a woman or non Jew can put them on for you. He concludes that lchatchila one shouldn’t allow them to, but if there’s no other choice then it’s ok. It is said that Rav Elyashiv agreed with this, while R’ Shlomo Zalman said that the majority of the poskim allow it and it’s not a problem at all.
