Prominent Modern Orthodox High School Announces - Girls who want to wear Tefillin during davening would be permitted to do so.

«To be honest, my personal discomfort with the policy decision announced this week has less to do with strict halachic objection for which there are counterarguments, and more to do with an often neglected halachic value called mechzei k'yuhara.

Forget women and tefillin for a moment.  If a man wanted to wear tefillin the whole day as they did in the past, would we encourage him or frown upon the practice?  The Shulchan Aruch Ha'Rav written by the R' Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, says that since today the custom is not to wear tefillin other than during davening, to do so publicly is mechzei k'yuhara, smacks of arrogance and hubris.

There was once a student at YU who would walk through Washington Heights wearing his tallis and tefillin while going to daven.  A concerned individual asked Rav Schachter to intercede and encourage the young man to stop this practice that was drawing negative attention.  Rav Schachter related to us that he didn't want to embarrass the young man so he told him a story with the hope he would understand.  A man once asked a prominent posek if a particular practice was mechzei k'yuhara, appeared arrogant.  "No," said the posek, "it is yuhara mamesh, it is actually arrogant." 

Unfortunately, the young man did not get the message.»

Avoiding The Appearance of Religious Hubris - Rabbi Efrem Goldberg | Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
http://rabbisblog.brsonline.org/avoiding-religious-hubris/


Kol Tuv,
RRW