From student of Aaron Soloveichik, a clear no

Rabbi Harry Maryles of Chicago posted this commentary, titled “Women, Tefillin, and Berkas,” on his Emes Ve-Emunah blog, which covers issues in the Orthodox Jewish world at haemtza.blogspot.com. He received smicha from Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik at the Hebrew Theological College.

Apparently there are now some Modern Orthodox schools that are permitting their female students to lay (put on) Tefilin during Shacharis. First it was the Salanter Akiba Riverdale (SAR) and now Ramaz.

The fact is that there is no halacha forbidding women from this religious ritual that I am aware of. But there is a religious principle that women are exempt from observing certain mitzvos (positive commandments like tefillin that are time bound). Even though women are exempt from such mitzvos, they may, if they so choose, observe them. There are many examples of this, like sukkah and lulav. These are mitzvos that are time bound from which women are exempt and yet the vast majority of observant women carefully observe them. But with rare exception (Rashi’s daughters?) the mitzvah of tefillin has never been one of them.

In our day, it is still a rare occurrence, but we are beginning to see a lot more of it — as the above shows.

I am not a fan. I can’t help but to believe that the source of such behavior is at the core based on the feminist notion of equality with men. Bolstering this view is the fact that Jewish feminist groups like JOFA have applauded this move, which of course means that it advances their cause. From the Forward:

An Orthodox feminist leader strongly backs the decision by SAR to allow girls to pray with tefillin. “I’m pleased whenever there’s an expansion of anyone’s ability to connect with G-d in a way that is halachically permissible,” said Judy Heicklen, the president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance and a parent at SAR. “I’m proud of SAR for going out on a limb to help support these girls.