סימן ח - הלכות ציצית ועטיפתו ובו ל' סעיפים

Recording: Seifim 1–30

1. Whoever reads the Shema without tzitzis bears false witness against himself^[1].

Since every person must be careful and quick to do the mitzvah first, as far as possible, he should therefore wrap himself in tzitzis immediately after washing his hands, when his hands are clean and he can bless.

2. When he begins to wrap himself, before he is fully wrapped, he should bless standing: "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis"^[2].

(See Siman 25, where you will find the reason for this)^[3].

The letter ב of בַּצִיצִית should be pointed with a patach^[4].

3. All blessings on mitzvos must be said standing, except the blessing on shechitah and on separating challah, which are not so much a mitzvah, since he does them only to prepare his food.

But as for doing the mitzvos themselves, some need not be done standing and some must, as will be explained for each in its place, with the help of Heaven^[5].

4. The Sages said that wrapping in tzitzis must specifically be done standing,

and they found a support and hint for it in the Torah^[6].

It says here of tzitzis: "והיה לכם" ("It shall be for you") (Bamidbar 15:39), and it says of the Omer: "וספרתם לכם" ("You shall count for yourselves") (Vayikra 23:15). Just as "for you" stated of the Omer must be standing, as will be explained below in Siman 489, seif 4, so here it must be standing.

5. Some say that since the Sages instituted the blessing "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis," it follows that the mitzvah is specifically to wrap oneself.

Any wrapping not like that of the Ishmaelites is not called wrapping but wearing.

Therefore he must wrap himself in his tallis as the Ishmaelites wrap themselves,

that is, covering the head with the face down to the hollows of the cheek below his mouth^[7].

According to them, our tallisos katanim, which involve no wrapping of the head, are entirely exempt from tzitzis.

6. But some say that any four-cornered garment, even without wrapping, is obligated in tzitzis,

for the Torah says: "על כנפי בגדיהם" ("On the corners of their garments") (Bamidbar 15:38), which means any clothing or garment,

and wrapping has not even a hint in the Torah.

As for the Sages instituting the blessing "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis,"

that is because it was their custom to wrap their heads in their tallis.

Even in their days they did not wrap themselves as the Ishmaelites do, but as people wrap themselves in their garments while busy at their work, sometimes with the head covered and sometimes with the head uncovered.

Therefore we too, although we bless "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis," need do no more.

The law follows the second view.

Nevertheless, to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis in the finest way, it is proper to wrap oneself as the Ishmaelites do at the time of the blessing^[8],

and he should stand so for the time it takes to walk four cubits.

By this he fulfills it even according to the first view,

for the main concern is at the time of putting it on,

since if he wished he could take it off entirely afterward.

7. He should do the same with our tallisos katanim.

Although our ruling is that one fulfills the obligation of tzitzis with them even though they involve no wrapping,

nevertheless, to fulfill it according to all opinions, ^{[Kuntres Acharon 1]}

if he wishes to bless "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis," it is good that he place the tallis katan on his head, with the width of the tallis along his height,

for that is the way of wrapping.

He should stand so wrapped for at least the time it takes to walk four cubits,

and afterward draw it down from his head and put it on.

This applies specifically to a garment made like one square piece with the neck opening in the middle, so that when he wraps himself with its length around his head and the width of his body, as explained that only this is called wrapping, he has two tzitzis on this side and two tzitzis on that side.

But if the garment is sewn, then when he wraps himself with its length around his head and the width of his body, all four tzitzis come to one side, and it is not proper to do so, as will be explained below^[9].

Therefore he should put it on the usual way and not wrap it over his head at all, and he should not bless over it "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis," but bless "who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the mitzvah of tzitzis."

Likewise, even over a tallis katan made of one square piece and not sewn, if he puts it on the usual way and does not wrap his head in it, he also blesses "concerning the mitzvah of tzitzis"^[10].

8. Those who cover with their tallis only the head and around the neck, and are not particular to cover the body, must be protested against,

for the essence of wrapping is on the body, according to all opinions.

The dispute in seif 5 is only whether he must also cover the head with his tallis.

