A 14-year-old boy has been diagnosed with a “tefillin rash” – caused by the chemical potassium dichromate, which is used to process the black straps of the phylacteries.
An article in the September issue of the Hebrew-language medical journal Harefuah (of the Israel Medical Association) by doctors at Sha’are Zedek Medical Center describes the unusual case, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The relatively rare “Tefillin allergy” is due not to the tefillin themselves, but to the chemicals used to process the leather straps, the article says.
Almost all cases involve the phylacteries worn on the arm, but there are rarer cases in which those worn around the head and touching the neck also cause rashes there.
Some who were diagnosed turned to their rabbis for permission to wear their phylacteries over their sleeves instead of their bare arm, while others place clear cling plastic under the leather straps.
A Bnei Brak shop called Machon Pe’er sells tefillin processed without the offending chemical.
this is what my friends son got. They could not find the chemical free straps and they tried the black on black straps and he never got the rash again. hope it helps!
if you/your son is allergic to the chemical, then get chemical-free staps (Machon Pe’er sells tefillin processed without the offending chemical). But don’t wear it over your sleeve or seran wrap!
Cohanim while doing the avodah in the beis hamikdash didn’t wear hand tefillin, because it would be a chatzitza under their sleeve, and worthless on top of heir sleeve.
umm,hello! all tefilin straps should not be made with chemicals! they can be harmfull and cause many health problems! acording to the torah you have to take care of your health and chemicals are definately not healthy!
Wow, poor boy. It’s a big worry as one of my children is severly allergic to a lot of things, IY”H moshach should come and cure very soon!!
so no preservitave 🙂
G-d willing all the best will be for him
It is used to tan leather. You want those tefilin straps preserved don’t you? Or would you rather raw cow hide on your arm?
(from wikipedia)potassium dichromate is carcinogenic and should be handled with gloves and appropriate health and safety . The compound is also corrosive and exposure may produce severe eye damage or blindness.[9] Human exposure further encompasses impaired fertility, heritable genetic damage and harm to unborn children. (The article doesn’t say how much causes these problems but the workers who process the tefilin straps may be at risk?)
Yiddin are smart enough and have been around long enough to know: We are all better off without ANY of these modern chemicals. In the food we buy, the soaps, shampoos and detergents we use, deodorants and lotions, beauty products etc. Even the fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and dairy have chemicals in them. We should be smart enough to promote natural medicine (not the “alternative” kind, original medicine, using juices and spices etc). Someone else’s allergies, are often to chemicals none of us should come in contact with, despite a lack of a noticeable reaction. Who else -but we-… Read more »
Should everyone stop wearing tefillin? Sorry he has an allergy, but what is your point?
Next you will find advertisements for organic Teffilin. Then the ACS will claim that it is ritualistic child abuse…
he’s not allergic to tefillin he’s allergic to chemicals.
no news here.
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I guess he should ask a Rabbi what to do!
Why don’t shops produce tefillin without the chemical?
wow
what will be?
Why wear tefillin over a sleeve when an alternative exists (chemical-free processed straps)?
sad