סימן יח - זמן ציצית ובו ח' סעיפים

Recording: Seifim 1–8

1. Night is not the time of tzitzis, as it says: "וראיתם אותו" ("You shall see it"), etc. (Bamidbar 15:39), which excludes a night garment^[1].

But a blind person's garment is obligated in tzitzis, because others can see it,

and so even if a blind person wears it, he must attach tzitzis to it.

2. Some say the verse excluded only a garment not seen at the time it is worn,

so anything worn at night, even a garment set aside for day, is exempt,

but anything worn by day, even a garment set aside for night, requires tzitzis before he puts it on, since it is seen at the time it is worn.

Others say the verse excluded only a garment set aside for night, which is exempt even if worn by day, since it was made from the outset only to be worn when it cannot be seen.

But a garment set aside for day, or for day and night, requires tzitzis even if worn at night, and he should recite the blessing over it, since it was made to be worn when it can be seen.

Since it has not been clarified according to whom the law follows, one must be stringent in Torah prohibitions according to the stringencies of both views,

that is, to attach tzitzis to a garment set aside for day, or for day and night, even if worn at night, and also even to a garment set aside for night if worn by day^[2].

But regarding the blessing, since in doubtful blessings one is lenient, he should recite it only when wearing by day a garment set aside for day, or for day and night.

3. One who was wearing a tallis gadol while it was still day must take it off when they begin Barchu,

since nowadays a tallis is worn only for the mitzvah of tzitzis, and if he has the tallis on him at night, it will look as though he holds that night is the time of tzitzis.

But on the night of Yom Kippur all are accustomed to wrap themselves in a tallis gadol and recite the blessing over it while it is still day, and they do not take it off at night,

because it is known that it is not worn for the mitzvah of tzitzis, but to resemble the angels, wearing white and wrapped in white.

4. Anyone who goes before the ark, even to say Selichos and Tachanunim, must wrap himself in a tallis gadol out of respect for the congregation^[3],

and even to say Kaddish Yasom there is one who says he must wrap himself.

Therefore one may wrap himself even at night, for it is known that they do not intend the mitzvah of tzitzis, but the respect of the congregation.

5. Sheets and pillows, although one sometimes sleeps with them by day, since they were made primarily for night, are therefore called night garments and are exempt from tzitzis.

According to those who say a night garment requires tzitzis if worn by day, one must attach tzitzis to sheets and pillows, for one sleeps with them in the morning.

Even so, the plain custom is not to attach tzitzis to them at all, whether of wool or of linen,

because some say the Torah obligated only garments one covers oneself with in the way of wearing, as it says: "אשר תכסה בה" ("With which you cover yourself") (Devarim 22:12),

but what is spread out, such as sheets and pillows, is not called a garment at all.

Nevertheless, since some disagree with this view, if the sheets or pillow are of wool, he should make one corner rounded, to exempt it from tzitzis according to all opinions^[4].

6. From when does one recite the blessing over tzitzis? Some say from when one can distinguish between its techeiles and its white, as it says "you shall see it" (Bamidbar 15:39): the obligation begins from the time of seeing and recognizing the techeiles.

Others say the time of seeing is from dawn, when the tzitzis can be seen,

and although he cannot distinguish between its techeiles and its white, he may recite the blessing, for the time of the obligation has already come, and this is the custom.

Nevertheless, it is good to take care in the first place not to put on the tallis with a blessing until he can distinguish between its techeiles and its white^[5].

7. One who wraps himself in tzitzis before dawn, such as during the days of Selichos, should not recite a blessing over them.

When day breaks he should handle his tzitzis and recite the blessing over them, because one who handles them is as if he is putting them on now.

If he does not handle them, there is no place to recite a blessing now on what he put on before dawn.

8. If he wraps himself in tzitzis after praying Maariv, he should not recite a blessing over them, for by his prayer he has already made that time night.

But if he has not yet prayed, he may recite the blessing over them until the stars come out^[6].