But covering the head alone, without covering the body, is not called a garment at all, according to all opinions (see Siman 10)^[11].

9. It is customary to make a crown for the tallis from a piece of silk, as a sign that those tzitzis that are in front of him should always be in front of him, and he should not move them down, for one raises in holiness and does not lower^[12].

The Arizal was not particular about this.

It is good to take care at the time of wrapping to throw all four tzitzis to the left side, as the Ishmaelites wrap themselves, for the time it takes to walk four cubits.

10. He should turn two tzitzis in front of him and two tzitzis behind him, so that he is surrounded by mitzvos.

Some are accustomed to place the right side on the left shoulder^[13], so that he is surrounded by mitzvos.

11. If several people wrap themselves, each in his own tallis, at the same time, each blesses for himself.

If they wish, one blesses and the others listen and answer amen, and they fulfill the obligation this way, for one who listens is like one who speaks.

But another person who is not wrapping himself now in tzitzis cannot bless to exempt the one wrapping himself, since he himself need not say a blessing now.

If the one wrapping himself is an unlearned person who does not know how to bless, another may bless for him, even though he does not need this blessing now,

since all of Israel are guarantors for one another^[14], and so he too needs this blessing now.

(Therefore it is customary for the chazzan to bless aloud, to fulfill the obligation for anyone not expert.)

The same law applies to all blessings on mitzvos.

12. The Torah called them "tzitzis," and the word "tzitzis" means only separated threads, like separated hairs^[15],

as it is written: "ויקחני בציצית ראשי" ("He took me by a lock of my head") (Yechezkel 8:3).

Therefore he must separate the threads from one another before the blessing.

But if he is late coming to the synagogue, and while separating the tzitzis he would miss praying with the congregation, he need not separate them.

13. Every day before he blesses ^{[Kuntres Acharon 2]} he must look over the threads of the tzitzis to see whether they are valid, in case some of the threads have torn^[16].

He must also look over the part of the tzitzis lying on the corner of the garment, in case one thread has torn.

Even if he checked the tzitzis yesterday, he must check them again the next day.

We do not say to leave them in their presumed state, that they are now as they were before, because if he does not check them at the time of the blessing, he will never check them, and surely they cannot be presumed valid forever, since they tend to tear from being stepped on or from other causes.

Therefore the Sages instituted that he check every day.

But on a day when he has already checked them once, he need not check them again,

even if he took off his tallis and put aside any thought of wearing it further, and afterward, in the middle of the day, he decided to put it on: he need not check them.

He may go out in them so without checking, even into a public domain on Shabbos,

because they are left in their presumed state, for they were whole that day when he checked them in the morning.

14. One who puts on many garments with tzitzis, one over another, although all are exempted with one blessing, must nevertheless check the tzitzis of each one separately,

in case one thread of the tzitzis of one of them has torn, and he would be found wearing four corners without tzitzis.

15. One who is late coming to the synagogue, and while occupied with checking the tzitzis would miss praying with the congregation, and likewise one who comes to the synagogue and is called up to the Torah and has not yet put on his tallis:

since the congregation is waiting for him, because of the burden on the congregation he may put on the tallis without checking the tzitzis,

for since he knows that the tzitzis were whole yesterday, they are left in their presumed state.

16. If he checked his tallis and put it in a known place, and the next day found it as he left it, he need not check, for surely the tzitzis have not become invalid in the meantime.

17. When he wraps himself in tzitzis, he should have in mind that "the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us to wrap ourselves in tzitzis, so that we remember all His mitzvos to do them"^[17],

as it says: "וראיתם אותו וזכרתם את כל מצות ה'" ("You shall see it and remember all the mitzvos of G‑d") (Bamidbar 15:39).

18. Since the reason for wearing tzitzis is to remember the mitzvos, one who wears a tallis katan should therefore take care to wear it over his clothes, so that he always sees it and remembers the mitzvos.

Those who wear it under their clothes should take care to wear it so that the tzitzis are always seen^[18],

so that by seeing them they always remember the mitzvos.

