PART 1:

The Haggadah brings the possuk,Vayorayu osanu hamitzrim etc.”- “And the Mitzrim hurt us”. The tanna in the Hagaddah explains that this is sourced in the possuk of, “Hava nischachmo lo”- “Let us strategize with chochmo to defeat him (them)”.

This is very perplexing. “Vayorayu” means that the Mitzrim did bad things to us. The possuk of, “Hovo nischachmo lo” means that the Mitzrim schemed to hurt Klal Yisroel. This is a reference to the stage before actually harming them. How can this possuk possibly be cited as the source for “Vayorayu”?

The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva cites a list of aveiros that if transgressed, teshuva is withheld from them. Shomayim actively sees to it that the transgressor dies without having performed teshuva. The Rambam compares these aveiros to that of Paroh. He writes that Paroh declared, “Hovo nischachmo lo” and as a result, Hashem hardened his heart, removing from him the chance to do teshuva.

If one was investigating Paroh’s dossier of aveiros, surely there were many more severe ones that should have been listed as cause for hardening his heart! He was guilty of infanticide on a grand scale when issuing the decree to kill all the newborns! To heal his leprosy, he would slaughter three hundred children on a daily basis to bathe in their blood! His sheer brutality and torture was endless! Why did the Rambam suffice in citing as his most noteworthy sin the strategizing to stifle the Jewish population?

Rav Shlomo Alkabetz analyzes the wording of the possuk of “Vayorayu”. Why does it say “Vayorayu osanu”, which, when literally translated, means, “and he made us bad”? It would have been more accurate to write, “Vayorayu lonu”, meaning “And he did bad to us”?

Paroh understood Hashem’s strength and that there is no escape from him. He also believed that he understood Hashem’s way of meting out punishment. He comprehended the mehalech of midda-kineged-midda. Punishment is doled out with the exactitude and reciprocity of the aveira committed. He did not fear any other punishment that did not fall under the midda-kineged-midda category. He was familiar with the entire history of the world, and he knew that Hashem promised that there will never be another mabul. Therefore, he chose to use water to kill the Jewish children. His entire thought process took Hashem into consideration, and he was constantly scheming how to circumvent Hashem’s control and to remove His protection from Klal Yisroel.

Paroh strategized to prevent Hashem’s salvation. With grand scheming, he devised a master plan to weaken the Yidden’s connection to Him, and that would free him to implement his plan to enslave the people. This is the meaning of “Vayorayu osonu”-he tried to make us bad and distance Hashem from us.

Hovo nischachmo lo”- “Let us outsmart him”. Why are Klal Yisroel referred to in the singular – “Lo”, rather than in the plural- “Lohem”? The answer is that Paroh understood that their underlying strength and protection was their achdus and strength of tzibur. He knew that the koach of the tzibur, connecting everyone as one unit is an unbreakable safety net. He devised a plan to break their oneness and turn them into a fragmented people riddled with discord and disunity…..




Who may tie tzitzis to the garment?


L’chatchilah, tzitzis should only be tied by an adult Jewish male. Tzitzis tied by a non-Jew are invalid. If a child ties tzitzis, an adult must stand by and direct him to tie them with the proper intentions. A child may tie his own tzitzis even without adult supervision. He may even continue wearing this pair after he becomes Bar Mitzvah. These halachos pertain to the placement of tzitzis in the hole of the garment, tying the first knot and forming the first set of krichos. The rest of the knots and krichos can be tied by a child or even a non-Jew.
  
[שו"ע יד, א, משנ"ב א, ד ו־ה, וביה"ל ד"ה להצריך, וד"ה וטוב; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 3 ;וראה ביה"ל יב, ג, ד"ה יש]



What must a person think when he knots his tzitzis


The Rishonim disagree about whether the tzitzis must be knotted lishmah (for the sake of the mitzvah). Some Achronim understand that the stringent view only refers to cases in which tzitzis were knotted with explicit intent not to do it lishmah. They hold that tzitzis which were knotted without any express intention are kosher according to all opinions. Others say that the disagreement only applies to situations where the tzitzis were knotted without any express intention. If they were knotted with intent not to be lishmah, they are invalid according to all opinions. Some say that the disagreement only applies if a person knotted tzitzis on behalf of someone else. In that case, it can be argued that if he did not have express intent to knot them lishmah, he simply knotted them to fulfill the other person’s request. If a person knotted his own tzitzis, however, it can be assumed that he did it for the sake of the mitzvah and not for any other reason.

[שו"ע יד, ב, וביה"ל ד"ה הטיל, וד"ה לא]




What should one say before preparing his tzitzis?


If a person threaded and knotted tzitzis onto a garment without the proper intentions, he may wear it if there is nothing else available. A brocha should not be recited. If tzitzis strings were threaded without a lishmah intention but were knotted lishmah, it is questionable whether a brocha can be said. L’chatchila, one should articulate that all his actions are being done lishmah prior to placing the tzitzis in the hole. This statement will suffice for threading and knotting the tzitzis on all four corners.

[שו"ע יד, ב, משנ"ב ח, וביה"ל ד"ה בלא, וד"ה לא; וראה ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 16]
  • In some instances, the preservation of kavod habrios (human dignity) can override certain prohibitions. When serious degradation is at stake, one may even disregard a Torah prohibition by way of shev v’al ta’aseh (in a passive way, without actively transgressing the averiah).  

  • A person who wears a four-cornered garment without tzitzis transgresses a mitzvah min haTorah to wear tzitzis. If a person is among a large group of people and notices that his tallis katon has become invalid, he is not obligated to remove his clothing immediately to take off his tzitzis. He should instead make his way to a private area and remove his tallis katon there. Since it would be very embarrassing to disrobe in public, he is permitted to transgress the mitzvah min haTorah in this passive way.

  • Wearing a four-cornered garment on Shabbos without tzitzis is not a transgression of the mitzvah of tzitzis. Since it is forbidden to knot tzitzis on Shabbos, one is not ignoring the mitzvah by refraining from doing so. 




  • Is a borrowed garment required to have tzitzis?









  • Can one recite a brocha on a borrowed tallis?









  • Should one recite a brocha when wearing a tallis for an aliyah?
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.
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