Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email - 21 Adar II/March 24

Is a new brocha necessary when putting on a tallis that fell off in the middle of davening?

If a person’s tallis falls off accidentally, he must recite a new brocha when he puts it back in place. This is the halacha even if he catches it before it falls onto the floor and even if he is still wearing his tallis koton. Shulchon Aruch rules that if the tallis remains partially on--even minimally--a new brocha is not necessary. Other poskim do not make this distinction and maintain that a new brocha is necessary even if it did not fall off entirely. Some contemporary poskim hold that this halacha does not apply when a person’s tallis falls off during davening. They explain that since it is understood that a person wears a tallis during davening, his intent at the time of the brocha was to cover the wearing of the tallis throughout the entire davening, even if it slips off at some point.

[שו"ע ח, טו, ומשנ"ב מ-מא; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 59]

Is a new brocha necessary if a person wears his tzitzis while sleeping?

Shulchon Aruch rules that if a person sleeps in his tzitzis, he must recite a new brocha in the morning even if they were not taken off. Since a person is not obligated to wear tzitzis at night, there was a break in the mitzvah and a new brocha is necessary. Other Achronim disagree. They explain that there is an opinion which holds that a garment normally worn by day is obligated to have tzitzis even at night. If so, there was no break in the mitzvah and a new brocha should not be recited. The halacha follows this opinion. Nonetheless, in this case, one should be mindful to include the tallis katon when reciting a brocha on his tallis gadol. The poskim disagree about whether a person who removes his tallis katon for a daytime nap must recite a new brocha when putting it back on.

[שו"ע ח, טז, ומשנ"ב מב]

Can a brocha be changed once a person is in the middle of reciting it?

If, in the middle of a brocha over a particular food, one suddenly remembers that he already made a brocha on that food, he may not change the ending to exempt another food. Since at the time of saying Hashem’s name he intended to finish the brocha one way, he may not conclude it another way. If, however, a similar scenario happens with a tallis (i.e. mid-brocha he realizes that he is exempt), he may change the brocha to cover his tefillin instead. This is because putting on tefillin is obligatory, whereas eating another food is arbitrary.

[משנ"ב ח, מא; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 61 ;וראה ס' וזאת הברכה עמ' 206'טו]

According to Shulchon Aruch, if a person removes his tallis he must recite another brocha when he puts it back on. This is true even if he planned to put it back on again when he took it off. If, however, he had this plan in mind at the time of the initial brocha, reciting another brocha is not necessary.

Rema rules that if a person intends to put his tallis back on soon after he takes it off, a new brocha is not necessary. If he plans to take a considerable break, though, he must make a new brocha.

If a person was meshaneh makom (changed his place) while eating, he must make a new brocha in certain cases. For example, if one was eating certain foods and then walked outside, he must recite a new brocha if he wants to continue eating.

Is there an obligation to affix tzitzis to a garment made of synthetic material?

Is there a Torah obligation to affix tzitzis to a garment not made from wool or linen?

Why did some Gedolei Yisroel wear cotton tzitzis?

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.