Notes

1. A night garment: In a letter on behalf of the Rebbe: "הנה תדקדק באמירת קריאת שמע קודם שתלך לישון וכן גם בעת השינה תהי' לבוש בטלית קטן ושתבדוק הציציות שלו שכשרות הן" ("Be careful to say the Shema before you go to sleep, and also during sleep be wearing a tallis katan, and check that its tzitzis are valid") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 13, no. 4302). On the proof from the generation of the wilderness, the Rebbe wrote: "כי בזמנם לא היו ט"ק מיוחדים, כ"א ציציות בבגדיהם שנשאו תמיד" ("For in their time there were no separate tallisos katanim, only tzitzis on the garments they always wore") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 3, no. 482); see Shulchan Menachem, Sleeping with a Tallis Katan.

2. If worn by day: In Piskei HaSiddur: "והמדקדקים נוהגין לישן בטלית קטן כדי שאם יישן על היום, לא יהיה ערום בלא מצות ... ואף אם פשטו מעליו וחזר ולבשו בלילה אין בו משום בל תוסיף, מאחר שיש אומרים שכסות יום חייב בלילה. וכן על פי הסוד יש מצוה בלבישת טלית קטן גם בלילה" ("Those who are meticulous sleep in a tallis katan, so that if he sleeps into the day he will not be bare of mitzvos ... Even if he took it off and put it on again at night, there is no issue of adding to the mitzvos, since some say a day garment is obligated at night. And according to the Kabbalah there is a mitzvah in wearing a tallis katan at night as well") (Laws of Tzitzis in the Siddur). In a letter: "ומה טוב שלא רק ביום ילבש טלית קטן בדוק בציציותיו אלא גם יישן בטלית קטן וכדברי האריז"ל בזה (הובאו ע"י רבנו הזקן בסידורו הל' ציצית)" ("It would be well that he wear a tallis katan with checked tzitzis not only by day but also sleep in a tallis katan, in keeping with the words of the Arizal on this, brought by the Alter Rebbe in his Siddur, Laws of Tzitzis") (Igros Kodesh vol. 18, no. 6846). On "tzitzis at night and sleeping in a tallis katan," see vol. 20, no. 7584.

3. Respect for the congregation: Here Chabad practice differs: "אין השליח צבור מתעטף בטלית למנחה או למעריב, לא בשבת ויום טוב ולא בראש השנה" ("The sheliach tzibbur does not wrap himself in a tallis for Minchah or Maariv, not on Shabbos and Yom Tov and not on Rosh Hashanah") (HaYom Yom, 19 Kislev). The Rebbe answered likewise, adding: "ואף שבאיזה בתי כנסיות מנהגים שונים בזה, כבר ידוע הוראת תורתנו תורת חיים, הזהרו במנהגי אבותיכם בידיכם" ("Although some synagogues have different customs in this, the teaching of our Torah of life is known: take care with the customs of your fathers in your hands") (Igros Kodesh, vol. 13, no. 4495). Where they insist on it, regarding a Torah reader: "בכגון דא על היחיד לנהוג כהרבים. ב) בעטיפת טלית יש גם ענין של כבוד הצבור (מג"א סי"ח סק"ב), וכיון שהציבור או רובו מקפיד ע"ז, אין לזלזל בכבודם" ("In such a case the individual should act as the many do. Also, wrapping in a tallis involves the respect of the congregation (Magen Avraham 18:2), and since the congregation or most of it insists on this, their respect should not be slighted") (ibid., vol. 11, no. 3494).

4. Rounded: In Piskei HaSiddur: "וכן המכסה (שקורין קאלדר"א) שמכסין בו כשישן ביום אף אם עיקרו מיוחד ללילה יש לעשות בו קרן אחד עגולה לפטרו מציצית" ("So too the blanket used to cover oneself when sleeping by day, even if set aside mainly for night, should have one corner rounded to exempt it from tzitzis") (ibid.).

5. Techeiles and its white: In Piskei HaSiddur, without qualification: "אין לברך על הציצית: בשחר - עד שיכיר בין תכלת שהיתה בציצית ללבן שבה. ויש אומרים שהוא כדי שיראה את חבירו הרגיל ואינו רגיל ברחוק ד' אמות ויכירנו" ("One does not recite the blessing on tzitzis in the morning until he can distinguish between the techeiles that was in the tzitzis and its white. Some say this is when he can see and recognize at four cubits a companion he knows only slightly") (ibid.).

6. The stars come out: In Piskei HaSiddur there: "ולא בערב - אחר תחילת השקיעה שאז הוא תחילת בין השמשות" ("And not in the evening, after the start of sunset, for that is the start of twilight"); and here: "until the stars come out."