✦ ❖ ✦
DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman י״ד · Who makes the tsitsit; the borrowed talit (ציצית שעשאן עכו״ם ונשים וטלית שאולה)
ציצית שעשאן עכו״ם ונשים וטלית שאולה — who may make the tsitsit, the kavana לשמה, the borrowed talit and the partners' talit
סימן י״ד · ה׳ סעיפים
ציצית שעשאן עכו״ם ונשים וטלית שאולה
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
✦ ❖ ✦
A first approach to the ה׳ סעיפים: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation and pedagogical explanations on tsitsit made by a non-Jew (עכו״ם) — pasoul — while a woman is כשרה to make them —, tsitsit attached בלא כוונה (we rely on the רמב״ם, but without a berakha), the borrowed talit, exempt for thirty days (« כסותך » — ולא של אחרים), taking another person's talit to bless upon it, provided one folds it back, and the talit of partners (טלית של שותפין) — with a section of practical cases.
Topic: Who may make the tsitsit — the non-Jew pasoul, the woman כשרה, attachment בלא כוונה, the borrowed talit (30 days), taking another person's talit, and the partners' talit
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן י״ד · ה׳ סעיפים
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
In the previous simanim we learned how the tsitsit is made — the strands, the spinning לשמה, the knots. The Shulchan Aroukh here asks: who may attach them to the garment, and to whom must the garment belong? The principle is twofold. First, the עשייה (the making / attaching) of the tsitsit requires a member of the covenant: « דבר אל בני ישראל » — the non-Jew (עכו״ם) is excluded, and his attachment is pesoula; the woman, on the other hand, is part of בני ישראל and is כשרה — even though the Rama records that it is good לכתחילה to have men attach them. Likewise, the attachment requires the kavana לשמה: attached without intent, we rely on the רמב״ם only when no other tsitsit are available — and without a berakha. Second, the Torah says « כסותך » — your garment: the borrowed talit is exempt for thirty days; and yet, taking another person's talit for the mitsva is permitted — for ניחא ליה, it pleases him that a mitsva be done with his property — provided one folds it back. Finally, the talit of partners is fully obligated: « על כנפי בגדיהם ». We study here at the level of principle; for concrete conduct, we refer to the ruling of the Rav.
📑 Study outline
A. ציצית שעשאו עכו״ם — פסול — « דבר אל בני ישראל » excludes the non-Jew; the woman is כשרה; the Rama: יש מחמירין (seif 1)
B. הטיל בלא כוונה — with no other tsitsit available, we rely on the רמב״ם who validates — but without a berakha (seif 2)
C. טלית שאולה — the borrowed talit is exempt for thirty days (« כסותך » — ולא של אחרים); afterwards, חייב מדרבנן; borrowed already מצוייצת → one blesses at once (Rama) (seif 3)
D. ליטול טלית חבירו — permitted to take another person's talit and bless upon it, provided one folds it back; likewise tefilin — but not sefarim (Rama) (seif 4)
E. טלית של שותפין — חייבת — « על כנפי בגדיהם » (seif 5)
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions
A. ציצית שעשאו עכו״ם — pasoul; the woman is כשרה (seif 1)
Original text (seif 1)
[א] צִיצִית שֶׁעֲשָׂאוֹ עַכּוּ״ם — פָּסוּל, דִּכְתִיב « דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל » — לְאַפּוּקֵי עַכּוּ״ם ; הָאִשָּׁה כְּשֵׁרָה לַעֲשׂוֹתָן. הַגָּהּ: וְיֵשׁ מַחְמִירִין לְהַצְרִיךְ אֲנָשִׁים שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָן, וְטוֹב לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן לְכַתְּחִלָּה (מָרְדְּכַי הִלְכוֹת קְטַנּוֹת וְהַגָּהוֹת מַיְמוֹנִי מֵהִלְכוֹת צִיצִית וְתוֹסָפוֹת דַּף מ״ב).
[1] A tsitsit made by a non-Jew (עכו״ם) is pasoul, for it is written: « דבר אל בני ישראל » — "Speak to the children of Israel" — to exclude (לאפוקי) the non-Jew. A woman is כשרה (fit) to make them. Glose (Rama): some are stricter (יש מחמירין) and require that men make them — and it is good to act thus לכתחילה (from the outset).
דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל — "Speak to the children of Israel" — the parasha of tsitsit opens with these words. The Guemara (מנחות מ״ב ע״א) derives from them that the עשייה (making / attaching) of the tsitsit must be the work of בני ישראל — לאפוקי עכו״ם, to the exclusion of the non-Jew: a tsitsit made by him is pasoul. The woman, however, is fully part of בני ישראל: although she is exempt from wearing tsitsit (a positive time-bound mitsva), she is כשרה to make them.
Three ideas in this seif:
- עכו״ם — פסול: attachment of tsitsit by a non-Jew invalidates the tsitsit — « דבר אל בני ישראל » — לאפוקי עכו״ם.
- האשה כשרה: a woman may make the tsitsit — being exempt from wearing does not prevent being fit to make.
- The Rama — יש מחמירין: some require men; it is not the strict law, but it is good לכתחילה to act thus.
Seif 1 in one sentence: a tsitsit made by a עכו״ם is pasoul (« דבר אל בני ישראל » — לאפוקי עכו״ם); a woman is כשרה to make them — and according to the Rama, it is good לכתחילה to have them made by men.
B. הטיל בלא כוונה: the רמב״ם — but without a berakha (seif 2)
Original text (seif 2)
[ב] הֵטִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל צִיצִיּוֹת בְּבֶגֶד בְּלֹא כַּוָּנָה — אִם אֵין צִיצִיּוֹת אֲחֵרִים מְצוּיִים לְהַכְשִׁירוֹ, יֵשׁ לִסְמֹךְ עַל הָרַמְבַּ״ם שֶׁמַּכְשִׁיר ; אֲבָל לֹא יְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו.
[2] If a Jew attached (הטיל) tsitsit to a garment without kavana (בלא כוונה — without the intent לשמה): if no other tsitsit are available to render [the garment] valid, one may rely on the רמב״ם who validates — but one shall not say a berakha upon it.
לִשְׁמָהּ (lichma) — "for the sake [of the mitsva]" — the Torah says « תעשה לך »: the attachment of the tsitsit must be done for the sake of the mitsva of tsitsit. Attached without that intent, the decisors disagree: the רמב״ם validates (the attachment does not require intent), the רא״ש and תוספות invalidate (« תעשה » — לשמה). The Mehaber rules as a compromise: in case of necessity (no other tsitsit available), we rely on the רמב״ם — but since the doubt remains, without a berakha (ספק ברכות להקל: in doubt, one refrains from blessing).
What this seif says:
- בלא כוונה: tsitsit attached without the intent לשמה are the object of a machloket between the רמב״ם (valid) and the רא״ש / תוספות (pasoul).
- The condition: we rely on the רמב״ם only if no other tsitsit are available to render the garment valid.
- Without a berakha: even then, one does not bless — the doubt remains, and in doubt one refrains from blessing.
To remember: tsitsit attached בלא כוונה are validated only for lack of other tsitsit, relying on the רמב״ם — and one then wears the talit without saying a berakha.
C. טלית שאולה: the borrowed talit — exempt for thirty days (seif 3)
Original text (seif 3)
[ג] הַשּׁוֹאֵל מֵחֲבֵרוֹ טַלִּית שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְצֻיֶּצֶת — פָּטוּר מִלְּהָטִיל בָּהּ צִיצִית כָּל שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם, דִּכְתִיב « כְּסוּתְךָ » — וְלֹא שֶׁל אֲחֵרִים ; אֲבָל אַחַר שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם חַיָּב מִדְּרַבָּנָן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּרְאֵית כְּשֶׁלּוֹ. הַגָּהּ: וְאִם הֶחֱזִירוֹ תּוֹךְ שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם וְחָזַר וּלְקָחוֹ — אֵינוֹ מִצְטָרֵף, רַק בָּעִינַן שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם רְצוּפִים (נִמּוּקֵי יוֹסֵף הִלְכוֹת צִיצִית). שְׁאָלָהּ כְּשֶׁהִיא מְצֻיֶּצֶת — מְבָרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ מִיָּד.
