Why a Level 4 dedicated to the Alter Rebbe? The Shulchan Arukh of the Alter Rebbe is not a commentary on the Mehaber (מחבר) — it is an autonomous, complete Shulchan Arukh, written by the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad, disciple of the Maggid (מגיד) of Mezeritch). Its singularity: it combines halakha (הלכה) + טעמי המצוות + inner dimension in a single work, and it rules with a unique talmudic rigor.
For Chabad, the Alter Rebbe is הפוסק האחרון — his psak is the deciding authority. The Rebbe explicitly instructed to study the Shulchan Arukh of the Alter Rebbe (שולחן ערוך הרב) seriously. This page gathers the way of the Rav on siman ט״ז — שִׁעוּר טַלִּית (the minimal size of a talit subject to tsitsit) — where the Mehaber treats this siman in 1 seif (סעיף אחד), while the Alter Rebbe unfolds it in 2 seifim (ב׳ סעיפים): he defines the קָטָן of the shiur as a nine-year-old child (בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים) — the age of chinukh for the mitzva of tsitsit, the one who walks alone in the market with his talit on him without anyone needing to guard it — ; he requires a double condition (covering רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֹב אֹרֶךְ גּוּפוֹ וְרֹב רָחְבּוֹ of that child, and that a גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג is not embarrassed to go out with it בְּאַקְרַאי to the market); he codifies the machloket with a יש אומרים and rules like the first opinion — hence the psak: do not make a talit katan below this shiur, and on a smaller talit, attach tsitsit without a berakha; finally (seif ב) he requires wide shoulders for the talit katan (אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וַאֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא).
שולחן ערוך הרב — סימן ט״ז — שִׁעוּר טַלִּית
The full text of the Shulchan Arukh of the Alter Rebbe
שולחן ערוך הרב, סימן ט״ז — שִׁעוּר טַלִּית — וּבוֹ ב׳ סְעִיפִים
Text of the Alter Rebbe himself (Sefaria source Shulchan_Arukh_HaRav,_Orach_Chayim.16), followed by our English translation. The Mehaber treats this siman in 1 seif (סעיף אחד); the Alter Rebbe in 2 (ב׳ סעיפים).
סעיף א שִׁעוּר טַלִּית שֶׁחַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית… קָטָן בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים מִתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ, וְגָדוֹל אֵינוֹ מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ לָצֵאת בָּהּ בְּאַקְרַאי לַשּׁוּק.
שִׁעוּר טַלִּית שֶׁחַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית, שִׁעֲרוּ חֲכָמִים, אִם הִיא גְּדוֹלָה כָּל כָּךְ שֶׁקָּטָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לִכְלַל חִנּוּךְ מִצְוַת צִיצִית, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהוּא בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים, שֶׁאָז הוּא מִתְהַלֵּךְ לְבַדּוֹ בַּשּׁוּק וְטַלִּיתוֹ עָלָיו, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִשְׁמֹר טַלִּיתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יֹאבַד מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאִם הוּא מִתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֹב אֹרֶךְ גּוּפוֹ וְרֹב רָחְבּוֹ, וְגָדוֹל בֶּן י״ג שָׁנִים הַלּוֹבְשָׁהּ אֵינוֹ מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ לָצֵאת בָּהּ בְּאַקְרַאי לַשּׁוּק — הִיא נִקְרֵאת כְּסוּת וְחַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית, וְאָסוּר לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בָּהּ בְּלֹא צִיצִית אֲפִלּוּ בְּבֵיתוֹ. וְאִם אֵין הַקָּטָן בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים מִתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁהַגָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג שָׁנִים יוֹצֵא בָּהּ בְּאַקְרַאי לַשּׁוּק — בְּטֵלָה דַּעְתּוֹ אֵצֶל כָּל אָדָם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵינָהּ נִקְרֵאת כְּסוּת כְּלָל, וְלָכֵן הִיא פְּטוּרָה מִן הַצִּיצִית. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאִם הַקָּטָן בֶּן תֵּשַׁע מִתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁאֵין גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג שָׁנִים יוֹצֵא בָּהּ בְּאַקְרַאי לַשּׁוּק — הִיא נִקְרֵאת כְּסוּת וְחַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית. וַהֲלָכָה כַּסְּבָרָא הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, לָכֵן צָרִיךְ [לִזָּהֵר] שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת טַלִּית קָטָן פָּחוֹת מִזֶּה הַשִּׁעוּר שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר לְפִי הַסְּבָרָא הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. וְאִם רוֹצֶה לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּטַלִּית שֶׁהִיא פְּחוּתָה מִזֶּה הַשִּׁעוּר — יָטִיל בָּהּ צִיצִית, כְּדֵי לָחֹש לַסְּבָרָא הָאַחֲרוֹנָה, אֲבָל לֹא יְבָרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ:
