Back to Question of the Week Back to Archives Q: My eldest, Avi, is a confirmed vegetarian, wants to learn about Tefillin, but won't wear leather. Is there a conservative/reform solution? Best wishes, David
		A David, I admire Avi’s commitment to vegetarianism and his interest in exploring the mitzvah of Tefillin. However, he does find himself in a bit of a ritual conundrum for which there really is no good resolution. In the end, anyone in Avi’s position is going to have to compromise on one side of the other, either leaving fully traditional observance of the mitzvah, or making an exception in his commitment to being a vegetarian (to what ever extent he maintains). Let’s look at Tefillin, and then at the range of possibilities for a vegetarian. Tefillin are basically two black leather boxes containing scriptural passages written on parchment which are bound by black leather straps to the head and hand. Keep in mind that for a vegetarian or vegan who avoids the use of leather or animal byproducts of any kind, the issue is not only the leather boxes and straps, but the parchment script as well. This problem then also extends to Mezzuzot and Sifrei Torah. Tefillin are traditionally worn by men during morning prayer on all days of the year except Shabbat and holy days. The mitzvah comes to us from four passages of the Torah : Exodus 13:1-10, 11-16, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. In each passage there occurs the almost identical commandment obligating the Jew to “put these words [of the Law] as a sign upon your hand and as a reminder on your forehead.” The passages in Deuteronomy state explicitly, “you shall bind them.” It became the accepted tradition that these words were to be taken literally and the words of Torah were to be bound to the head and hand. The portions selected for this fulfillment of this mitzvah were the four passages listed above which articulate the commandment. It should be noted however, that there were some who understood that these passages were not to be taken literally. The 12th century commentator Samuel b. Meir suggests that this passage should be read figuratively. He states, “ ...according to the essence of its literal meaning it means “it shall ever be as a memorial as though it were written upon thy hand,” as in the verse, “Set me as a seal upon thy heart as a seal upon your arm” (Shir Ha Shirim 8:6). Abraham Ibn Ezra suggests the same explanation. Apart from these scriptural passages, there is no explicit reference to Tefillin in Torah, nor any explanation of how the mitzvah is to be fulfilled. Therefore, the details as to how to perform this mitzvah was left to the teachings of the oral tradition. The Halakhah makes it quite explicit that Tefillin are to be made of the skins of ritually clean animals, i.e. leather (Sanhedrin 48b and Mishneh Torah, Hil. Tefillin, Chapters 1-3), and the boxes are to be stitched together with gut (Shabbat 8b). It seems then that full Halakhic observance of Tefillin (as well as Mezzuzah, Shofar and Sifrei Torah) demands the use of animal skin. How then does a vegetarian Jew approach these mitzvot? Dr. Richard Schwartz, the foremost authority on Judaism and Vegetarianism answers a related question in his book, Vegetarianism & The Jewish Tradition : Q: Isn't much of Judaism today related to the use of animals for teaching and ritual purposes? (Consider the Sefer Torah, Tefillin, the shofar (ram's horn used on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur), etc.? A: The number of animals slaughtered for these purposes is minute compared to the billions killed annually for food. The fact that there would still be some animals slaughtered to meet Jewish ritual needs shouldn't stop us from doing all we can to end the horrible abuses of factory farming. Also, most problems related to animal- centered diets-poor human health, waste of food and other resources, and ecological threats - would not occur if animals were slaughtered only to meet Jewish ritual needs. Our emphasis should be on doing a minimum amount of harm to other people, the environment, and animals. In addition, for hiddur (enhancement of) mitzvah, it would be better if ritual objects were made from animals who at least led cruelty- free lives. Also, tefillin can be made from the leather of animals that were raised without cruelty and died a natural death. The idea of using the skins from kosher animals that died a natural death in ritual objects should have some appeal for vegetarians, and there is even a suggestion in the Talmud (Shabbat 108a) that this is preferable to using animals who have been slaughtered to create these items. However this is not a common practise, and I would suspect that it would be next to impossible to purchase a set of Tefilin that are certified to come from such an animal. More of Schwartz’s thoughts on Judaism and Vegetarianism can be found on his website. The Talmudic passage in Tractate Shabbat also allows the use of fish skin for parchment. Therefore, if a committed vegetarian is motivated to seek ritual alternatives, there are some possibilities. Our Director of Interactive Technology here at Kolel, Baruch Sienna, a learned Jew and committed vegetarian, envisioned a set of Tefillin beautifully crafted from woodwork, with straps made from some natural fibers. While this would clearly not satisfy established Halakhic practise, certainly it maintains the essence of Kley Kodesh (sacred objects) being made from natural products, and the concept of Hiddur Mitzvah (the beautification of the mitzvah). For a Liberal Jewish vegetarian, this type of creative alternative to traditional Tefillin may be a very powerful and meaningful solution. Rabbi George Barnard, a Conservative Rabbi, approaches the questions from a different angle. He notes that, “there is no such thing as 100% observance of the Torah. Everyone makes some compromises, for one reason or another.” He invokes the great German Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig, who emphasized the importance of the individual turning the laws (written in books) into commandments (which we feel are truly addressed to us). The implication is that not everyone will feel that every law on the books is truly a commandment that has meaning for them. Rosenzweig, when asked about a particular law that he did not observe, would simply answer that he did not observe it "yet". That is, he recognized that it is a part of Jewish law, but he was not prepared to observe it at that particular time. Barnard concludes by saying that, “If you feel that you just cannot wear tefillin because of the necessity of killing animals in order to make them, then you should realize that your action violates Jewish law, but you may feel that, in terms of your personal relationship with God, it is still the right way to act.” In the end, Avi has to make a tough decision. Does he put on traditional Tefillin, understanding that they are made from leather produced from skins from kosher animals? Does he create some form of alternative that may not be halakhically acceptable, but satisfies his desire to fulfill the mitzvah of Tefillin? Or, does he choose not to fulfill the mitzvah “yet”? In each case, the process of decision making that Avi undergoes to make this decision will be an authentic Jewish process, learning and struggling with our tradition and our contemporary values to make meaning out of living a Jewish life. JDC

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