Although this is not such an important subject, I fail to understand the logic as to why R. Yochanan in Shabbos 61a would be cited in the gemara as saying that putting on shoes should be done like tefillin. There is a specific opinion about "yad ka" for fulfilling the mitzvah of tefillin. But this has nothing to do with putting on shoes in which no mitzvah is involved. Perhaps that is why R. Ashi did not consider this important. But according to R. Yochanan it is still an interesting kasha.
Thanks,
David Goldman
I saw a very interesting idea in Emes l'Yaakov here on Maseches Shabbos, by Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky zt'l. He cites Tosfos here DH d'Avad that Rabbi Yochanan's favorite was always the left hand or foot. Emes l'Yaakov suggests an explanation of this according to the Talmud Yerusahlmi cited in Rosh Berachos 3:31; that Rabbi Yochanan only used to put on Tefilin once a year, due to illness. Rabbi Yochanan was "Onus"; he wanted to wear Tefilin all the time but it just was not possible. This was why R. Yochanan put on the left shoe first; because he wanted to show everyone that he loved left, and he really loved Tefilin, and it was only because of sickness that he did not wear Tefilin all the time.
[ Afterwards Rav Yaakov brings a different pshat, but I thought that the above is a nice idea]
Chodesh Tov and Good Shabbos
Dovid Bloom
But how could R. Yochanan have a halachic opinion to require Jews to follow his personal preference or even to expect that anyone would accept an equivalence between a mitzva of the Torah and a personal preference ("should be")??
The other point worth noting is how personal preferences of Amoraim mentioned in the gemara don't have to be obligatory even when stating "should" or "must".
Finally, the fact that he didn't wear tefillin means points to the fact that there are valid reasons not to wear them regularly for chachamim and kal vachomer for ordinary people.
In fact, given the yeridas hadoros, the fact that people stopped wearing them all day in ancient times means that by the same principle it is perfectly logical that nowadays people wouldn't be wearing them regularly at all.
1) One has to say that it was not merely a personal preference of Rav Yochanan, but rather a Halachic preference for Tefilin, which was also based on personal experience. The Chidushei HaRan writes that if one wishes, one may always put on the left shoe first, in order to honor always the left because of Tefilin. This is why Rav Yosef said in the Gemara that if one wishes to put on the right shoe first one may do so, because this is what the Beraisa says, and if one wishes always to put on the left shoe first, one may do so because this is the opinion of Rav Yochanan. It seems that there is a measure of personal choice in this area.
2) The Talmud Yerushalmi Berachos 2:3 [ according to Gra in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 27:5] tells us that in the summer Rav Yochanan wore Tefilin both of the arm and of the head, whilst in the winter, because of his head ache, he only wore Tefilin on his arm.
3) The Rema, in Shulchan Aruch 38:1, writes that if a sick person cannot concentrate on Tefilin because of pain, he is exempt.
KOL TUV
Dovid Bloom