יום ו Date: 12 Shevat, 5776 (1/22/16) – Gittin Daf 40 {Eliezer}

TROUBLESOME TEFILLIN

[40a top] Tosephos: Slaves generally do not wear Tefillin (not that they are not allowed to). Just like women are “allowed” to as well (even though they are not commanded to do so, since it is a ‘time-bound’ obligation).
Rama: Even though it may not be prohibited, women and slaves should not wear Tefillin.
RambaM & Ovadia Yosef: Women are specifically not allowed to make Brachos on time-bound commandments.
R’ Rosner: Men used to wear Tefillin all day, but now just the minimum is done, as people are not on the levels (that they used to be) to be able to keep their bodies and minds in the proper mindset. But, people who are NOT obligated in this Mitzvah should/may not purposefully put themselves into a compromising situation unnecessarily.

D-E-ep Thoughts: Unfortunately, many times people arrogantly act in inappropriately presumptuous manners. There are many other places a person can show off his/her “Taiva for Ruchniyus” (desire for spirituality), rather than creating Halachik problems. We should always analyze our actions to determine whether we are acting from a source of selfishness or true deep connectedness to the One Above.