Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email - 19 Adar II/March 22

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

A person who was not planning to wear more than one four-cornered garment but later changes his mind must recite another brocha. This is the case even if the additional clothing was in front of him at the time of the first brocha. Similarly, one who recited al mitzvas tzitzis on a tallis koton must recite a second brocha on a tallis gadol. It can be assumed that he did not want to exempt the tallis gadol, since he did not say the proper brocha. Those who follow Shulchon Aruch’s ruling and recite l’hisatef on a tallis katon do not have to recite a separate brocha on a tallis gadol.

[שו"ע ח, יב, משנ"ב ל, וביה"ל יג, ד"ה אם]

Is a change in location a hefsek for birchos hamitzvos?

The poskim disagree about whether halicha havei hefsek (walking is an interruption). This question is relevant in cases where a person made a brocha on a mitzvah and plans to repeat the mitzvah at another location. Does the movement from one place to another constitute a hefsek that would make a new brocha necessary? Some poskim differentiate between situations in which the second mitzvah is merely a continuation of the first mitzvah and those in which the second mitzvah is a new mitzvah. For example, one who recited a brocha and sat in a sukkah would not have to say another brocha if he went to sit in a neighbor’s sukkah. The second sukkah is a continuation of the mitzvah of sitting in a sukkah, so a new brocha is not necessary. If, however, a person put on a second pair of tzitzis in a new location, the second pair is a new mitzvah that would call for a new brocha.

[שו"ע ח, יג, ומשנ"ב לג; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 46]

Does saying Hashem’s name in vain violate a Torah prohibition?

It is prohibited to utter the name of Hashem in vain. Contemporary poskim divide this halacha into three parts: 1) Mentioning Hashem’s name in vain (i.e. not in the context of a brocha) is forbidden min haTorah. 2) The Rishonim disagree about whether saying a brocha l’vatala is forbidden min haTorah or mid’rabonon. 3) Saying a brocha sh’eina tzricha--an unnecessary brocha--is forbidden mid’rabonon. For example, it is forbidden to recite a brocha on a tafel (a secondary food) if a brocha on the primary food would exempt both foods.

[ביאורים ומוספים דרשו ח, 42 ;וראה משנ"ב רטו, יט-כ, ושעה"צ כא]

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.

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 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.

Is a new brocha necessary if one takes off his tallis and then puts it back on?

Does one have to make a new brocha if he momentarily takes off his tallis during davening?

Is a new brocha necessary if one changed his location while eating?

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.