What is the status of tefillin found in the possession of a gentile when the writer is unknown?
Synopsis
The Mechaber rules they are valid. Since gentiles are generally not knowledgeable in tefillin writing, the presumption is a Jew wrote them. The Taz adds that this is especially true in locations where gentiles are known not to know how to write Torah scrolls.
More in Tefillin Scribe Qualifications and Validity
Who is disqualified from writing tefillin?
5 opinions
Do the same disqualifications that apply to writing tefillin also apply to other aspects of their production (such as forming the housing, stitching, and making the shin)?
4 opinions
Is a convert who reverted to his prior religion under duress (out of fear) valid to write tefillin?
4 opinions
What is done with tefillin written by a heretic (apikoros)?
3 opinions
What is done with tefillin found in the possession of a heretic (apikoros) when the writer is unknown?
2 opinions
How much may one pay a gentile for tefillin, mezuzot, or Torah scrolls?
3 opinions
Must one purchase tefillin only from an expert scribe (mumcheh)?
2 opinions
When one purchases tefillin from a non-expert, how does one verify their validity through sampling?
3 opinions
Related from other topics
What should one do if tefillin are found in a disgraceful state on Shabbat?
Clothing on Shabbat
What is the required structure of open and closed passages (parshiyot petuchot and setumot) in tefillin, and what is the status of tefillin where all four passages are made open?
Writing Tefillin
Must the blackening of Tefillin straps be done by a Jew and lishmah? What is the status if done by a non-Jew?
Tefillin on Chol HaMoed
If a wheat kernel is found in cooked chicken before Pesach, what is its status, and does reheating on Pesach change it?
Chametz Mixtures
What is the status of wearing tefillin in a mikveh?
Reciting Shema in Impure Places
What is the status of a cooked dish in which wheat or barley kernels were found on Pesach?
Matzah Regulations
Discussion
Discussion coming soon.
The Daily Law
One question. Every opinion. Every morning.
A new halakhic question and the full spectrum of rabbinic thought, delivered daily.