4493 —כיסוי העינים בטלית גדול ושינויים בנוסח

B"H, 1st of Tammuz, 5716.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vavac"h iy"a nu"n etc. Mordechai Shpielman

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the 20th of Sivan, in which you write about wrapping the tallit gadol like the Ishmaelites—whether one must cover his head up to his mouth or not—and you note the difference between Shulchan Aruch of our Rebbe and what he ruled in his Siddur, and that seemingly there is also a point to be made from Yoreh Deah section 376 and places cited there.

This issue has already been addressed in Sefer Ketzos HaShulchan by Harav Avraham Chaim Naeh in part I and part II at their conclusions and in the notes there, as well as in his book Piskei HaSiddur—which deals with differences between our Rebbe's Siddur and his Shulchan Aruch.

Regarding those who question how it is possible for the Ishmaelite-style wrapping to cover the eyes—since it would be impossible to walk that way—I believe that even today some Ishmaelites walk like this in various countries to protect their eyes from sand carried by unusual winds or even regular winds. They can see what happens below and even at some distance because the tallit hangs loosely and is not tightly bound over their eyes. This is similar to the practice of not looking outside one's four cubits.

Our custom, based on the instruction of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, is that during wrapping one covers also the eyes with the upper part of the tallit gadol but does not cover up to the mouth.

Regarding what you wrote about the wording "Ki Vanu Vacharta" (for You have chosen us) in Kiddush—in addition to what is written in Shaar HaKolel as you referenced—it is also worth noting Siddur Otzar HaTefillot at that place; Sefer Keter Shem Tov by Rabbi Shem Tov Gagin part I; Eshel Avraham (by Rabbi Tzvi of Botshatsh) on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim section 271 (at length); Mishmeret Shalom (by Rabbi Tzvi of Kaidanov) in addition to section 126.

In matters such as these that are practiced daily or weekly it is difficult to say they would suddenly change. Since our Rebbe wrote so in his Siddur and this has been practiced generation after generation without interruption—it is certain he saw this from his teacher, etc. This is a maaseh rav (authoritative practice).

Blessings.

Summary

The Rebbe clarifies that Chabad custom when donning a tallit gadol is to cover one's eyes but not up to the mouth, referencing halachic sources and established tradition. He emphasizes maintaining longstanding practices passed down through generations regarding both tallit wrapping and prayer text variations.