The shiur of the talit — the בֶּן תֵּשַׁע and the double condition. The shiur of a talit subject to tsitsit — the Sages measured it thus: if it is large enough that a child (קָטָן) who has reached the age of chinukh for the mitzva of tsitsit — that is, nine years old (בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים), the age at which he walks alone in the market with his talit on him, without anyone needing to guard his talit so that he does not lose it — is covered by it on his head, most of the length of his body and most of its width (רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֹב אֹרֶךְ גּוּפוֹ וְרֹב רָחְבּוֹ), and an adult of thirteen (גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג) who wears it is not embarrassed to go out with it, occasionally (בְּאַקְרַאי), to the market — then it is called a garment (כְּסוּת) and is subject to tsitsit, and it is forbidden to wear it without tsitsit, even at home. If the nine-year-old is not covered by it רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ — even though the thirteen-year-old adult goes out with it בְּאַקְרַאי to the market — בְּטֵלָה דַּעְתּוֹ אֵצֶל כָּל אָדָם (his practice is nullified against that of everyone): it is not called a כְּסוּת at all, and it is exempt from tsitsit. And some say (יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים): if the nine-year-old is covered by it רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ, even though no thirteen-year-old adult goes out with it בְּאַקְרַאי to the market — it is called a כְּסוּת and is subject to tsitsit. The halakha follows the first opinion; therefore one must take care not to make a talit katan smaller than this shiur as defined by the first opinion. And if one wants to wear a talit smaller than this shiur — he attaches tsitsit to it, out of concern for the latter opinion, but does not recite a berakha over it. Chiddush of the Rav: he fixes the קָטָן of the shiur at a precise age — nine years, the age of chinukh for tsitsit — ; he requires the double condition (child covered + adult not embarrassed בְּאַקְרַאי); and he translates the machloket into a graded psak: first opinion as the standard, concern (חשש) for the second — tsitsit yes, berakha no.
סעיף ב יִזָּהֲרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּטַלִּיתוֹת קְטַנִּים הַכְּתֵפַיִם רְחָבִים… דְּלָא לֵיתֵי אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וַאֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וּלְבַטֵּל לֵיהּ.
יִזָּהֲרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּטַלִּיתוֹת קְטַנִּים הַכְּתֵפַיִם רְחָבִים, דְּהַיְנוּ הַחֲתִיכוֹת הַמֻּטָּלוֹת עַל הַכָּתֵף, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לֵיתֵי אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וַאֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וּלְבַטֵּל לֵיהּ:
The wide shoulders of the talit katan — אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא. One should take care to make, in talitot ketanim, the shoulders wide — that is, the pieces (of cloth) resting on the shoulder — so that the air of this side and the air of that side do not come and nullify it (כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לֵיתֵי אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וַאֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וּלְבַטֵּל לֵיהּ). Chiddush of the Rav: the shiur is not only a matter of total surface — if the shoulder straps are too narrow, the open space on both sides "nullifies" (מבטל) the piece of cloth at that spot: the garment risks losing its status there. The width of the shoulders is thus part of the proper making of the talit katan.
