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What is the halacha behind gifting tefilin? What is the halacha of receiving tefilin? Can a Jew gift his only pair of tefilin if he does not use it and can another Jew accept a gift which leaves the receiver without any tefilin?

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    I think the details in the original question actually added some useful background. Not sure editing them out is really that helpful here.
    – Daniel
    Jan 22, 2015 at 17:41
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    Baruch, your original question was clearly a request for a practical ruling, which is not something we can offer. Your current version is not, and looks like a valid question (though it could do with some more details), but is not the same essential question as your original one, since this version is about what the giver is allowed to do, while you were previously asking what the receiver was allowed to do. If this is what you want, fine. If not, I'd encourage you to rewrite the original question to be not asking for a ruling, along the lines of ...
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Jan 22, 2015 at 18:37
  • ... "Is it permissible to receive, as a gift, the only pair of tefilin owned by a Jewish man who says that he never uses them?" Either way, the question will be most valuable if you also include reasoning about why you think the action in question may or may not be allowed.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Jan 22, 2015 at 18:39
  • Looks like you guys already closed the post. I just asked my rabbi and he said if I had none it would be OK but the giver always could have a change of heart and so I cannot have 2 while he has zero and make it impossible for him to do the mitzvah for my simple convenience. It would have been cool to get the halacha behind it but it seems like it's causing a stir here =)
    – Baruch
    Jan 22, 2015 at 19:38
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    @Baruch, the question can be reopened, but it has to be reworded a bit. I liked the first revision, that had the background and a lot of relevant information, but in order to maintain order around here, we have to make good and certain that nobody uses this site as a place for psak halacha. Why don't you edit your question a little more, and we'll see about reopening it? (you already have 2/5 required votes to reopen)
    – MTL
    Jan 22, 2015 at 19:53

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Like I said in a comment on the question, I don't know if halacha discusses this question, but it just feels like a bad idea to burn bridges like that. Even if the tefillin aren't in use right now, but if they're given away, then the opportunity to start using them again is gone.

Some take a very Toy Story view* of mitzvah objects, that it's "sad" or "unfortunate" that a pair of tefillin or a tallis hasn't been in use (which might or might not have some support in certain minhagim), I think it's even sadder when a Jew doesn't do an easy mitzvah, and doesn't care to the point of giving away the mitzva object to be used by another.

* that "toys deeply want children to play with them, and that this desire drives their hopes, fears, and actions." ~Wikipedia

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