19. The tzitzis must be on the outside,

as it says: "וראיתם אותו" ("You shall see it") (Bamidbar 15:39),

unlike those who tuck them into the corners^[19].

In a pressing situation, such as when he walks among non-Jews and is concerned they will mock him, he may tuck them into the corners.

But at the time of the blessing they should be uncovered for at least the time it takes to walk four cubits.

20. If he wishes to put on the tallis katan immediately on rising, so as not to walk four cubits without tzitzis, while his hands are not yet clean and he cannot bless,

he may put it on without a blessing, and when he has cleaned his hands he should feel his tzitzis and bless^[20],

for feeling them is as if he were putting it on now.

If he intends to wrap himself in another tallis as soon as he cleans his hands, he need not feel [this one] and bless over it, but should bless over the tallis he puts on afterward, and have in mind to exempt also the one he has already put on.

21. If he has several four-cornered garments, all are obligated in tzitzis, even if he wears them all at once,

as it says: "על כנפי בגדיהם" ("On the corners of their garments") (Bamidbar 15:38), which implies many garments.

If he puts them all on one after another with no interruption of speech in between, and at the time of the blessing he intended from the start to put them all on at once, he says only one blessing for them all, even if he took off the first before putting on the second. ^{[Kuntres Acharon 3]}

But if he interrupted between them with speech or other matters, he must bless over each one.

This applies specifically when he interrupted for something not needed for dressing; but if it was needed for dressing, such as saying "give me the garment," he need not bless. ^{[Kuntres Acharon 4]}

Likewise, if at the time of the blessing he did not intend from the start to put them all on at once, even if he afterward decided to and put them all on one after another,

nevertheless, since this was not his intent at the start, it is like an interruption, and he must bless over whatever he decided on after he finished putting on the garments he had in mind at the time of the blessing.

But if they brought him more garments to put on while some of the garments he had in mind at the time of the blessing were still lying before him, not yet put on when he decided to put on also these garments now brought to him, then he should not bless again over these garments now brought,

since he has not yet finished putting on the first garments over which he already blessed. This is like [one] who has not finished his meal and is brought more to eat, who need not bless again.

22. If he puts on a tallis katan at home, even if he blessed over it "to wrap ourselves in tzitzis" in the way explained^[21], if he afterward goes to the synagogue and wraps himself in a tallis gadol, he must bless over it too "to wrap ourselves."

He is not exempted by the first blessing, ^{[Kuntres Acharon 5]} because going from his home to the synagogue counts as an interruption.

This is so even if he did not interrupt with any speech in between, and even if his home is next to the synagogue. Moreover, even if he wishes to wrap himself in the tallis gadol at home, but before wrapping himself in it he went outside the door of his home and returned, this is an interruption between the blessing he said over the tallis katan and putting on the tallis gadol, and he must bless again.

But if he did not go out of the door of his home in between, even if he blessed over the tallis katan in this room and goes to wrap himself in the tallis gadol in another room of the same house, he need not bless again,

since both rooms are in one house, going from one to the other does not count as an interruption, if he does not interrupt with speech or other matters.

23. One who takes off his tallis, intending at the time to put it on again immediately, need not bless over it when he puts it on again immediately, even if no tallis katan remained on him.

Even if he takes it off in this house and puts it on again in another house, this is no interruption, since he is putting on again the very tallis over which he already blessed, and he did not turn his mind at all from wearing it, and so he is exempted by the blessing he said when he first put it on.

But if when he took it off he did not intend to put it on again until after several hours^[22], then even if he afterward decided to put it on right away, he must bless over it again, even if a tallis katan remained on him^[23],

and even if he did not go out of the door of his home at all in between, and puts it on again in the same room where he took it off.

24. Likewise, even if when he took it off he intended to put it on again immediately, but afterward forgot or decided not to put it on until after several hours, he must bless over it again,

even if he did not go out of the door of his home at all in between, and puts it on again in the same room where he took it off.

25. One who takes off his tallis without any particular thought, intending neither to put it on again immediately nor not to put it on again immediately:

if when he took off the tallis a tallis katan still remained on him, he did not turn his mind from the mitzvah, and so when he puts on again the tallis he first took off, he need not bless over it.