Source: Sefaria — Shulchan Arukh HaRav, Orach Chayim ט״ז (Kehot edition, 2 seifim / ב׳ סעיפים). English translation: DAAT. The Mehaber treats this siman in 1 seif (סעיף אחד); no passage is quoted outside this verifiable text.
היסוד — בן תשע שנים, התנאי הכפול, ההכרעה, הכתפים הרחבים
The yesod: the בן תשע שנים, the double condition, the hakhraa, the wide shoulders
The reading of the Alter Rebbe on this siman unfolds in four movements — all within his own text (§1). First, he fixes the identity of the קָטָן: the one who has reached the chinukh of the mitzva of tsitsit, that is, nine years old (בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים) — the age at which he walks alone in the market, his talit on him, without anyone needing to guard it (seif א). Second, he structures the shiur as a double condition: the objective measure (covering רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֹב אֹרֶךְ גּוּפוֹ וְרֹב רָחְבּוֹ of that child) and the adult-usage criterion (the גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג is not embarrassed to go out with it בְּאַקְרַאי to the market) — without the first, בְּטֵלָה דַּעְתּוֹ אֵצֶל כָּל אָדָם. Third, he decides the machloket: the halakha follows the first opinion, but one takes the second into account (לָחֹש) — hence the psak for a talit below the shiur: tsitsit, without a berakha. Finally (seif ב), he adds a requirement of manufacture: wide shoulders, so that the air on both sides does not nullify the piece (אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא).
בן תשע שנים — גיל החינוך
The קָטָן defined: nine years old, the age of chinukh
The principle (seif א). The shiur is measured against a specific child: the one who has reached the chinukh of the mitzva of tsitsit — בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים. That is the age at which he walks alone in the market with his talit on him, without anyone needing to guard his talit so it is not lost.
The reach. Where the Mehaber describes this קָטָן by his conduct ("who walks alone in the market"), the Rav anchors him in a halakhic category — the chinukh — and gives him a number: nine years. The shiur becomes measurable and teachable.
התנאי הכפול — ראשו ורובו + באקראי לשוק
The double condition of the shiur
The principle (seif א). Two cumulative conditions make the talit a כְּסוּת: (1) the nine-year-old is covered by it on his head, most of the length of his body and most of its width; (2) a גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג who wears it is not embarrassed to go out with it בְּאַקְרַאי to the market. Then — נִקְרֵאת כְּסוּת, subject to tsitsit, and forbidden to wear without tsitsit even at home.
The limit. Without the child-measure, the adult usage saves nothing: בְּטֵלָה דַּעְתּוֹ אֵצֶל כָּל אָדָם — it is not a כְּסוּת at all, and it is exempt.
ההכרעה — הלכה כסברא הראשונה, ציצית בלא ברכה
The hakhraa: first opinion — and the talit below the shiur
The machloket (seif א). The Rav records a יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: if the nine-year-old is covered רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ, the talit would be a כְּסוּת even without an adult going out with it בְּאַקְרַאי. וַהֲלָכָה כַּסְּבָרָא הָרִאשׁוֹנָה — the halakha follows the first opinion.
The graded psak. Hence two conducts: (1) do not make a talit katan below this shiur (per the first opinion); (2) whoever wants to wear a smaller talit — attaches tsitsit to it, out of concern (לָחֹש) for the latter opinion, but without a berakha.
הכתפים הרחבים — אוירא דהאי גיסא
The wide shoulders (seif ב)
The principle (seif ב). In talitot ketanim, make the shoulders wide — the pieces resting on the shoulder — so that the air of this side and the air of that side do not come and nullify it (וּלְבַטֵּל לֵיהּ).
The reach. The shiur is not only about total surface: a shoulder strap that is too narrow is "eaten up" by the open space bordering it. The very cut of the garment is part of its standing as a כְּסוּת.
