Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email - 18 Adar II/March 21

Why is a brocha often not recited on a tallis katon?

It is customary for people who wear a tallis gadol to recite the brocha on it and not on the tallis katon. When reciting the brocha on the tallis gadol, they have in mind that the brocha should also cover the tallis katon. There are several reasons for this practice: 1) If one recites both brochos at around the same time, the second one is an unnecessary brocha. 2) If the tallis katon is invalid, a brocha made on it would be a brocha l’vatalah. 3) When a person sleeps in his tallis katon, it is problematic to make a brocha on it in the morning because it was worn throughout the night. As an alternative to being mindful of the tallis katon every time one makes a brocha on the tallis gadol, some poskim hold that it is sufficient to make a once-in-a-lifetime declaration stating that the brocha on the tallis gadol will always cover the tallis katon.

[שו"ע ח, י, ומשנ"ב כד; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 30]

Should the tallis katon be worn over one's clothing?

Shulchon Aruch rules that the tallis katon should be worn on top of one’s clothing. This fulfills the Torah dictum of “you shall see them and remember to observe the mitzvos.” According to the teachings of Kabbalah, however, the tallis should be worn beneath the clothing. The poskim say that no matter how the garment is worn, the tzitzis strings should be exposed. The poskim discourage wearing tzitzis directly on the body, viewing it as a degradation of the mitzvah.

[שו"ע ח, יא, ומשנ"ב כה; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 32]

Does one need to attach tzitzis to each four-cornered garment he owns?

The mitzvah of tzitzis is a chovas gavra (an obligation on the person who wears a four-cornered garment) and not a chovas mana (an obligation that applies to the garment itself). This means that a person is only obligated to attach tzitzis to a garment that he is wearing, not to one that he merely owns. A person who wears multiple four-cornered garments must affix tzitzis to each of them. If he will be putting them on consecutively, he should recite one brocha to cover all the garments. Since the brocha is being recited for all of them, it is forbidden to talk from the time that the brocha is made until they are all put on. The poskim disagree about whether a person must make another brocha if he did speak. In such a case, he should delay putting on the additional articles of clothing until a considerable amount of time has passed. At that point, he can recite a brocha according to all views.

[שו"ע ח, יב, ומשנ"ב כז ו־כח; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 35 ,39 ו־41]

The brocha for wrapping a tallis gadol concludes with the words l’hisatef b’tzitzis (to wrap ourselves in tzitzis). Shulchon Aruch rules that this version should also be said when putting on a tallis katon. In his view, Chazal instituted one version of this brocha, and it applies even if a person will not be wrapping himself. Rema maintains that the proper conclusion to the brocha is al mitzvas tzitzis (on the mitzva of tzitzis).

Before donning a tallis, one should separate any strings which have become intertwined. According to some opinions, a person may not be yotzei if the strings are not separated.

Before putting on tzitzis, one should check the strings to be certain that they are still valid. Occasionally, one should also check the holes from which the tzizis hang to be certain that they have not ripped.

Can a brocha on a tallis koton exempt a tallis gadol?

Is a change in location a hefsek for birchos hamitzvos?

Is saying Hashem’s name in vain a violation of a Torah prohibition?

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.