But if when he took off the tallis no garment with tzitzis remained on him, he has turned his mind entirely from the mitzvah, and so when he puts on again the tallis he took off, he must bless over it again.

[See below, Siman 164, seif 2]

26. One who was wearing a tallis and it fell off him must bless again when he wraps himself in it again, since it fell without his intending it, and so his intention to put it on again accomplishes nothing.

When is this said? When all of it fell off his body.

But if part of it remained on his body, even if most of it fell, he need not bless again, since part of the mitzvah remained on him.

This applies specifically when the part that did not fall remained lying on his body.

But if it remained lying on his arm, since there is no mitzvah at all in its lying on the arm, for the essence of wrapping is on the body, nothing of the mitzvah remained on him, and so when he wraps himself in it again he must bless again.

[See below, Siman 164, seif 2]

27. Any four-cornered garment set aside to be worn by day, if he did not take it off at night but it remained on him until morning, he need not bless over it in the morning,

since some say that a daytime garment must have tzitzis attached even if he wishes to wear it at night. There was thus no time of exemption for this garment, and so the night is no interruption at all, and it is like one long day.

Nevertheless, some say (see Siman 18)^[24] that a daytime garment is exempt from tzitzis if he wishes to wear it at night. A time of exemption has thus passed for this garment, and this is an interruption, even though he wore the tzitzis all night.

Nevertheless, since he is exempt from tzitzis at that time, it is as if the tzitzis were not on him at all all night, and he must bless over them again when the time of their obligation arrives in the morning.

Therefore, to fulfill it according to all opinions, it is good to bless over another tallis and exempt also the one he slept in.

28. It is forbidden to cover oneself with a garment obligated in tzitzis without tzitzis attached.

If he wears it, he transgresses a positive commandment, for he has neglected the mitzvah of tzitzis.

29. One who was praying the Shemoneh Esrei when his tallis fell off him, and others put the tallis back on him^[25], should feel the tzitzis and bless when he finishes his prayer.

30. One who sleeps by day: it is good not to take the tallis katan off entirely, but to cover himself with it while sleeping.

When he puts it on afterward he needs no blessing, since he did not take it off entirely.

---

Notes

1. Bears false witness: On tefillin: "שכל הקורא קריאת שמע בלא תפילין, כאילו מעיד עדות שקר על עצמו" ("For whoever reads the Shema without tefillin is as if he bears false witness against himself") (below, Siman 25, seif 1).

2. To wrap ourselves in tzitzis: The Siddur: "וקודם שיתחיל להתעטף יברך" ("Before he begins to wrap himself he should bless") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur). Hayom Yom: "מנהגנו בלבישת טלית גדול: מניחים הט"ג מקופל על כתף ימין ובודקים הציצית. בשעת הבדיקה אומרים ברכי נפשי גו'. אח"כ לוקחים הטלית מן הכתף, פושטים אותו, מנשקים שפת הטלית, מחזיר אותו מכנגד פניו לאחוריו ומתחיל ברכת להתעטף בציצית, סיום הברכה סמוך לכריכת ב' כנפות ימין סביב צוארו לאחוריו בצד שמאל" ("Our custom in putting on the tallis gadol: the tallis gadol is placed folded on the right shoulder and the tzitzis are checked. While checking, 'Barchi Nafshi' is said. Afterward the tallis is taken from the shoulder and spread out, the edge of the tallis is kissed, he turns it from before his face to behind him and begins the blessing 'to wrap ourselves in tzitzis.' The blessing ends close to winding the two right corners around his neck behind him on the left side") (Hayom Yom, 5 Elul). So too in Sefer HaMinhagim, Chabad, p. 3.

3. See Siman 25: Below, Siman 25, seif 17: "כל ברכות המצות, צריך לברך אותן קודם התחלת עשיית המצוה" ("All blessings on mitzvos must be said before beginning to do the mitzvah").