Referral for study. The inner dimension of שיעור טלית — beyond the halakhic principle set out here (the בֶּן תֵּשַׁע of the chinukh, the double condition of the כְּסוּת, the talit katan and its measure) — touches on Chabad thought about the לבוש (the garment of the soul) and the talit katan worn all day. This page presents it at the level of the attested principle, without quoting any chapter or precise formulation. For deep study of this dimension, learn with a Chabad Rav and within the texts themselves.
כחו של אדמו״ר הזקן בפסק
The strength of the psak of the Alter Rebbe
Comparison of the way of the Alter Rebbe with those of the Mehaber, the Rama (רמ״א) and the Mishna Berura (משנה ברורה) on the key points of siman ט״ז. The Shulchan Arukh of the Alter Rebbe (שולחן ערוך הרב) row is highlighted — it presents the Rav's own sensibility, as it emerges from his text (§1, 2 seifim). The Rav unfolds in 2 seifim what the Mehaber lays out in a single one.
| Subject | Mehaber | Rama | Mishna Berura | Way of the Alter Rebbe (שולחן ערוך הרב) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הגדרת הקטן — the age of the shiur (seif א) | OH 16:1 — the shiur: covering ראשו ורובו of a קטן "who walks alone in the market without needing anyone to guard him". | — | MB on 16:1 — develops the shiur and its practical measure (the detail of the amot is left על דרך הסברה). | Way of the Alter Rebbe — chiddush: he anchors the קָטָן in the chinukh of the mitzva of tsitsit and gives it a number — בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים (nine years old), the age at which he walks alone in the market, his talit on him, without anyone needing to guard it (seif א). |
| תנאי הגדול — going out בְּאַקְרַאי (seif א) | OH 16:1 — the shiur is set on the child (ראשו ורובו). | Hagaha on 16:1 — in the name of the Beit Yosef (Ben Ḥabib, Mahari Abuhav): it is obligated only if the adult sometimes wears it עראי and goes out with it to the market. | MB on 16:1 — explains the adult-usage condition (על דרך הסברה for the detail of the seifim ketanim). | Way of the Alter Rebbe — chiddush: he integrates the Rama's condition into the body of the din as the second branch of a double condition: the גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג is not embarrassed to go out with it בְּאַקְרַאי to the market; without the child-measure — בְּטֵלָה דַּעְתּוֹ אֵצֶל כָּל אָדָם (seif א). |
| טלית פחותה מהשיעור — tsitsit without a berakha (seif א) | OH 16:1 — below the shiur, the garment is exempt. | — | MB on 16:1 — the caution about the berakha on a talit katan that is too small (על דרך הסברה for the detail). | Way of the Alter Rebbe — chiddush: he codifies the machloket (first opinion / יש אומרים), rules הֲלָכָה כַּסְּבָרָא הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, and draws a graded psak: do not make a talit katan below the shiur; on a smaller talit — attach tsitsit (לָחֹש for the latter opinion) but without a berakha (seif א). |
| הכתפים הרחבים — the shoulders of the talit katan (seif ב) | — (the Mehaber does not treat this point in this siman). | — | — (על דרך הסברה — the point is discussed among the Aharonim on the cut of the talit katan). | Way of the Alter Rebbe — chiddush: a whole seif on the making — make the shoulders wide (the pieces resting on the shoulder), so that the air on both sides does not come and nullify it (אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וַאֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וּלְבַטֵּל לֵיהּ) — seif ב. |
Table drawn from the full text of the Mehaber (Orah Haim ט״ז, Sefaria source — 1 seif), the Hagaha of the Rama (in the name of the Beit Yosef quoting Ben Ḥabib and Mahari Abuhav) and the verifiable nosei kelim (Tur, Magen Avraham, Taz, Mishna Berura, Beur Halakha, Pri Megadim, Arukh haShulchan, Kaf haḤaim; Talmud Menachot 40b-41a). The Alter Rebbe column rests on the real text of the Shulchan Arukh HaRav reproduced in §1. Uncertain seif-katan attributions are left "על דרך הסברה".
קווי היסוד של שיטת הרב
The main lines of the Rav's way on this siman
Three orientations that characterize the sensibility of the Alter Rebbe on the shiur of the talit — beyond the simple application of the rules. Each follows the structure: principle of the siman → reading of the Rav → practical consequence. Each line rests on the real text of the Rav (§1).
