Can You Wear a Watch Under Your Tefillin? The Halachic Debate Explained

Parshas Hashavua

ואתחנן

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וקשרתם לאות על ידך

In שו"ע הל' תפילין כ"ז:ד' it says not to have a חציצה between the תפילין and the גוף.

The רמ"א explains that this Halacha applies only to the actual תפילין, but for the רצועות, there is no חציצה.

The משנה ברורה ס"ק ט"ז quotes from the אחרונים to be מחמיר even on the רצועות in the place where it is connected to the concept of קשירה.

The Question of Wearing a Watch Under the Retzuos

Wearing hand watches became popular in the past 100 years or so. Most watches before that were pocket watches.

The first one to deal with the שאלה of wearing a watch under the רצועות was the טשעבינער רב זצ"ל, who was more מחמיר than the משנה ברורה (based on the פרי מגדים) and held that one should refrain from wearing a watch under the רצועות, even though it is not near the קשר.

The Opinion of Harav Ovadya Yosef Zt"l

הרב עובדיה יוסף זצ"ל writes that he personally spoke to the טשעבינער רב, who told him that wearing a watch past the first 7 כריכות there is no need to be מחמיר.

ישראל קדושים

Those who remove their watch do so because they are being מחמיר with several חומרות:

1. No חציצה on the רצועות.
2. לכתחילה, only at the קשר.
3. Only the first 7 כריכות.
4. A leather watch band is מין במינו אינו חוצץ.

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May we all merit to fulfill the mitzvah of תפילין with קדושה and יראת שמים.