4. Patach: In the Siddur it is pointed with a sheva: "לְהִתְעַטֵּף בְּצִיצִית" (order of prayer).

5. In its place: For example, below, Siman 25, seif 27 (tefillin); Siman 128, seif 23 (the priestly blessing); Siman 489, seif 4 (counting the Omer); Siman 585, seif 1 (blowing the shofar).

6. Support and hint: On counting the Omer: "ומכל מקום אם מנה מיושב יצא לפי שדרשה זו אינה אלא אסמכתא" ("Nevertheless, if he counted sitting he has fulfilled it, because this exposition is only a support") (below, Siman 489, seif 4).

7. Below his mouth: The Siddur: "ואין צריך לכסות ראשו עד פיו" ("He need not cover his head down to his mouth") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur). For our custom, see the next note.

8. At the time of the blessing: The Rebbe wrote, on whether one must cover the head down to the mouth and on the difference between the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch and his Siddur: "מנהגנו, ע"פ הוראת כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר, בעת העטיפה לכסות בחלקו העליון של הט"ג גם העינים אבל אין מכסין עד הפה" ("Our custom, by the instruction of the Previous Rebbe, is at the time of wrapping to cover also the eyes with the upper part of the tallis gadol, but not to cover down to the mouth") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 13, no. 4493); see Shulchan Menachem, The Order of Wrapping in the Tallis Gadol.

9. As will be explained below: Below, Siman 10, seif 22.

10. Concerning the mitzvah of tzitzis: Hayom Yom: "בלבישת טלית קטן בבוקר בידים נקיות ובמקום שמותר לברך, מברכים 'על מצות ציצית' [ולא: 'להתעטף בציצית'] - כיון שאין בט"ק שיעור עיטוף" ("When putting on a tallis katan in the morning with clean hands, in a place where one may bless, the blessing is 'concerning the mitzvah of tzitzis' [not 'to wrap ourselves in tzitzis'], since a tallis katan does not have the size for wrapping") (Hayom Yom, 14 Sivan); see Shulchan Menachem, The Blessing on a Tallis Katan.

11. See Siman 10: Below, Siman 10, seif 20: "פרט למצנפת שאינה עשויה לכסות את הגוף אלא את הראש בלבד" ("Excluding a turban, made to cover not the body but only the head"). The Siddur: "וזו שגגה גדולה כי עטיפת הראש בלי עטוף הגוף לא שמה עטיפה לדברי הכל לענין ציצית, ואין בה שום מצוה כלל לדברי הכל" ("This is a great error, for wrapping the head without wrapping the body is not called wrapping for tzitzis according to all opinions, and there is no mitzvah in it at all according to all opinions") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur).

12. Does not lower: "כשהוא מתחיל מתחיל בלבן הכנף מין כנף וכשהוא מסיים מסיים בלבן מעלין בקודש ולא מורידין" ("When he begins, he begins with white, for the corner is of the same kind; when he ends, he ends with white, for one raises in holiness and does not lower") (Menachos 39a).

13. On the left shoulder: The Siddur: "וטוב יותר להשליך כנף האחד של ימין על כתף שמאל לאחריו ונמצא כולו מעוטף בו עטיפה גמורה כעטיפת הישמעאלים קצת" ("It is better to throw one right corner over the left shoulder behind him, so that he is entirely wrapped in it, somewhat in the full wrapping of the Ishmaelites") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur). This is not the Chabad custom.

14. Guarantors for one another: "כל הברכות כולן אע"פ שיצא מוציא חוץ מברכת הלחם וברכת היין" ("With all blessings, even one who has fulfilled his obligation may fulfill it for others, except the blessing over bread and the blessing over wine") (Rosh Hashanah 29a).

15. Separated hairs: The source: "ת"ר ציצית אין ציצית אלא ענף וכן הוא אומר ויקחני בציצית ראשי" ("Our Rabbis taught: tzitzis means only a branch, as it says: 'He took me by a lock of my head'") (Menachos 42a).

