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The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit
Midrash
Mishna Berura
SHIUR #7:Simanim 10 -
11:3 Pages 34 -
39 by Rav Yosef Zvi
Rimon Siman 10:
The Tallit's Corners ******************************* The number of corners (se'if 1):
The Torah instructs us to put tzitzit "on the FOUR corners of the garment
with which you cover yourself" (Devarim 22:12).
Two contradictory Talmudic sources expound upon this verse. Menachot 43a teaches, "A tallit with
three corners is exempt [from tzitzit]; with five, is obligated." In contrast, Zevachim 18b (as well as
Sifrei Shelach 115) asserts, "'Four' - and not three; 'four' - and not five"
(i.e., five is exempt).
A majority of Rishonim, with the notable exception of R. Eliezer Mi-metz
(author of the Sefer Yere'im), agree that a tallit with five corners is
obligated in tzitzit. The Rosh goes
so far as to say that this in fact was the intention of the Sifrei, which simply
meant to convey that one puts tzitzit on only four of the five
corners.
How did the Shulchan Arukh rule?
Is there nevertheless some practical halakhic significance to the opinion
of R. Eliezer Mi-metz? See M.B.
10:3. Rounded corners (se'ifim 9 and 3):
Rishonim rule (based on the Sifrei on the verse "on the four corners of
your GARMENT") that a rounded corner is exempt from tzitzit, and so too rules
the Shulchan Arukh in se'if 9.
The significance of this becomes clear when one wishes to exempt certain
items from the obligation of tzitzit (suits, certain blankets and the
like). What is considered
"rounded?" The Bi'ur Halakha (s.v.
Ve-lo) rejects the notion that a token rounding is sufficient to exempt a
garment from tzitzit, but remains undecided about the amount of rounding
necessary to exempt the garment.
There are Acharonim, though, who do venture opinions. The Maharil Diskin (responsa, end)
writes that the radius should be three etzba'ot (fingers or thumb-breadths, with
an etzba equaling two centimeters according to R. Chaim Na'eh and
One cannot, however, claim this exemption by doubling over or sewing the
corner of his garment so that it appears rounded (Menachot 37b). The reason for this is that such an
action, being reversible, is not considered a real change of the corner. This is codified by the Shulchan Arukh
in se'if 3. What if one sewed it
well, as a tailor would, in a manner that is generally considered
permanent? See the Bi'ur Halakha
(se'if 3) s.v. Lo Niftera. [See
Arukh Ha-shulchan 10:8.] Garments that are open on the sides (se'if
7):
Rabbeinu Simcha (according to the understanding of the Maharik in siman
149) believes that a garment whose sides are mostly closed is considered to have
no corners (and is therefore exempt from tzitzit). But the Mordekhai (again, according to
the understanding of the Maharik) asserts that a garment that is even slightly
open is indeed obligated.
How did the Shulchan Arukh rule?
See M.B. 10:25 regarding how one defines "mostly," which bears halakhic import for our
tzitzit-garments themselves.
On the subject of the tzitzit-garment, the shoulders also present an
issue which must be dealt with, for there are those who say that they must be
wide. We will discuss this later in
siman 16 (M.B. 16:3).
Is it permissible to have buttons on a tzitzit-garment? See M.B. 10:29. [Scarfs - see Shulchan Arukh 10:11 and Bi'ur Halakha
s.v. Sudar.] Two tzitziot in front and two in back (se'if
12):
The Rema rules regarding certain types of clothing at the end of se'if
12, "Since their corners are such that one cannot have two in front and two in
back, facing each other, they are exempt."
Should one indeed arrange his tzitziot so that two are in front and two
in back? The answer to this is
important both for one who places his tzitziot inside his trousers and for one
who leaves them out (i.e., should he leave each pair together at the side or
separate it to the front and back?).
See Shulchan Arukh 8:4.
The Gra maintains that having two in front and two in back is necessary,
and even during keriyat shema one should only grasp the two front ones (Ma'aseh
Rav 39; She'iltot Le-hagrach Mi-volozhin 6). To be sure, in Sha'ar Ha-kavanot (Derush
Tzitzit 6), it is written that all four should be held during the
shema. Siman 11:
The Tzizit Strings *****************************
The spinning of tzitzit-strings "li-shma" - with the intention of
fulfilling the mitzva (se'ifim 1,2):
The gemara in Sukka 9a interprets, "'Make for YOURSELF fringes' (Devarim
2:12) - for the sake of your obligation."
In other words, the spinning of the strings must be li-shma. The Shulchan Arukh accepts this as
halakha (se'if 1).
What about machine-made strings?
There are two issues to discuss: 1) "ko'ach gavra" (man-power): The poskim are divided
regarding whether actual ko'ach gavra is required for the making of
tzitzit. For those who say it is,
it is likely that machine-made tzitzit lack this element. The reason for this is as
follows: Say a person activates the machine through the pushing
of a button. A circuit is closed
when the button is pushed, thus allowing electricity to flow. Even if the removal of an obstacle (the
circuit-breaker) is considered an initiating cause, or "ko'ach rishon" (and many
authorities do consider it as such), the rest of the spinning still cannot be
attributed to the man-power of the person who started the
process. 2) "li-shma": Is it sufficient for the beginning of the
spinning to be done with the proper intention, or must the entire process be
accomplished in this manner? If the
former, then it appears that machine-made tzitzit are acceptable (provided the
machine was started by someone who had the intention of fulfilling the
mitzva).
The various opinions among the poskim reflect their respective opinions
on the above issues. The Minchat
Yitzchak (vol. II, 96-99) takes a stringent position consistently. He requires ko'ach gavra, which is not
present here except as ko'ach rishon, plus li-shma throughout. It is clear, therefore, that he believes
one should wear only hand-made tzitzit.
On the other hand, Rav Kook (Mishpat Kohen 33), the Chazon Ish (Tzitzit
6, s.v. Ve-nir'eh), and the Har Tzvi (OC vol. I, 10) all believe that ko'ach
gavra is not necessary for the making of tzitzit, and only the beginning of the
spinning must be li-shma. Hence,
machine-made tzitzit are fine according to their opinion.
The Tzitz Eliezer rules that it is indeed preferable to wear hand-made
tzitzit, but that those who choose to be lenient have upon whom to rely (as
above). The twisting of the strings (se'ifim
2,3):
If one's tzitziot become untwisted (as sometimes happens), are the
tzitzit still kosher?
That the strings must be twisted we learn from the gemara in Eiruvin
96b. The Rambam (Hilkhot Tzitzit
1:10), interestingly, says, "If one wishes to make them twisted he may do so,"
implying that it is an optional matter. However, the Ra'avad (there) and most
Rishonim disagree, insisting that it is indeed mandatory.
How does the Shulchan Arukh rule (se'if 2)?
Now, what if a twisted string became untwisted? See the Shulchan Arukh, se'if 3,
regarding the amount of unraveling which can be tolerated. In our tzitzit nowadays, though,
becoming untwisted is not a concern at all. Why? See M.B. 11:17 (in the
middle).
There is, however, another factor which must be taken into account. If a string becomes untwisted, there
will be more than eight strings, which could present a problem of "bal
tosif." See the Bi'ur Halakha on
se'if 3, s.v. Ve-na'asu, for two possible solutions. Tying the ends of the strings (se'if
3):
Is this a recommended course of action? See the Rema, and M.B.
11:18. (This shiur was
translated by Pnina Baumgarten.) |