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I know that we don’t need to wear tefillin on shabbos and Yom Tov because we only need 2 of the 3 signs to be fulfilled (tefillin, bris mila, And shabbos/ Yom Tov), and since we already have a bris mila and it’s shabbos, we don’t need to put on tefillin. (Source needed)

But why don’t we anyway? Just because we don’t need to put tefillin on, doesn’t mean we can’t.

Note: please do not answer that it was never done and therefore it was accepted as Halacha/ it became muktza because it has no use, as it could have been put on when this heter was first made, and through that become a minhag (think ma’ariv).

Please keep in mind that there is an argument in the Gemara whether tefillin is a mitzvas asei shehazman grama or not (kiddushin 35a), so according to one opinion, we should put tefillin on on shabbos, and the minhag (or Halacha) not to was codified since the Gemara.

Lo ani
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  • related: Tefillin On Shabbos, Wearing tefilin all the time included Shabbat?, Why not wear tefillin on Yom Tov according to Rabbi Akiva? – mbloch Sep 19 '19 at 06:32
  • ושמרת את החקה הזאת למועדה – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 11:33
  • Why don't we sit in a Sukkah all year? Just because we don't need to sit in a Sukkah doesn't mean we can't. – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 11:34
  • @doubleAA Why there is no mitzva to sit in a sukkah today is obvious: the passuk says בסוכת תשבו שבעת ימים. The reason why we don’t put tefillin on on shabbos is less so. The fact that there are 2 signs and we don’t need a third teaches us why there’s no chiyuv not why there’s no mitzva (mitzva meaning “thing we get credit for doing) – Lo ani Sep 19 '19 at 17:02
  • @LoAni you've just made that up. I can just as easily counter with the made up claim that it's 7 days of chiyuv for Sukkah but it's still a mitzva the rest of the year. – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 17:05
  • @DoubleAA the passuk says to sit in the sukkah for 7 days. It does not say to wear tefillin for a certain amount of time. The Gemara says “why don’t we wear tefillin on shabbos (according to that tanna)? Because there are already 2 signs and we don’t need more than 2 signs.” This doesn’t mean we can’t have 3 signs, just that we don’t need them. Whereas sukkos it is clear cut that we only sit for 7 days. – Lo ani Sep 19 '19 at 17:13
  • Actually the Gemara says "Who wears tefillin? Someone who needs a sign, to the exclusion of Shabbat and Yom Tov which are already signs." If it's Shabbat you don't need a sign so there's no mitzva and if there's no mitzva no one bothers to do a meaningless act. You didn't look it up before asking obviously. Best to verify assumptions before asking derivative questions so you don't accidentally ask a non sequitur from a non existent diyuk that others won't understand. It would also have made more sense to first ask if it's a Mitzva on Shabbat before asking why we don't fulfill it. – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 17:15
  • @doubleAA I’m not the only one who has made this diyuk- the beis yosef added the fact that it dishonors the tefillin (or the other two signs? It’s ambiguous) to have an extra sign, and thats why we don’t put on tefillin. Not because it’s meaningless. (Alaychem’s answer). Yes I saw your comment, but his answer is sourced, and the beis yosef seems to indicate that otherwise we would put on tefillin. So if you can bring a source that can object this please do. – Lo ani Sep 19 '19 at 17:38
  • No you misunderstood. I've so far only argued that tefillin on Shabbat is like Sukkah on chanukkah, since that's what your premise should be. But really the next line in the gemara which you should really see is about if wearing tefillin at a wrong time is a issue aseh or issur lav. There's much to be said about why one shouldn't wear tefillin on shabbat. But your question is still based on a false premise. The Beit Yosef isn't addressing your question. He's addressing the general prohibition of tefillin at wrong time. – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 17:54
  • @DoubleAA the beis yosef is talking about specifically shabbos and Yom Tov, as those are the only times that signs are applicable at all. Also, please send a link to this gemara as I can’t seem to find it – Lo ani Sep 19 '19 at 18:00
  • But he's not agreeing with you that it's a mitzva but we just don't do it anyway because of a side consideration. He agrees with me that it's not a mitzva. He thinks it's also a problem. It's menachot 36 – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 18:08

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ערוך השולחן אורח חיים לא א-ב

ומכל מקום כתב רבינו הבית יוסף דבשבת ויום טוב אסור להניח תפילין מפני שהם עצמם אות,ואם מניחים בהם אות אחר היה זלזול לאות שלהם. עד כאן לשונו.
ואין הכוונה לאיסור תורה, אלא איסור משום בזיון שבת ויום טוב. והכי איתא במכילתא סוף פרשה י''ז... רבי יצחק אומר: הואיל ושבת קרויה ''אות'' ותפילין קרויין ''אות'' – לא יתן אות בתוך אות. ...

Aruch Hasulchan Orach-Haim 31:1-2

Anyway, The Beis Yossef wrote that during shabat and festivals, you don't put on teffilin, because they are a "sign", and if you put on another sign, you dishonor them, that his sayings.
And it's not that it Tora prohibition, but it's forbidden to dishonor shabat and festivals.
And in the Mechilta end of p17... R' Itzhak says because shabat is called "sign" and are Teffilin called "sign", don't put a sign within a sign...

Alaychem goes to Codidact
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  • This is pretty misleading since you don't openly reject the ops premise that wearing tefillin on shabbat is accomplishing a Mitzva but it's not worth it. But that's not true. Wearing tefillin on shabbat is no better than sitting in the sukkah on chanukkah AND it may be forbidden for other reasons. – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 13:08
  • @DoubleAA what are the other reasons? – Akiva___ Sep 19 '19 at 15:36
  • @Akiva accd to this answer, degradation of Shabbat – Double AA Sep 19 '19 at 16:00