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Should Men Wear Te illin On Chol Hamoed? ‐ Yisroel Yanowitz (10th grade)

A question that always arises, whether it be on Sukkot or Pesach, is whether or not a man should put on tefillin
during Chol Hamoed. To answer this question we must first understand what Chol Hamoed is. Chol means
“weekday” and hamoed means “ of the holiday,” so in a sense Chol Hamoed is an in-between day. As we all
know tefillin cannot be worn on Shabbat or Yom Tov. In Shemot 31:13 it says “ Only keep My Sabbaths! For it
is a sign between Me and you.” Also in Shemot, on 13:9 regarding tefillin it says “ And it shall be to you as a
sign upon your hand and as a remembrance between your eyes.” These two excerpts establish that both shabbat
and tefillin are signs for our relationship with Hashem which makes wearing tefillin on shabbat unnecessary.

In order to answer whether or not a man should put tefillin on during Chol Hamoed we need to first determine if
Chol Hamoed is like shabbat in terms of whether it is considered a “sign” or not. There are two arguments to be
made.

On the one hand Chol Hamoed is like Shabbat and Yom Tov for the following reasons:
First, we have holiday-related mitzvot such as chametz and sitting in the sukkah. Secondly, work is not encour-
aged, giving it the atmosphere of an abnormal and special day compared to a normal weekday. Lastly, davening
itself is a little different as we read the Torah and add a few specific prayers. On the other hand, “work” is not
prohibited on these days making it more like a regular week day.

In the end of the day there is an argument to be made for wearing and not wearing tefillin on Chol Hamoed so it
really comes down to one’s family tradition or their shul’s practice. A large majority of Jews don’t wear tefillin
on Chol Hamoed, which is just one of many practices that really show the significance of Chol Hamoed and dis-
tinguishes it from a normal weekday.

Te illin on Chol Hamoed ‐ Ariel Diner (7th Grade)

The requirement of putting on Tefillin is in order to be an “OT,” a sign and a reminder of our relationship be-
tween us and Hashem. In Shemot we are told that observing Shabbat is a sign between Hashem and us. Chazal
teach us from this that on Shabbat and Holidays we don’t put Tefillin on. The reason is that Shabbat and Yov
Tov all already called a “sign” between us and Hashem and therefore donning Tefillin is unnecessary. Is Chol
Hamoed held to the same standard as Yom Tov in regards to putting on Tefillin? Some have a custom of not
putting on Tefillin on these days just like Shabbat and Yom Tov. However, some Jews put on Tefillin on Chol
Hamoed, as Chol HaMoed does have the same level of sanctity as Shabbat and Yom Tov. Those who put Tefil-
lin on must take it off before Hallel.