Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email - 26 Adar II/March 29

Is a five-cornered garment obligated in tzitzis?

A garment with only three corners is exempt from tzitzis, even if it originally had four corners (and one corner was later cut off). A five-cornered garment is obligated in tzitzis. The tzitzis should be affixed on the four corners which are farthest from each other. The poskim disagree about whether this directive to attach tzitzis to the four farthest corners is min haTorah or only mid’rabonon. If one were to attach tzitzis to all five corners, he would transgress the prohibition of bal tosif (adding to a mitzvah). Since some Rishonim exempt a five-cornered garment entirely from tzitzis, l’chatchilah one should not wear such a garment.

[שו"ע י, א, ומשנ"ב א, ג, ד ו־ה; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 2 ,וראה שם]

Can a four-cornered garment be changed into a three-cornered garment?

If one of the corners of a four-cornered garment was rounded off by folding it down and sewing it, the garment is still required to have tzitzis. It can be assumed that the stitches will eventually be removed and the garment will revert to having four corners; otherwise, the corner would have been cut off. If it was folded and stitched in such a way that the corner is now in another place, the poskim disagree about whether the tzitzis should be affixed in their original location or in the new location of the corner. If the corners were professionally sewn and the fold is no longer noticeable, all opinions agree that the tzitzis should be affixed in the new location of the corner. Some Achronim propose that a professionally rounded out corner would exempt the garment from tzitzis.

[שו"ע י, ג, משנ"ב ח, וביה"ל ד"ה ל]

Can tzitzis be attached to a three-cornered garment?

Tzitzis can only be affixed to a garment after it has four corners and is obligated in tzitzis. If they were affixed when the garment was exempt, they are not valid even after the garment was changed into a proper four-cornered garment. Therefore, if tzitzis were attached when a garment only had three corners, they must be untied and reaffixed if a fourth corner is formed. If the tzitzis were knotted when the garment only had three corners but were not yet wrapped around each other, the poskim disagree about whether they must be untied once a fourth corner is formed.

[שו"ע י, ה, ומשנ"ב יד; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 9]

Wool tzitzis strings should be affixed to a woolen garment and linen strings to a linen garment. Wool or linen strings may be used for all other types of garments. Strings made from other materials may only be used on garments made from the same material (e.g. cotton strings for a cotton garment, silk strings for a silk garment, etc.).

Min haTorah, one should affix dyed woolen strings even to a linen garment, since the mitzvah of wearing techeles overrides the aveirah of wearing shatnez. Presently, though, since we no longer have techeles and the mitzvah of tzitzis is no longer kept in its entirety, it is forbidden to affix woolen strings to a linen garment.

Shulchon Aruch rules that a person should wear tzitzis dyed the same color as the garment. Doing so adorns the mitzvah, fulfilling the dictum of zeh Keili v’anvayhu. In addition, the Torah writes kanaf, meaning that tzitzis should be like the corner of the garment. Keeping them the same color adds to this similarity. Rema maintains that tzitzis strings should always be white, regardless of the color of the garment.

Can the corners of a garment be relocated?

Is a garment which is too long to be worn required to have tzitzis?

Can a person wear a tallis with five 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.