What is right or wrong about this picture? Some would say, “How can you put tefillin on this monk?” while others would smile and say well done.

I’m not sure who is who in the photo. It was circulating around and if you know who the people are in it please let me know so I can give credit.

Anyway; is it okay to put tefillin on a monk? The simple answer would be, if he’s Jewish then why not? This is pretty much the case. A Jew is a Jew is a Jew, no matter what he may do, that is until he converts to another religion… yet even then he is still a Jew.

A problem I could see would be to put tefillin on someone if they were wearing the clothing of an idolater. Certainly if an idol was hanging around their neck it would be a problem, because you should not come close to such a thing, thus how could you put tefillin on the person? However when it comes to the clothes, it would be important to know what they represent. Is it idol worship in itself or does it show a way of life? You could not do a mitzvah with someone while they were worshiping an idol at the same time. It could perhaps be like the person going to the mikvah to ritually purify himself while holding onto a dead lizard, which continues to cause impurity.

However if the person say had G-d forbid put on a baptismal white robe and was on the way to be baptised, you should of course try and do a mitzvah with them because this could awaken their neshama (Jewish soul) and hopefully lead them to change their mind.

Overall it’s best not to think too much. If an opportunity presents itself to put tefillin on someone, go for it. When the Lubavitcher Rebbe first instituted the idea that men and boys should go out and put tefillin on with other Jews, there were some rabbis who spoke out against it. They said things like, “They are putting tefillin on goyim!” or “How can you put tefillin on in the streets where there is dog poo and immodestly dressed women?”

In my opinion these are concerns and I’m sure that the Lubavitcher Rebbe considered them. However, they are minor in comparison with what can be achieved by a Jew putting on tefillin. An old Jewish man in a monk’s robe is in a state of a spiritual emergency. He needs something to jump start the neshama, like jumpstarting a stopped heart with a defibrillator. This pushes aside a concern that there may be dog poo in the area.

Anyway, I did not mean to get into a whole long post here. I just wanted to share this photo.