Tefillin and Siddur in Restroom
Question
Sometimes I travel by airplane with a carry-on only and no checked luggage. Included in my carry-on are my tefillin and siddur. Airport regulations prohibit leaving luggage unattended or with a stranger. What is one supposed to do if they have to use the restroom at the airport, but their tefillin and siddur are in their luggage that must be kept with them and therefore brought into the restroom?
Answers
Even though it may be technically wrong to do the best option is ask a kindly looking fellow-traveler if they wouldn’t mind looking after your bag whilst you go to the bathroom. If there is a Jewish person at the airport that is even better because you will not be contravening any regulations as we are all one family! If leaving your bag with someone is not an option then it is permissible to take it into the bathroom with you as the Tefillin themselves are inside their plastic boxes which are inside your Tefillin bag which is inside your carry-on and it is not considered as if you are exposing your Tefillin to a place of impurity.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team