סימן טו - אם להתיר הציצית מבגד לבגד ודין נקרע הטלית ובו ט"ז סעיפים

Recording: Seifim 1–16

1. One may untie tzitzis from one garment and put them on another, and this is no disgrace to the mitzvah for the garment they are untied from, since they are put on another garment at once.

2. If one of the eight threads was torn, even if enough for a loop remained in it, one may not in the first place put it on another garment,

for before the threads are put on the garment, each of the eight threads must be twelve thumb-widths long, as explained in Siman 11^[1].

3. If he wishes to tie another thread to the torn thread to complete it to twelve thumb-widths, he may, and he may put it on another garment even in the first place,

because tying counts as a complete join, as if they were actually one thread.

4. When is it said that tying makes them one thread? When they were tied before the threads were put on the garment.

But if, after he attached the threads to the garment, one of the four long threads tore with not enough left for a loop, so that the tzitzis are invalid, it does not help to repair it by tying another thread to it.

Since the tzitzis have already become invalid, the only way to make them valid is an act in the main making of the tzitzis on the garment: he unties the invalid tzitzis from the garment, ties the thread, and attaches them to the garment again validly.

But if he does no act in the main making of the tzitzis on the garment, tying the thread accomplishes nothing,

for the Torah said: "גדילים תעשה" ("Make twisted threads") (Devarim 22:12), and not from what was already made invalidly, as explained in Siman 10^[2]; see there.

5. It is forbidden to untie tzitzis from a garment if he does not intend to attach them to another garment, because he needlessly cancels the mitzvah of this garment from which he unties them.

But if he does not cancel its mitzvah, such as when he wishes to make the garment into another with no four corners, or to sell it to a non-Jew, he may untie the tzitzis from it,

since then the garment is not subject to the obligation, and he cancels no mitzvah from it by untying the tzitzis

(and so one may untie the tzitzis from a tallis of the dead^[3]) (and see Yoreh De'ah, Siman 351).

All the more so if he unties the tzitzis to make other, more beautiful tzitzis on it, or because one of the ends tore and he wishes to attach other, whole tzitzis to it:

although the first tzitzis are valid, he may untie them and attach others in their place.

6. One may not take the corner as it is, with the tzitzis hanging on it, and sew it onto another garment.

Even if he does not take the corner of the garment alone, but cuts a large piece of cloth around the corner and sews it, with its corner on which the tzitzis hang, onto another garment that has three corners, this is forbidden.

If he did so, these tzitzis brought from another garment are invalid, as it says: "ועשו להם ציצית על כנפי בגדיהם" ("They shall make themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments") (Bamidbar 15:38),

for when the tzitzis are made on a corner, the corner must be joined to the main garment, and then the tzitzis exempt the garment^[4].

But these tzitzis brought from another garment, since the corner was not joined to this garment when they were made on it, do not exempt this garment, until he unties them from the corner and attaches them to it again after the corner is joined to this garment.

7. When is this said? When the piece he brings from another garment does not have the size of a tallis obligated in tzitzis, to be explained in Siman 16.

But if it has the size of a tallis obligated in tzitzis, he need not untie the tzitzis from it ^{[Kuntres Acharon 1]} when he sews it onto another garment on which three tzitzis already hang,

for when the tzitzis were made, the corner was joined to the main garment, that is, to this piece, for since it has the size of a tallis it is then called the main garment.

Needless to say, if he does not wish to sew that piece, which has the size of a tallis, onto another garment, but wishes to wrap himself in it alone, he need not untie the first tzitzis from it, but attaches another three tzitzis and wraps himself in it.

8. A tallis properly fitted with tzitzis that was divided into two parts, each with the size of a tallis obligated in tzitzis, with one or two tzitzis left on each part, and he changed his mind and wants to sew them back as before, need not untie the tzitzis and attach them again when he sews them,

for the tzitzis did not become invalid when the tallis was divided in two, since the tzitzis remained hanging on a piece of cloth with the size of a tallis and four corners, so the name of valid tzitzis still applies to them.

The tzitzis have only become separated from one another, and this separation does not invalidate them, for all tzitzis in the world are attached to a garment one after another.

9. When is this said? When each part alone has the size of a tallis obligated in tzitzis.

But if one part does not have the size of a tallis, when he wishes to sew them back he must untie the tzitzis from the part without the size of a tallis, and attach them again after he sews them,

for these tzitzis became invalid when the tallis was divided in two, because they were hanging on a piece without the size of a tallis, which is entirely exempt from tzitzis.

Since the tzitzis have already become invalid, they do not become valid by themselves when he sews the two parts together, since he does no act on the tzitzis themselves, [and] the Torah said: "Make twisted threads," and not from what was already made invalidly.

10. When is this said? When he cut the tallis into two separate parts, or it tore into two separate parts.

But if [the parts] did not separate entirely but remain slightly joined, if the join is the width of three thumbs^[5], they are as if entirely joined and were never divided,

and so when he wishes to sew them back, he need not untie the tzitzis even from the part without the size of a tallis.

But if the join is not the width of three thumbs, they count as entirely separated, and so when he sews them he must untie the tzitzis from the part without the size of a tallis, and attach them again after the sewing.

11. But some say the tzitzis did not become invalid at all because they hang on a piece of cloth without the size of a tallis, since they hang on a corner, as all tzitzis hang on a corner.

Therefore, if the corner of that piece cut or torn from the tallis measures three thumb-widths by three thumb-widths, the size fit to be called a corner, the tzitzis hanging on that piece remain valid and did not become invalid at all, and so he need not untie them from the piece and attach them again after he sews it.

