Wearing Talit and Tefillin at Mincha

Question

I put on my tallit and my tefillin for Shacharit on each appropriate weekday morning. But I do not wear them when I go back to shul to daven mincha. It is still day, so there would be no issue of night-time not being proper for tzitzit and I would be in the proper frame of mind to wear tefillin (the notes in the Artscroll say that the commandment to wear tefillin aren't limited to morning prayers -- in fact, many sages wore them throughout the day, but we do not because we lack the purity of body and thought -- but I have these during prayer, apparently).

The chazzan wears his tallit during mincha but I do not (though I still have my tallit katan on). Why would I not wear it in the same way that I would for Shacharit? IIRC, I wear it for mincha on Yom Kippur.

Are there any groups which make it a consistent practice to don the tallit and tefillin during a weekday mincha (having already done so in Shacharit)?

Answer 1

Yes, there are groups who wear tallit and tefillin at mincha.

These include Jews who follow the teachings of the Arizal who specifically says to wear tallit and tefillin for mincha, and on Shabbat (and Yom Tov) mincha as well. This is also brougth down by the Ben Ish Chai in parashat Chayu Sara.

In these circles they normally wear Shimusha Rabba tefillin or Rabbeinu Tam ones in their absence. Some chassidic background individuals do make a point of wearing Rabbeinu Tam tefillin at mincha to say kedusha with them on.

As per raw halacha, see this shiur by Rabbi Avi Grossman discussing how according to the Rambam, Bet Yosef, and even Mishnah Berura one needs to wear a tallit gadol for all the prayers, including mincha.

See also M”A 37:2 in name of Rama 39 that he instituted to wear the Tefillin also by Mincha (See Beer Heitiv and Shaarey Teshuvah 37; Reishis Chochmah 6:54 and 63; Biur Halacha 37 “Beshaaas”).

See also Magen Avraham 37:2 that there is a custom to don Tefillin for Mincha too and Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l in Igrot Mosheh 4:34 that is ok to do so if you have adopted this custom. Obviously, it is also ok if you had no chance to wear tefillin on that day until that time even if this is not your custom.

Nevertheless, tefillin are not worn in that case on Erev Shabbos or Yom Tov.(Shaarey Teshuvah 34:6; Biur Halacha ibid; Kaf Hachaim 37:11)

Finally, just to note the Arizal and majority of poskim say not to wear tefillin or tallit gadol during the night with the exception of Yom Kippur when the tallit gadol is worn throughout all the prayers even Kol Nidre as we are like angels on that day. Some do have a minhag to wear a tallit on Friday night prayers if they are the shaliach tzibur.