[3] One who borrows from another a talit that is not fitted with tsitsit (שאינה מצוייצת) is exempt from attaching tsitsit to it for thirty days, for it is written « כסותך » — "your garment" — and not another's; but after thirty days he is obligated מדרבנן (rabbinically), because [the talit] appears to be his (נראית כשלו). Glose (Rama): if he returned it within the thirty days and then took it again, [the periods] do not combine — thirty consecutive days are required (נמוקי יוסף, Hilkhot Tsitsit). If he borrowed it already מצוייצת (fitted with tsitsit), he blesses upon it at once.
כְּסוּתְךָ — וְלֹא שֶׁל אֲחֵרִים — "your garment, and not another's" — the Torah says « גדילים תעשה לך על ארבע כנפות כסותך »: the obligation of tsitsit rests on your garment. A borrowed garment is therefore exempt מן התורה. The Sages, however, instituted that after thirty days it becomes obligated מדרבנן — for it appears to be his (נראית כשלו), and people would wonder to see it worn without tsitsit.
Four points in this seif:
- Exempt מן התורה: the borrowed talit without tsitsit is exempt — « כסותך » — ולא של אחרים.
- After 30 days — חייב מדרבנן: it appears to be his (נראית כשלו), so the Sages obligated it.
- Thirty consecutive days (Rama): returned and taken back, the periods do not combine — thirty days רצופים are required.
- Borrowed already מצוייצת (Rama): one blesses upon it at once — the lender lends it so that the borrower fulfill the mitsva.
To remember: a borrowed talit without tsitsit is exempt for thirty days (« כסותך » — ולא של אחרים); after thirty consecutive days it is חייב מדרבנן for it appears to be his; and borrowed already fitted with tsitsit, one blesses upon it at once (Rama).
D. Taking another person's talit and blessing upon it — folding it back (seif 4)
Original text (seif 4)
[ד] מֻתָּר לִטֹּל טַלִּית חֲבֵרוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיְּקַפֵּל אוֹתָהּ אִם מְצָאָהּ מְקֻפֶּלֶת. הַגָּהּ: וְהוּא הַדִּין בִּתְפִלִּין (נִמּוּקֵי יוֹסֵף פֶּרֶק הַסְּפִינָה) ; אֲבָל אָסוּר לִלְמֹד מִסְּפָרִים שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ בְּלֹא דַּעְתּוֹ, דְּחָיְשִׁינַן שֶׁמָּא יִקְרַע אוֹתָם בְּלִמּוּדוֹ (נִמּוּקֵי יוֹסֵף הִלְכוֹת קְטַנּוֹת).
[4] It is permitted to take another person's talit [without his knowledge] and to bless upon it — provided one folds it back (שיקפל אותה) if one found it folded. Glose (Rama): the same applies (וה״ה) to tefilin (נ״י, chapter הספינה); but it is forbidden to study from another person's books without his consent, for we fear he might tear them in his study (נ״י, Hilkhot Ketanot).
נִיחָא לֵיהּ דְּלֶעֱבֵיד מִצְוָה בְּמָמוֹנֵיהּ — "it pleases him that a mitsva be done with his property" — this is the presumption underlying this seif: we presume that the owner consents to his property being used for a mitsva, even without being asked. But the presumption has limits: one must fold it back (return it as one found it), not take it elsewhere — and where there is a risk of loss (הפסד), such as sefarim that might tear, the presumption falls away and it is forbidden.
What this seif permits — and forbids:
- Another's talit — permitted: one may take it for the mitsva and bless upon it — ניחא ליה דליעביד מצוה בממוניה.
- The condition: fold it back if one found it folded — return it as one took it.
- Tefilin — likewise (Rama): the same presumption applies to tefilin (their laws are detailed further on, siman 25).
- Sefarim — no (Rama): studying from another's books without his consent is forbidden — for fear they might tear during study.
To remember: taking another person's talit to bless upon it is permitted (ניחא ליה), provided one folds it back; likewise tefilin — but not sefarim, for fear of tearing (Rama).
E. טלית של שותפין: the partners' talit — obligated (seif 5)
Original text (seif 5)
[ה] טַלִּית שֶׁל שֻׁתָּפִין חַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית, דִּכְתִיב « עַל כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם ».
