Tzitzit: Difference between revisions

# A blind man is equally obligated, and he should recite a bracha.<ref>Shulchan Aruch 17:1</ref> It would be best for him to first feel and check the validity of his Tzitzit or ask someone else to confirm it for him.<ref>Mishna Brurah 17:1</ref>  

#Women are exempt, as Tzitzit is a positive time bound mitzvah.<ref>Rabbi Shimon in Gemara Menachot 43a; Shulchan Aruch 17:2. The Rema (ad loc.) comments even though women are exempt, if they want, they may rely upon the opinion of Tosofot on Kiddushin 31a who would allow a woman to wear and make a bracha on Tzitzit. The Rema continues, however, that women still should not do so, since it would appear as arrogant and further that Tzitzit is not a personal obligation anyway. The Mishna Brurah (17:5) elaborates that although women may rely on Tosofot for [[Lulav]] and [[Sukkah]], Tzitzit are different since even men aren’t required from the Torah except if they wear a four cornered garment. We treat Tzitzit both as and as not a personal obligation towards leniency. Hence, it is a personal obligation in the sense that only if one wears the garment does he need to attach Tzitzit and not just when he owns a garment. And, it is not a personal obligation that one would need to go out and buy a four cornered garment just to perform the mitzvah. Therefore, since men don’t really have to, women certainly shouldn’t do so. Lastly, there is a possible concern of violating Beged Ish as Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel raises on Devarim 22:5. The Levush (17:2) and Ben Ish Chai (Lech Lecha 3) use similar logic.</ref>

# A Katan, or minor child who is less than 13 years old, should wear tzitzit, with a bracha, once he reaches the age of [[chinuch]] <ref>The Shulchan Aruch (17:3) doesn’t specify an exact age, rather the idea is once a child knows how to properly wear the tzitzit so that two strings are behind him and two in front (Rema 17:3) </ref>.

# The proper age of [[chinuch]] for the mitzvah of tzitzit is nine years old. <ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Rav Rephael Baruch Toledano, siman 9, the proper time for tzitzit and who is obligated, seif 2 </ref>

<p class="indent">However, the minhag for most ashkenazim seems to be not to wear one until one gets married unless one goes up to the torah or leads [[prayers]]. Some achronim<ref>Tashbetz Katan 464, Sefer Hamanhig Chelek 2: Hilchot Nisuin pg. 539, and Maharil Hilchot Ishut 10</ref> quote a midrash which learns from the juxtaposition of גדילים תעשה לך and כי יקח איש אשה (Devarim 22:12-13), that a man should not wear a tallit until he gets married.<ref>Tzitz Eliezer 20:8 notes that the Maharil only meant that before getting married one doesn’t wear a tallit gadol, but certainly one should still wear a tallit katan.</ref> Piskei Teshuvot 8:10 writes that this minhag spread to several countries in Europe including Lithuania and Poland, while in other Ashkenaz communities it didn’t. Later achronim<ref>Mishna Brurah 17:10 and Shiyarei Knesset Ha-gadol 17:2, cited in Ba'er Heiteiv 17:4, before him</ref> questioned these earlier achronim and simply don’t understand why someone who isn’t married would not fulfill this mitzva from the torah of wearing tzitzit. Rav YD Soloveitchik (quoted in Mipninei Harav pg. 22) says that in the absence of a minhag otherwise, the correct minhag is for an unmarried boy to wear a tallit gadol</p>