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I just learned that a flight out of New York was diverted because a flight attendant saw a passenger putting on tefilin and freaked out, thinking that he was strapping on bombs.

So, do you have any best practices to share for dealing with this sort of situation? Let's assume that for whatever reason, you can't avoid the issue entirely by praying before or after the flight, as some suggested in the comments on the news story. How do you put on talit and tefilin in public (especially in confined travel situations) and minimize the potential for freakouts by the people around you?

Isaac Moses
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    Isaac, it's not just a question of tefilin. Also yesterday a friend of mine was traveling back fom China and was questioned about the little white strings hanging out of his pants waist. After he explained all was good and he was allowed to board the plane. In this day and age these things should not arise. A little education by the TSA to all flight attendants about all religious practises will go a long way to avoid these situations (not just for jews) in the future. – Ken Jan 22 '10 at 21:14
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    R David Yosef in Halacha Berura has a great suggestion for not freaking out non-Jews with your tefillin: cover them with your talit! (He *really* lives in E Israel!) – Baal Shemot Tovot Jun 19 '12 at 00:00
  • Hm...should we drop [tag:gentiles] for [tag:how-to]? – MTL Feb 09 '15 at 00:23
  • @Shokhet maybe dropping tefila would be better; tefila is the proximate cause, but tefilin and talit seem to cover that adequately. OTOH, the fact that it involves gentiles is pretty important to the question; this isn't just about logistics of donning these items in tight quarters. – Monica Cellio Feb 09 '15 at 01:09
  • @MonicaCellio I think tefillin is more central than talit, because it seems more likely to cause trouble than the shawl. My grandfather once put on tefillin on a plane, and someone thought he was trying to commit suicide... – Scimonster Feb 09 '15 at 05:35
  • @Cnsersmoit Monica didn't want to drop tefillin -- she suggested dropping *tefilla*. – MTL Feb 09 '15 at 14:23
  • @Shokhet And in all that, i forgot to make my point. My point was to drop [tag:talit]. – Scimonster Feb 09 '15 at 14:23
  • @MonicaCellio True...but then the answers of "pray without them, put them on later" don't help that much....but then again, they didn't really answer the question in the first place, I think. – MTL Feb 09 '15 at 14:24
  • I don't think we should drop talit, @Cnsersmoit. I think that's a big part of the question. – MTL Feb 09 '15 at 14:40
  • I have always asked the flight attendants if there's a place I can stand to pray so I won't be in the way. They have always been extremely helpful. – MichoelR Feb 26 '21 at 03:54
  • Look into story of Navordek Rebbe in train station as I recall it. – Dr. Shmuel Feb 26 '21 at 05:05
  • I try to plan ahead and daven in the airport instead of on the plane. I will look for an out of the way place in the terminal away from foot traffic (I once used a cubicle in a business center). – Dennis Feb 28 '21 at 21:57

4 Answers4

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  1. Don't pray audibly. Do as Chana did: Lips moving, no one hearing.

  2. Alert an authority: "Hi, flight attendant. I'm Jewish. Our men (and perhaps some of our women?) pray with little black boxes on our heads, straps on our arms, and a big striped shawl. I'm going to pray now. We try our best not to interrupt our prayers for talking or anything in the middle. I know it might look a little crazy, and just wanted to let you know."

ArghMo
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    Yes on (1), no on (2). I find that explanations almost always seem to cause more confusion than not. – Jeremy Mar 16 '10 at 15:07
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    Were I in that situation I think I'd tell the person sitting next to me, not the flight attendants. That person is the one most likely to react, and if others do, he could relay the explanation. – Monica Cellio Feb 09 '15 at 15:12
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My father always says -- don't go there. If the only time for praying is on the plane, do that without talit and tefilin (I don't think anyone will really mind if you're whispering out of a book), then put on talit/tefilin at home/synagogue/hotel room later on (assuming you'll have time for that).

Shalom
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    Does the potential for misconception really outweigh the obligation to be wearing them at the time of "davening"? – WAF Jan 22 '10 at 17:15
  • Rabbi Breitowitz made a point of mentioning in last week's sermon that tefilin can be worn separately from "davening." It's a preference to combine the two, not a requirement. (End quote.) So it's a question of balancing Halachic preference against other considerations, in this case, the danger of confusion (and how well can you concentrate if you're always scared of getting detained onboard?) The next-best thing to wearing tefilin during shachrit is to wear them for mincha that afternoon (if you're sure you'll be able to do so), and repeat Shema in them as well. – Shalom Jan 25 '10 at 16:29
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    After hearing about the NY flight, I did exactly this on a recent trip overseas. I davened shacharit w/o tallis/tefillin on the plane, then mincha with both at the hotel. My kavana was vastly improved, without worring about disturbing neighbors or scaring flight attendants. In fact, I find I can do some of my best davening on a plane, since I typically have tons of time, nobody is bothering me, and there is a very real (even if remote) possibility of imminent death. – Jeremy Mar 16 '10 at 15:09
  • @Shalom - It's only a preference? Doesn't the gemara say that someone who prays shacharit w/o tefillin is like offering a sacrifice w/o libations? It's a to'eivah to Hashem. Would you like to be fed food and then not be able to drink something afterwards to wash it down (so to speak)? – Adam Mosheh Mar 29 '12 at 21:56
  • This doesn't quite answer the question, does it? ...."Let's assume that for whatever reason, you can't avoid the issue entirely by praying before or after the flight" – MTL Feb 09 '15 at 01:16
  • @AdamMosheh, given that particular comparison, prayer without tefillin is like a sacrifice without libations, I recently heard in a Daf Yomi shiur the suggestion that since libations can be offered all that day, one can pray now and put on tefillin later that day. – Ze'ev misses Monica Jan 27 '20 at 17:04
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I have dovened in airports and airplanes numerous times. Most flight attendents are familiar but little education won't hurt. Also, keep saying Tehilim instead of other activities on the airplane.

  • Yehuda, welcome to mi.yodeya, and thanks very much for adding your perspective! Please consider registering your account so that you can take full credit for your contributions and use all of mi.yodeya's features. – Isaac Moses Jan 22 '10 at 17:55
  • http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/jewish-teen-tefillin-sets-bomb-scare-diverts-airways-flight-laguardia-airport-article-1.183107 – Double AA Dec 03 '13 at 03:57
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B"H

Just daven normally, if people can talk on the phone to their friends in public and wear all kinds of crazy clothes, we can talk to the Creator in public wearing tefillin etc.

Blessings and success

B''H Bi'ezras -- Boruch Hashem
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  • -1 This doesn't address the question which showed that someone thought tefillin were bombs and notified authorities. Clearly just ignoring them is not a good idea. – Double AA Mar 01 '21 at 14:47
  • @double the question is "how to buy freak out people in public z the answer is not to worry about it because other people wear freaky clothes as well, just because some might think it's a bomb is nothing we can do – B''H Bi'ezras -- Boruch Hashem Mar 01 '21 at 16:05
  • If your answer is there's nothing we can do, then -1 for being wrong. There are clearly lots of things you can do. – Double AA Mar 01 '21 at 16:09
  • @double like what, without compromising the Torah and/or nullifying a mitzva dioyraweesuh (as another answer suggested choys vishoyluhm)? Because that's not a valid Torah answer – B''H Bi'ezras -- Boruch Hashem Mar 01 '21 at 16:10
  • @double how is this answer any different (besides for the point of not being embarrassed) than yehusah's answer – B''H Bi'ezras -- Boruch Hashem Mar 01 '21 at 16:15