Editing Tefillin (section)

==Obligation and sex==
The legal duty of laying tefillin rests solely upon Jewish males above the age of thirteen years, women are exempt from this obligation.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> Though no such prohibition existed in ancient times,<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> since at least the [[Moses Isserles|Rema]] in the 16th century,<ref>[[Shulchan Aruch]] [[Orach Chayim]], 38:3. See also [[Targum Pseudo-Jonathan|Targum Yerushalmi]] on [[Deuteronomy]] 22:5.</ref> the prevalent practice among religious Jews has strongly discouraged women from wearing tefillin.

The codes view the commandment of tefillin as important, and call those who neglect to observe it "transgressors".<ref name="Essrig1932">{{cite book|author=Isaac David Essrig|title=The fountain of wisdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0DhDAAAAIAAJ|access-date=1 July 2011|year=1932|page=18}}</ref> [[Maimonides]] counts the commandment of laying the arm-tefillin and head-tefillin as two separate positive ''[[mitzvot]]''.<ref name="Rambam">[http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/2301.htm ''Tefillin, Mezuzah, ve'Sefer Torah'' ch 5-6].</ref> The Talmud cites [[Rav Sheshet]], who said that by neglecting the precept, one transgresses eight positive commandments.<ref>[[Menahot]] 44a</ref> A report of widespread laxity in its observance is reported by [[Moses ben Jacob of Coucy|Moses of Coucy]] in 13th-century Spain. It may have arisen from the fear of persecution, similar to what had occurred to the Jews living in the [[Land of Israel]] under Roman rule in the second century,<ref name="Bloch1980"/> or possibly due to expense, lack of skill in manufacture, or other social pressures upon Jews in the middle ages.

A mourner during the first day of his mourning period is exempt from wrapping tefillin; according to Talmudic law, a bridegroom on his wedding-day is also exempt,<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> but this later exemption is not practiced today. The reason for these exemptions is that the wearer of tefilin must have a constant state of mind intent on the commandment of tefilin, and distractions due to recent death or marriage would be problematic.  A sufferer from stomach-trouble who thus can not maintain a clean body, or one who is otherwise in pain and cannot concentrate their mind is also exempt.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/> One who is engaged in the study of the Law and scribes of and dealers in tefillin and ''[[mezuzah]]s'' while engaged in their work if it cannot be postponed, are also free from this obligation.<ref name="JewishEncyclopedia"/>

Historically, the ''[[mitzvah]]'' of tefillin was not performed by women, but the ritual was possibly kept privately by some women in medieval France and Germany.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baumgarten |first=Elisheva |url=https://archive.org/details/motherschildrenj0000baum/mode/2up |title=Mothers and Children: Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2004 |pages=88 |author-link=Elisheva Baumgarten |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=Avraham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SOGI06P-qAUC&q=Avraham+Grossman+Pious+and+Rebellious |title=Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe |date=2004 |publisher=Brandeis University Press |isbn=978-1-58465-392-9 |location=Waltham, Massachusetts |pages=178, 194 |language= |author-link=Avraham Grossman}}</ref> It has been popularly claimed that [[Rashi's daughters]] (12th century) and the wife of [[Chaim ibn Attar]] (18th century) wore tefillin,<ref name=beki>{{cite web|url=http://www.beki.org/womentefillin.html|title=Women & Tefillin - Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel|access-date=2007-07-03|archive-date=2013-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613034707/http://www.beki.org/womentefillin.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> but there is no historical evidence for these claims.<ref name=zivo>[https://jewishaction.com/religion/jewish-law/whats_the_truth_about-rashis_daughters/ What’s the Truth About…Rashi’s Daughters?]</ref> There was not a widely accepted practice of women wearing tefilin prior to 20th century progressive Judaism, though historical sources suggest it was done in some communities prior to the advent of progressive Judaism.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wlcj.org/2019/01/tefillin-101-week-four/ | title=Tefillin 101 - Week Four &#124; Women's League for Conservative Judaism - Jewish Women's GroupWomen's League for Conservative Judaism | date=24 January 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-30 |title=Tefillin - BJE |url=https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/jewish-symbols/tefillin/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In modern times, men have not been the only ones to elect to wear tefillin.<ref>{{cite news |last= Friedman |first= Will |title= Why Women can and Must Lay Tefillin |publisher= Forward |year= 2014 |url= https://forward.com/opinion/191430/why-women-can-and-must-lay-tefillin/}}</ref> In 2018, a group of students from Hebrew College, a non-denominational rabbinical school in Boston, created a series of YouTube videos to help female and transgender Jews learn how to wrap tefillin.<ref>{{cite news |last= Feldman |first= Ari |title= Laying Tefillin Isn't Just For Straight Men Anymore |publisher= Forward |year= 2018 |url= https://forward.com/news/national/412272/laying-tefillin-isnt-just-for-straight-men-anymore}}</ref> Within the Orthodox movement, it remains a male-only religious obligation, but in egalitarian movements, others may observe this practice as a social statement. Women affiliated with the [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] movement often wrap tefillin.<ref name="uscj.org">[http://www.uscj.org/Women_and_Tefillin7649.html Women and Tefillin : The United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism (USCJ)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807190658/http://uscj.org/Women_and_Tefillin7649.html |date=2009-08-07 }}</ref> Since 2013, [[SAR High School]] in Riverdale, New York, has allowed girls to wrap tefillin during morning prayer; it is probably the first [[Modern Orthodox Judaism|Modern Orthodox]] high school in the U.S. to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/nyc-orthodox-high-school-lets-girls-put-on-tefillin/2014/01/20/|title=NYC Orthodox High School Lets Girls Put On Tefillin|first=Jewish Press News|last=Briefs|date=20 January 2014}}</ref> The wearing of tefillin by members of [[Women of the Wall]] at the [[Western Wall]] caused consternation from the rabbi in charge of the site until a Jerusalem District Court judge ruled in 2013 that doing so was not a violation of "local custom".<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/.premium-1.700782 Western Wall Rabbi: No More Tallit and Tefillin for Women at Kotel] haaretz, February 1, 2016</ref>