Tzitzit and Talit: Mitzvot, Requirements, Where it Comes From

(1) A tallit with less than four corners is exempt [from the requirement of tzitzit]. One with more than four corners requires tzitzit, and they should be put on the four corners that are the furthest from each other.

(2) If a tallit has four corners and one gets cut off crosswise to make two, this has now made it a five-cornered garment which requires tzitzit.

(10) How is the obligation of the precept of fringes incurred? Anyone upon whom the fulfillment of this precept is incumbent, desirous of putting on a garment that requires fringes, must first insert them and then may put on the garment. If he puts it on before the fringes have been attached, he has neglected an affirmative precept. But garments to which fringes should be attached are exempt as long as no one has worn them and they are kept folded and put away, because the obligation does not attach to the garment, but is incumbent upon the owner of a garment (who wears it).

(11) Although one is not bound to purchase a garment and wear it, so as to insert fringes therein, still it is not right for a pious man to release himself from the observance of this commandment. He should always endeavour to be robed in a garment that requires fringes, so as to fulfill this precept. He should be especially heedful of this, during prayer. For scholars it is particularly disgraceful to recite the prayers without being so robed.

(12) At all times, a person should be heedful of the precept concerning fringes, since Holy Writ estimates it as so weighty that all the commandments are made dependent upon it, as it is said, "And ye shall look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord" (Numbers 15:39).

(1) Even though it says in the Torah "and you shall see it" a blind person must wear tzitzit because it is included in "with which you cover yourself" and the phrase "you shall see it" is needed to eliminate the requirement of tzitzit at night (see Siman 18).

(2) Women and slaves are exempt [from wearing tzitzit] because it is a time-dependent commandment. Rem"a: And if they wish to wrap [in tzitzit] and say the blessing on them it is up to them to do so as with all time-dependent commandments (Tosafot and the Rosh and the Ran, Chapter 2, Rosh Hashanah, First Chapter of Kiddushin). However, it looks as if they are doing it to appear more observant than others, therefore, they should not wear tzitzit, as it is not a commandment of the person [rather of the object] (Agur Section 27). [And for slaves] This means we do not have to buy him a tallit in order that he be required to wear tzitzit as we see in Chapter 19 it says when he has a shawl with four corners he should wear it.The requirement for a tumtum and an androgynous is doubtful and so they should wrap without a blessing (Explanation: a tumtum does not know whether he/she is male/female, and an androgynous has both male and female genitals).Rem"a: And since it is our custom that women should say the blessing when they fulfill time-dependent commandments so should they (Divrei Atzmo)

(3) A child who knows enough to wrap in tzitzit must be taught by his father to wear them as part of his education. Rem"a: And in particular if the minor knows to put two tzitzit in front and two in the back (Notes of Maimuni Chapter 3) and knows to hold the tzitzit in his hand during the reading of the Shema (Mordechai, end of Chapter Lulav Hagadol).

(1) The only garments obligated in the precept of tzitzit are those made of sheep wool or linen, but garments made of wool of other animals is obligated in the precept of tzitzit by rabbinic decree. (and there are those who say every [material] is obligated [in the precept of tzitzit] and this is the halacha) (Tosefta 32, Rosh, Sefer Mitzva Gadol, Mordichai.)

(2) Tzitzit of Linen or of sheep wool are acceptable on all kinds of garments except for cases when tzitzit of Linen are put on a garment of wool or tzitzit of wool placed on a garment of Linen in a time when there is no techelet because of the issue of Kilyaim [forbidden mixtures]. REMA: there are some that say not to make tzitzit of linen at all even [to put them on a garment made of] other materials and this is our practice

(5) Some say that its necessary that the colour of the tzitzit and tallit are the same and we are accustomed to practice this way. REMA: and that Ashkenazim there is no custom to make the tzitzit only white, this is in regard also to the clothing's color and there is no need to change [the custom]

(6) Some say not to make a tallit out of linen even though there isn't a halacha [not to do so]. A G-d fearing individual should make a tallit out of wool that it is obligated in the precept of tzitzit from the Torah without a doubt. REMA : if it is only possible for an individual [to fufill the precept of tallit] only with a tallit of linen, better that he fulfilled the precept with a tallit made of linen with linen tzitzit then he void the precept of tzitzit. (Responsa of the Rosh, Section B)

(1) He shall wrap himself in a fringed garment and make the blessing over it while standing up.

(2) The order of wrapping is like the way that a person covers his head for work. Sometimes his head is covered and sometimes his head is exposed. And it is correct to cover the head with the fringed garment.

(3) Small fringed garments (talit katan) of ours that are customarily worn, even though they are not wrapped, they fulfill our obligation for fringes. And it is good that one places it over one's head, the long way, and wrap it. He should stand this way wrapped for at least the amount of time it would take to walk four cubits. After this he can pull it over his head and wear it normally.

(16) One who slept in his fringed garment at night needs to make a blessing on it in the morning, even if he did not remove it. And it's good to move it around at the time of the blessing. And so too does one do who puts on his fringed garment before the light of the day (HGM"YY in the name of Sefer HaTerumah and the SM"G and the SM"K and the Mordechai in the laws of Tefillin).