[5] A talit belonging to partners (שותפין) is obligated in tsitsit, for it is written: « על כנפי בגדיהם » — "upon the corners of their garments" [in the plural].
בִּגְדֵיהֶם — "their garments" — the plural of the verse includes the garment owned in common. This is the very opposite of the borrowed talit of seif 3: there, the garment is not his at all (« כסותך » — ולא של אחרים), so he is exempt; here, each partner is truly an owner — the talit is fully the « כסותך » of each one, and the obligation applies.
Two points in this seif:
- חייבת: the partners' talit is fully obligated in tsitsit — « על כנפי בגדיהם ».
- The difference from seif 3: the borrower is not an owner (exempt); the partner is an owner (obligated) — joint ownership does not weaken the « כסותך ».
To remember: the partners' talit is חייבת בציצית — « על כנפי בגדיהם » — for each partner is truly an owner, unlike the borrower of seif 3.
Practical cases
Case 1 — Buying ready-tied tsitsit: who made them?
Situation: one buys a talit katan or a talit gadol already fitted with tsitsit, or ready-tied strands.
Conduct: the point of seif 1 is that the attachment must be the work of בני ישראל and לשמה — a tsitsit tied by a non-Jew is pasoul. One should therefore take care to buy tsitsit with a reliable certification attesting that they were tied by a Jew לשמה. May a woman tie them? By the strict law she is כשרה — but the custom, following the Rama, is to prefer לכתחילה men. For a concrete case, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Case 2 — Borrowing the synagogue's talit or a friend's for an aliya to the Torah
Situation: one is called up to the Torah without one's own talit; one takes the synagogue's talit, or borrows a friend's — already fitted with tsitsit.
Conduct: according to the Rama (seif 3), one who borrows a talit already מצוייצת blesses upon it at once — the lender lends it for the mitsva. Should one bless on the synagogue's talit, placed at everyone's disposal, and for a mere aliya? Customs vary depending on how one wraps oneself: the detail is delicate, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Case 3 — Taking someone's talit at the synagogue without asking
Situation: at the synagogue, no talit is at hand; another congregant's talit lies, folded, on his seat.
Conduct: according to seif 4, it is permitted for the mitsva — ניחא ליה, we presume the owner consents — provided one folds it back if one found it folded, and does not take it away elsewhere. The same applies to tefilin (Rama). But books — no: studying from another's sefarim without his consent is forbidden, for fear of tearing. In case of doubt (a new object, an owner known to be particular), one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Case 4 — The talit kept for more than thirty days
Situation: one borrowed (or rented) a talit without tsitsit — as a garment — and keeps it for more than thirty days.
Conduct: for thirty days, it is exempt — « כסותך » — ולא של אחרים (seif 3). After thirty consecutive days (Rama: returned and taken back, one counts anew), it becomes חייב מדרבנן, for it appears to be his. Is renting like borrowing? How does one count the days? These points are delicate: one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- Why is a tsitsit made by a עכו״ם pasoul (seif 1)? From which verse is it derived? And why is a woman כשרה?
- What is done with tsitsit attached בלא כוונה (seif 2)? On whom does one rely, on what condition — and why without a berakha?
- Why is the borrowed talit exempt (seif 3)? What happens after thirty days, and why? What does the Rama say if it was borrowed already מצוייצת?
- Why is it permitted to take another person's talit and bless upon it (seif 4)? What are the conditions — and why are sefarim an exception?
- Why is the partners' talit חייבת (seif 5)? How does it differ from the borrowed talit of seif 3?
Going further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul — the drasha דבר אל בני ישראל (מנחות מ״ב) and the comparison with tefilin (קשירה) and the sefer Torah (כתיבה); the machloket רמב״ם / רא״ש on תעשה — לשמה; כסותך ולא של אחרים (חולין קל״ו) and the thirty days; and ניחא ליה דליעביד מצוה בממוניה and its limits
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav — the pesoul of the non-Jew (עשייה לשמה), the woman and the יש מחמירין, attachment בלא כוונה, the borrowed talit (thirty days), taking another person's talit and folding it back, and the partners' talit
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן י״ד · ה׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
♥ Support DAAT
📖Join the khavroutha
DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן י״ד · ה׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
♥ Support DAAT