But if the corner of that piece, where the tzitzis hang, does not measure three thumb-widths by three thumb-widths, even if the piece did not separate entirely from the tallis and still remains joined to it, if the length of the join is not the width of three thumbs, it is as if entirely separated from the tallis, and the tzitzis hanging on it became invalid, because they hang on something not called a corner at all.

Therefore, when he wishes to sew the piece to the tallis, he must untie the invalid tzitzis hanging on it and attach them to it again, or make new tzitzis on it.

^{[Kuntres Acharon 2]} As for the law, one should be stringent according to the first view wherever possible.

But if it is impossible otherwise, such as when one of the threads of those invalid tzitzis tore with enough for a loop remaining, so that although it is valid he cannot untie it from the garment and attach it again, as written at the start of the siman^[6], and no other tzitzis are available at all, one may rely on the last view.

12. If the corner was cut or torn and entirely separated from the tallis, and where the tzitzis hang it does not measure three thumb-widths by three thumb-widths, the size fit to be called a garment,

some say that corner is disqualified for attaching tzitzis, even if he wishes to untie those tzitzis hanging on it and attach other, new tzitzis after the sewing,

because that corner, since the name of a garment does not apply to it, not having three by three thumb-widths, sewing does not help join it to the tallis,

and although it is attached to it, it counts as separate from it and not as part of the tallis, and the tzitzis hanging on it do not exempt the tallis, even if he attached the tzitzis after sewing it to the tallis, for the tzitzis do not hang on the tallis at all.

After the sewing this corner counts like the selvage (called "leist")^[7], of which it is written in Siman 11^[8] that tzitzis are not attached to it, because it does not count as part of the tallis, and yet it does count toward the measure of three thumb-widths and the measure of a full thumb joint; see there.

Although some disagree with this view, one should be stringent wherever possible.

13. When is this said? When the corner separated entirely from the tallis.

But if it did not separate from it entirely, although the length of their join is not three thumb-widths, nevertheless, since it remains slightly joined, sewing it to the tallis helps it count thereby as part of the tallis,

and so the tzitzis he attaches to it after the sewing exempt this tallis according to all opinions.

14. It is customary to sew a piece of cloth onto the corners of the tallis^[9], because most garments, even new ones, have sewing within three thumb-widths of the edge of the garment,

and according to the first view explained just above^[10], no piece of cloth should be sewn within three thumb-widths of the edge of the garment where the tzitzis are attached.

Therefore a piece of cloth of three by three thumb-widths with no sewing in it is placed where the tzitzis are attached, so that the tzitzis hang on a place fit to be a corner.

Even if that piece placed on the corners of the tallis is of leather, this does not matter, for a tallis of cloth with corners of leather is obligated in tzitzis, as written in Siman 10^[11].

15. If the corner of the tallis tore from the hole on which the tzitzis hang down to the edge of the tallis,

if attaching the tzitzis to the corner came before the tear, so that those tzitzis were there at the time of the tear, it is valid, although the measure of a full thumb joint is not there, because this measure was said only for the time the tzitzis are made on the garment, as written in Siman 11^[12].

If it tore with some small amount remaining, and he sewed it, and afterward attached tzitzis to it, it is valid, although there is no distance of a full thumb joint apart from the sewn place,

because sewing counts as a join, so that the sewn place counts as entirely whole, even according to the first view explained just above^[13], since some small amount remained untorn.

16. If the corner tore in the place fit for attaching tzitzis, that is, within three thumb-widths of the edge of the corner and above a full thumb joint from the edge of the corner,

some say that even if there is only the smallest tear there, he should not sew it with thread fit for tzitzis,

such as: if the tallis is of linen he should not sew the tear with linen threads but only with threads of silk or other kinds; if the tallis is of silk he should not sew it with silk threads; and if the tallis is of wool he should not sew it with wool, but with silk or other kinds.

This prohibition is a decree of the Sages, lest some of the sewing thread remain and he leave it there on the corner for tzitzis, and add seven threads to it, that is, three long threads each doubled to two, and tie one short thread to the end of the thread left from the sewing, and this thread is invalid because it was not spun for tzitzis.

According to this view, even if there is no tear in the corner, but he sews around the hole on which the tzitzis hang so that the hole does not widen, and likewise one who sews a piece of cloth onto the corners of the tallis, if he sews with thread from which tzitzis could be made for this tallis, must take care that there be no sewing within three thumb-widths of the edge of the corner and above a full thumb joint from the edge of the corner, for the reason explained.

Although some disagree with this view, one should nevertheless be stringent wherever possible.

Even according to this view it is forbidden only if he sews with white thread, but with dyed thread there is no concern that he will combine it with the other tzitzis threads, for nowadays dyed tzitzis are not made at all^[14].

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Notes

1. Explained in Siman 11: Above, Siman 11, seif 5.

2. Explained in Siman 10: Above, Siman 10, seif 10.

3. A tallis of the dead: See below, Siman 23, seif 5: "Where it is customary to remove the tzitzis from the tallis of a dead person."

4. Exempt the garment: This is a branch of the rule "make, and not from what is made" in Siman 10, seif 10: the making must be on the garment it exempts.

5. Three thumbs: A smaller join does not hold the two parts together as one garment.

6. The start of the siman: Above, seif 2.

7. Leist: The woven border at the edge of the cloth.

8. Written in Siman 11: Above, Siman 11, seif 19.

9. On the corners of the tallis: This piece is the reinforcement at the corners of the tallis, and its reason is stated here: so that the tzitzis hang on a place with no sewing.

10. Explained just above: Above, seif 12.

11. Written in Siman 10: Above, Siman 10, seif 8.

12. Written in Siman 11: Above, Siman 11, seif 18.

13. Explained just above: Above, seif 12.

14. Dyed tzitzis: See above, Siman 9, seif 9, that the custom is "to make white tzitzis even on dyed garments."