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We can use tefillin and their accessories as a case in point.

The plastic, protective cover for my tefillin shel rosh broke and I replaced it. The question arises, does this broken plastic box have any holiness by virtue of it having housed my head tefillin (for many years). More specifically, does the broken plastic cover need to be buried?

Part of this question is: How far does tashmish kedusha extend? For example, does it extend to the tefillin bag or even to the plastic bag that I use to carry the tefillin bag? As to how it arises, a torah cover touches the klaf itself, but the plastic box touches only the outside of the tefillin, not the klaf inside. Does that mean the plastic cover does not have any tashmish kedusha? And what is the status of the 3"x4" mirror that is always in my tefillin bag?

I present these specific questions as a way of asking about the general principles of tashmish kedusha.

Loewian
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Yehuda W
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  • https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/12184/759 – Double AA Feb 26 '19 at 13:46
  • @DoubleAA You criticized another post of mine for being too specific, yet you edited and narrowed the above post (originally "How does tashmish kedusha arise?") Explain yourself. – Yehuda W Feb 26 '19 at 13:51
  • As the Rambam wrote, the best path is rarely the extreme one. – Double AA Feb 26 '19 at 13:59
  • I was told to double wrap it and it can be buried with the other shaimos. – Daniel Ross Feb 26 '19 at 15:43
  • WIth regard to tefillin (torah, and mezuza) covers and cases, I don't think it matters if they actually touch the sacred objects; just that they are used for them exclusively. Thus, I was taught that to avoid a tefillin bag being consecrated for its use exclusively, one might intentionally (and prior to it being specifically used only for tefillin) keep something else in it as well, e.g. a siddur. Otherwise, any number of nested bags may be considered tashmishei kedusha, and one couldn't use them for lesser purposes nor throw them out. – Loewian Feb 26 '19 at 16:13
  • @Loewian You say actual touch does not matter. Can you give me an example of holiness transferring without touch? – Yehuda W Feb 26 '19 at 22:51
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    Pointing at one's property and declaring it hekdesh. – Loewian Feb 27 '19 at 16:32

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