We’re now in the middle of the holiday of Passover, the time called Chol Ha-Moed. The expression is made up of two words: Chol, which means “secular”, and Moed, which means “festival. In other words, we are in the “secular” period of the festival. Work is permitted until Tuesday night, like any other weekday, but the laws of Pesach, like matzah, still apply.
One question that comes up is t’fillin. Do you wear them on Chol Ha-Moed (i.e. the middle days of Pesach and Sukkot) or not? If it is more “Moed”, you would not, since we don’t wear t’fillin on festivals. If it is more “Chol” we should since t’fillin are worn on weekdays. Most Ashkenazim believe that it is in fact more “Moed” and so they do not wear t’fillin. For me, it’s not so simple.
Tradition tells us that you should follow the custom of your father when it comes to t’fillin on Chol Ha-Moed. But the truth is that my father z’l, like so many of ours, did not wear t’fillin at all. And so, I follow the custom of my “spiritual father”, Rabbi Furman. And here is where it gets tricky.
Rabbi Furman gave his life over to Jewish education at Beth El. Throughout his years at the Religious School and Kellman Academy, both schools stayed open for Chol Ha-Moed Sukkot, and both school closed for spring break on Pesach. Therefore, by his standards, the middle days of Sukkot were more “Chol” - regular - than “Moed” -festival- so during the middle days of Sukkot he wears t’fillin. On Pesach, the schools are closed giving it a more “Moed”, holiday feeling. Therefore no t’fillin. And that’s what I do. Middle days of Sukkot – Yes. Middle days of Pesach- No.
Confusing? Somewhat. But years from now, my grandchildren will say to me, “Zayde, why do you have this strange custom for t’fillin on Chol Ha-Moed”? And I will sit them down and tell them about my teacher, Rabbi Furman, and all the years we sat next to each other every morning in prayer. And they will not just understand the origin of my custom, they will come to know the relationship I have with my esteemed teacher.
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2 comments:
What a wonderful thing to pass on about an exceptional man.
Could another reason for no tefillin on Chol HaMoed be because tefillin in the torah are referred to as a "sign" (Oat al yadcha)That's why we don't wear tefillin on Shabbat. Because the Torah refers to Shabbat as a sign (Oat he l'olam)and there is no need for two signs. Similarly Passover is a sign (Zecher litziat Mitzrayim) and therefore once again, no need for two signs regarding our relationship to G-d.
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