קו א — בן תשע שנים
A numbered shiur: the nine-year-old child
Principle of the siman: the shiur of the talit is measured against a קטן who walks alone in the market (the Mehaber's seif).
Reading of the Rav: that קטן is the one of the chinukh of the mitzva of tsitsit — בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים: he walks alone in the market, his talit on him, without anyone needing to guard it.
Practical consequence: the benchmark is concrete — the build of a nine-year-old child; for the modern measures (amot/cm), the machloket of the poskim remains → consult a Rav (seif א).
קו ב — התנאי הכפול והפסק
The double condition — and the psak of the too-small talit
Principle of the siman: covering ראשו ורובו of the child; the Rama conditions the obligation on adult usage in עראי.
Reading of the Rav: the two branches are cumulative — the child-measure (רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֹב אֹרֶךְ גּוּפוֹ וְרֹב רָחְבּוֹ) and the גָּדוֹל who goes out with it בְּאַקְרַאי without embarrassment; without the first — בְּטֵלָה דַּעְתּוֹ. The halakha follows the first opinion; a talit below the shiur receives tsitsit without a berakha (concern for the second).
Practical consequence: neither make nor buy a talit katan below the shiur; on a smaller talit, attach tsitsit without a berakha — and for the daily berakha, see also siman 8 → consult a Rav (seif א).
קו ג — הכתפים הרחבים
The cut of the garment: the wide shoulders
Principle of the siman: the talit must be a true כְּסוּת — a garment that covers.
Reading of the Rav: the standing as a כְּסוּת also depends on the cut — the pieces resting on the shoulder must be wide, otherwise the air on both sides nullifies the strap (אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וַאֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא וּלְבַטֵּל לֵיהּ).
Practical consequence: check the width of the shoulders of the talit katan (not only its surface); in case of doubt on a given cut → consult a Rav (seif ב).
הלכה למעשה — מנהג חב״ד
The practical Chabad conduct
Five points of conduct that flow directly from siman ט״ז in the sensibility of the Alter Rebbe and Chabad — presented at the level of principle, referring to the Rav for the detail of the measures and the minhagim.
For the Chabad Chassid — Siman ט״ז (שיעור טלית)
- ① The reference shiur — the nine-year-old child. The talit (katan) must be able to cover the head, most of the length of the body and most of the width of a nine-year-old child (בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים) — the age of chinukh for tsitsit, the one who walks alone in the market. Basis: SA HaRav seif א.
- ② The second condition — adult usage בְּאַקְרַאי. It is also required that a גָּדוֹל בֶּן י״ג who wears it not be embarrassed to go out with it, occasionally, to the market — without this (and without the child-measure), the garment is not a כְּסוּת. Basis: SA HaRav seif א.
- ③ Do not go below the shiur. Do not make (nor buy) a talit katan smaller than this shiur — this is the Rav's explicit psak per the first opinion. Check the size before purchase, especially for children's sizes. Basis: SA HaRav seif א.
- ④ A smaller talit — tsitsit, but no berakha. Whoever wants to wear a talit below the shiur attaches tsitsit to it, out of concern for the latter opinion, but does not recite a berakha over it — for the daily berakha of the talit katan, see also siman 8. Basis: SA HaRav seif א.
- ⑤ The wide shoulders. Take care that the talit katan has wide shoulders — the pieces resting on the shoulder — so that the air on both sides does not come and nullify them (אֲוִירָא דְּהַאי גִּיסָא). Check the cut, not only the surface. Basis: SA HaRav seif ב.
⚠ This section presents the Chabad conduct founded on the Shulchan Arukh of the Alter Rebbe, siman ט״ז (real text reproduced in §1). It does not replace a rabbinic decision for a particular case. For any concrete question — and in particular for the exact measures in centimeters of the talit katan, the berakha and the cut of the shoulders: consult your Rav, and for Chabad, a Chabad Rav.