Is it Ever Permitted to Put on Tefillin With a Non-Jew?

We’re pleased to share a new episode of “Lemaan Yishmeu,” the weekly halacha podcast with Rabbi Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Mara D’asra, and member of the Crown Heights Beis Din, brought to you by AskTheRav.com in partnership with the Lemaan Yilmedu Halacha Institute.

Each week, Rabbi Braun addresses intriguing halachic questions on a wide range of practical topics — real questions that have come to his desk, along with his clear and insightful responses.

You can listen to the podcast on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 24Six Amazon Music and Pocket Casts

In this week’s episode, the topics discussed by Rabbi Braun include:

Changing place while eating

• Changing location in the middle of eating or drinking: when is a new bracha rishona required?
• Does one’s intention during the original bracha rishona to go to another room in the middle (even without intending to eat there) prevent the need for a new beracha?

Non‑Jews and mitzvos

• May a non‑Jew perform mitzvos (e.g., shaking lulav) to receive reward, and for which types of mitzvos is this discouraged or restricted?
• Is the leniency of “not preventing him” limited to a ger toshav or someone accepting sheva mitzvos, rather than any non‑Jew?
• May we actively assist or facilitate a non‑Jew in doing mitzvos, or must we only refrain from stopping him?

Prospective converts

• May a ger-in-process put on tefillin in order to learn how to do the mitzva?
• To what extent do the restrictions on teaching Torah or allowing mitzva performance to non‑Jews apply to someone clearly on the path to conversion?
• Is there a concern that allowing a non‑Jew (or prospective ger) to put on tefillin or similar mitzvos may lead to confusion about his Jewish status (e.g., intermarriage concerns)?

Shortcuts through shul

• Does the prohibition of using a shul as a shortcut apply when passing through one room of the shul only to reach an adjacent room of shul (when there’s an alternate, less direct route to the second room)?
• What about walking across the bimah to get to the other side?

Eating from broken dishes

• Is there any real halachic basis for avoiding eating from broken dishes because of forgetting one’s learning, and if so, what type of break is included?

• Would such a concern apply equally to women?

Hearing krias haTorah

• To what extent must one hear all of krias haTorah to be yotzei their obligation?
• When may someone who partially heard the leining join or count for a second minyan’s krias haTorah, and how many full listeners are required?

Determining the time of passing

• In a case of cardiac arrest where attempts at resuscitation continue into the night, which calendar day is halachically considered the person’s time of passing?

Hiddurim beyond one’s level

• Is there a source for the minhag of reading shema from a mezuza while wearing Rabbeinu Tam’s tefillin? And is it advisable to adopt such a minhag?