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In many shuls, I see the majority of people begin putting away their tefillin when the chazan begins the full Kaddish (after U'va Letzion). To me this seems disruptive and disrespectful to the mourners saying Kaddish at the end. (Just because people don't complain, doesn't mean that it may not bother them.)

  1. Is that disruption/disrespect an actual concern cited in authoritative sources as leading to a recommendation/requirement not to remove the tefillin at that time?
  2. Are the tefillin supposed to be worn for the entire duration of Shacharit (except for Rosh Hodesh / Hol Hamo'ed and those who switch to Rav Tam, etc.)? Doesn't Shacharit end after the last Kaddish? (Nusach Ashkenaz - I think Sefarad is the same idea.) Is it proper then that people put away their tefillin before the end of davening?
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  • If I'm not mistaken ,you can put away tefillin after the Kedusah in Uwva Letzion.HOWEVER, it is certainly improper (not juse because it overlapps with a kadish,same can be said about folding your talit during kadish). Isn't the ideal is to have tefillin all day? Nowaday, due to distractions etc. we only put them during tefilah so even that little people are nibbing off ? Of course, those who have early work hours might not have other choices (assuming they try to take Vatikin if possible)
    – Zeev
    Mar 16, 2015 at 22:08
  • @Zeev - I knew about the rule of wearing Tefillin all day, but I didn't want to "complicate" the question. As it is, few these days follow this practice. But, it seems, people are in a hurry to finish davening - even on Shabbat when there's no train to catch :-(
    – DanF
    Mar 16, 2015 at 22:19
  • There is a saying "A Mitnaged wants to stay at the same word while a Chasid wants to get to the next one" =) And you did half-opened the discussion of what is allowed and what is not during a kadish
    – Zeev
    Mar 16, 2015 at 22:39
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    I can imagine taking off tefillin before davening is over could be problematic, but I find it interesting that the reason you suspect it to be so is because it is somehow "disrespectful to the mourners saying Kaddish." Why do you think they would care if someone is taking off their tefillin while they say kaddish?
    – Daniel
    Mar 16, 2015 at 23:27
  • @Daniel - Good question. What I didn't mention is that psychologically, those taking off their tefillin start to shmooze too, which is a separate problem. I.e. - in our shul, it's a "stimulus", and I suspect this happens in other shuls, also. Even if they were quiet, the mourners sense that many of them are not paying attention to answer "Amen" to them. Plus, they sense "inequality", i.e. these people are in a hurry to get out of shul and feel that having to answer for Kaddish is a "burden"; they wouldn't act that way to them if they were saying kaddish,
    – DanF
    Mar 17, 2015 at 2:24

3 Answers 3

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The Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 37:2 writes that the primary time of having Tefillin on is for Kri'as Shema and Shemoneh Esrei:

מכל מקום צריך כל אדם ליזהר בהם להיותם עליו בשעת קריאת שמע ותפלה

However, in O.C. 25:13, the Shulchan Aruch writes to have them on until the end of the kedusha following uva letzion. The Rema argues and writes that you take them off after Kadish Yasom:

נהגו העולם שלא לחלוץ תפילין עד אחר קדושת ובא לציון הגה ויש מי שכתב על צד הקבלה שלא לחלוץ עד שאמר בהם שלש קדושות וארבע קדישים דהיינו לאחר קדיש יתום והכי נוהגים המדקדקים

The Mishna Berura there (se'if katan 55) writes from the Arizal that they should be left on until the final paragraph of aleinu:

בשם האר"י ז"ל כתבו שלא היה חולץ עד אחר ע"כ נקוה לך

So putting them away after uva letzion is acceptable according to the Shulchan Aruch, and according to the Arizal taking them off before the final kaddish is still acceptable. According to the Rema, they should be on until after kaddish yasom.

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  • thanks for the research. While these people are following halacha, it still seems disrespectful to the mourners, I think.
    – DanF
    Mar 16, 2015 at 22:24
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    @DanF It could be. But the only question in your post was in the last two paragraphs, which is what I was answering.
    – Y     e     z
    Mar 16, 2015 at 22:35
  • However I was told it is inappropriate to actually be removing them during the recitation of Kaddish. So if you start removing them after the Kedushah in Uva L'Tziyon and then they reach the Kaddish at the end, either the Tiskabal or a mourner's kaddish after Aleinu or Shir Shel Yom, you should "pause" removing them, listen to the kaddish and respond "y'hei sh'mei raba" etc.
    – CashCow
    Mar 17, 2015 at 10:27
  • Even the Rama thinks it's acceptable to take them off after Uva leTzion (if not earlier). He just says there is value to leaving them on longer (which is sorta obvious since it's a Mitzva Deorayta every second). Not everyone is expected to be a Medakdek.
    – Double AA ♦
    Feb 10, 2017 at 15:05
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According to R' Wiesenthal (see note 4 on אשרי–ובא לציון here) the minhag of the Mahari"l was to remove the tefillin after עלינו, presumably according to Minhag Shu"m (this is what I do).* On the other hand, he also records the practice of R' Hirsch which was to follow the Rama and remove them after the קדיש following עלינו (Minhag Hamburg/Altona).

*שו”ם: שפײַרא, מאגענציא, ווערמײַזא (Speyer, Mainz, Worms)

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    It should be noted that Nusach Ashkenaz does not even have a קדיש directly after עלינו
    – Joshua Pearl
    Jul 14, 2017 at 18:15
  • @JoshuaPearl, R' Hirsch זצ"ל followed Minhag Hamburg, which does have a קדיש after עלינו
    – Noach MiFrankfurt
    Jul 14, 2017 at 19:53
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The Gra writes (Orach Chaim 25-37) that it is better not to remove the teffilin until after the Chazan says Kaddish Tiskabel that is after the kedusha in Uva Letzion.

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  • This seems like a partial answer, inasmuch as it only presents one opinion.
    – Noach MiFrankfurt
    Mar 17, 2015 at 14:39
  • @NoachmiFrankfurt That's not a problem IMO. Nobody every knows that they have every opinion. StackExchange is actually very good about handling multiple useful posts.
    – Double AA ♦
    Mar 17, 2015 at 15:10
  • @DoubleAA, I still think that it seems like a partial answer, at least compared to the others. If there were more information, I'd be more likely to +1 it
    – Noach MiFrankfurt
    Mar 18, 2015 at 0:37

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