סימן יז - מי הם החייבים בציצית ובו ד' סעיפים

Recording: Seifim 1–4

1. Women and servants are exempt from tzitzis; even if they wear a tallis with four corners, they need not attach tzitzis to it,

because tzitzis is a time-bound positive command, for a night garment is exempt from tzitzis.

Women and servants are exempt from every time-bound positive command, for it says regarding tefillin: "למען תהיה תורת ה' בפיך" ("So that the Torah of God may be in your mouth") (Shemos 13:9), comparing the entire Torah to tefillin^[1].

Just as tefillin is a time-bound positive command, since Shabbos and Yom Tov are not the time for tefillin, and women and servants are exempt from it, for the reason to be explained in Siman 38,

so too women and servants are exempt from every time-bound positive command, except for specific mitzvos, as will be explained with God's help.

2. A tumtum (entirely closed, so that it is unknown whether male or female) and an androginos (having both male and female features) are obligated in tzitzis out of doubt, for perhaps they are male,

but they need not recite the blessing, for in doubtful blessings one is lenient.

3. Nevertheless, even those who are certainly female, and likewise servants, may wrap themselves in tzitzis and recite the blessing if they wish, as is done with other time-bound positive commands.

They may say "and commanded us to wrap ourselves in tzitzis," although they are not commanded, because men are commanded in this^[2].

When they too fulfill mitzvos from which they are exempt, although they do not have the great reward of one who is commanded and does, they do have some reward.

Therefore they may recite a blessing on any mitzvah from which they are exempt, if they do it properly, in a way that men could recite the blessing on it.

Nevertheless, since it looks like showing off, they should not wear tzitzis,

since even men are obligated in this mitzvah only if they have a four-cornered tallis, and it is not a personal obligation like shofar and lulav, on which women are accustomed to be stringent^[3].

4. A child who knows how to wrap himself, such as knowing to throw two corners in front and two behind, and knowing to hold the tzitzis in his hand during Shema, as is done,

his father is obligated to buy him a four-cornered tallis and attach tzitzis to it, to train him in mitzvos^[4]

(and see Siman 24, that this is not so strict an obligation^[5]; but in any case the father must attach tzitzis to any four-cornered garment the son wears, since he has reached the age of training).

Notes

1. Comparing the entire Torah: The verse is said of tefillin and includes "the Torah of God," teaching that the law of women in all mitzvos is as in tefillin.

2. Men are commanded: "And commanded us" does not mean that she herself was commanded, but that God commanded men in this mitzvah she is doing.

3. To be stringent: Shofar and lulav fall on the person at their time, so doing them is not so much like showing off. Tzitzis, by contrast, is an obligation only for one who wears a four-cornered garment, and one who seeks such a garment in order to fulfill it appears to be raising herself up.

4. To train him: In a letter on behalf of the Rebbe, on training children in fear of Heaven: "אז זיי זאלן טראגען יארמולקעס, טלית קטן" ("That they should wear yarmulkes, a tallis katan") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 5, no. 1526). On the age of training with regard to the size of the tallis, see above, Siman 16, note 2.

5. Siman 24: Below, Siman 24, seif 1.