16. Have torn: The Siddur: "בכל יום כשמתעטף בהם קודם הברכה - יעיין ויבדוק בחוטין אם הם כשרים, ובפרט על הכנף והגדיל" ("Every day when he wraps himself in them, before the blessing, he should look over and check the threads to see whether they are valid, especially on the corner and the twisted part"); "בשעת בדיקת הציצית יאמר זה: ברכי נפשי את ה', ה' אלהי גדלת מאד, הוד והדר לבשת: עוטה אור כשלמה, נוטה שמים כיריעה" ("While checking the tzitzis he should say: 'Bless G‑d, my soul; G‑d my L‑rd, You are very great, You have put on majesty and splendor. He wraps Himself in light as a garment, He spreads the heavens like a curtain'") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur). A letter in the Rebbe's name: "ושתבדוק הציציות שלו שכשרות הן ושמונה חוטים בכל אחת ואחת" ("And check its tzitzis, that they are valid, with eight threads in each one") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 13, no. 4302).

17. To do them: Tanya: "כמו לפני לבישת טלית ותפילין" ("Such as before putting on tallis and tefillin"); "ובקריאתו או בלבישתו, הוא ממשיך אורו ית' עליו" ("And by reading or wearing them, he draws His light upon himself") (Tanya, chapter 41).

18. Always seen: See the Rebbe's sicha: "שקו"ט אם הציציות של טלית קטן צ"ל מכוסות תחת הבגדים או נראה בחוץ - לפי דעת האריז"ל (הובא במג"א ס"ח סקי"ג) דט"ק צ"ל 'תחת בגדיו'" ("A discussion of whether the tzitzis of a tallis katan should be covered under the clothes or visible outside; according to the Arizal (brought in Magen Avraham 8:13), a tallis katan should be 'under his clothes'") (Likkutei Sichos, vol. 33, Shelach 3); see Shulchan Menachem, Wearing the Tallis Katan Over or Under the Clothes.

19. Into the corners: The Siddur: "ואותם התוחבים אותם בכנפות טועים הם" ("Those who tuck them into the corners are mistaken") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur). A letter of the Rebbe, on practices that have spread: "ומהן שהציציות נראות מבחוץ, שפשט הענין אפילו בישיבות הליטאות" ("Among them, that the tzitzis are visible outside, which has spread even in the Lithuanian yeshivos") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 22, no. 8662).

20. Feel his tzitzis and bless: Hayom Yom: "אם אסור לברך, אזי קודם התפלה - אם אינו לובש ט"ג - ימשמש בד' ציציותיו ויברך אז" ("If one may not bless, then before prayer, if he does not wear a tallis gadol, he should feel his four tzitzis and bless then") (Hayom Yom, 14 Sivan). The Siddur: "ואם לובשו מיד בקומו בעוד שאין ידיו נקיות כדי שלא ילך ד' אמות בלא ציצית - מברך על טלית גדול ויכוין לפטור גם את זה" ("If he puts it on immediately on rising, while his hands are not clean, so as not to walk four cubits without tzitzis, he blesses over a tallis gadol and has in mind to exempt this one too"); "והמדקדקים נוהגין לישן בטלית קטן" ("Those who are careful are accustomed to sleep in a tallis katan") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur).

21. In the way explained: Above, seif 7.

22. Several hours: On tefillin: "כמו ב' או ג' שעות" ("Such as two or three hours") (below, Siman 25, seif 29). On the sukkah: "לאחר שעה ושתים" ("After an hour or two") (below, Siman 639, seif 13). See Shulchan Menachem, The Measure of an Interruption.

23. A tallis katan remained: Here he must bless again, but the Siddur says: "ואפילו פשטה על דעת שלא לחזור וללבשה לאלתר ואח"כ נמלך לחזור וללבשה לאלתר, אם נשאר עליו טלית קטן - אינו צריך לחזור ולברך" ("Even if he took it off intending not to put it on again right away, and afterward decided to put it on again right away, if a tallis katan remained on him he need not bless again") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur).

24. See Siman 18: Below, Siman 18, seif 2.

25. Put the tallis back on him: Below, Siman 97, seif 4: "אבל נפל כולו אינו יכול לחזור ולהתעטף בו משום הפסק" ("But if all of it fell, he may not wrap himself in it again, because of the interruption").