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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman י״ז · Who is obligated in tsitsit (מי הם חייבין בציצית)
מי הם חייבין בציצית — the blind person, women and slaves, the טומטום ואנדרוגינוס, and the child who learns
סימן י״ז · ג׳ סעיפים
מי הם חייבין בציצית
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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A first approach to the ג׳ סעיפים: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation and pedagogical explanations on the blind person (סומא) fully obligated in tsitsit — included by אשר תכסה בה, while וראיתם אותו comes to exclude the כסות לילה —, women and slaves exempt (מ״ע שהזמן גרמא) with the Rama's gloss on the blessing and יוהרא, the טומטום ואנדרוגינוס who wrap themselves without a berakha, and the קטן who knows how to wrap himself — ḥinoukh and the Rama's criterion — with a section of practical cases.
Topic: Who is obligated in tsitsit — the blind person is ḥayav, women and slaves are exempt, the טומטום ואנדרוגינוס wrap themselves without a berakha, and the father educates his son in the mitsva
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן י״ז · ג׳ סעיפים
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
In the previous simanim we learned how the tsitsit is made and how one wraps oneself in it. The Shulchan Aroukh here asks a foundational question: מי הם חייבין בציצית — who is obligated in the mitsva of tsitsit? Three teachings. First, the blind person (סומא) is fully obligated: although it is written "וראיתם אותו" ("you shall see it"), the Torah includes him through "אשר תכסה בה" ("[the garment] with which you cover yourself") — and "וראיתם אותו" in fact comes to exclude the כסות לילה (the night garment; see siman 18). Second, women and slaves are exempt, for tsitsit is a מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא (a positive commandment determined by time); the Rama teaches that a woman who wishes may wrap herself and recite the blessing, but that wearing tsitsit would appear as יוהרא (ostentation) — all the more so since it is not a חובת גברא (an obligation resting on the person; see siman 19). The טומטום and the אנדרוגינוס, whose status is a ספק, wrap themselves without a berakha. Third, the קטן who knows how to wrap himself: his father buys him tsitsit to educate him in the mitsva (ḥinoukh). We study here at the level of principle, with respect for each person; for concrete conduct, we refer to the ruling of the Rav.
📑 Study outline
A. סומא חייב — the blind person is obligated in tsitsit: included by אשר תכסה בה; וראיתם אותו comes to exclude the כסות לילה (seif 1)
B. נשים ועבדים פטורים — מ״ע שהזמן גרמא; the Rama: the blessing possible but יוהרא; טומטום ואנדרוגינוס — ספק, without a berakha (seif 2)
C. קטן היודע להתעטף — the father buys him tsitsit for ḥinoukh; the Rama's criterion (seif 3)
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions
A. סומא חייב — the blind person is obligated in tsitsit (seif 1)
Original text (seif 1)
מִי הֵם חַיָּבִין בְּצִיצִית. וּבוֹ ג׳ סְעִיפִים:
[א] אַף עַל גַּב דִּכְתִיב « וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ », סוּמָא חַיָּב בְּצִיצִית, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּתְרַבָּה מֵ« אֲשֶׁר תְּכַסֶּה בָּהּ » ; וּקְרָא דְּ« וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ » אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמַעֵט כְּסוּת לַיְלָה (עַיֵּן לְקַמָּן סִימָן י״ח).
Who is obligated in tsitsit — ג׳ סעיפים. [1] Although it is written "וראיתם אותו" ("you shall see it"), the blind person (סומא) is obligated in tsitsit, for he is included by "אשר תכסה בה" ("[the garment] with which you cover yourself"); and the verse "וראיתם אותו" is needed to exclude the כסות לילה (the night garment) [see further on, siman י״ח].
סוּמָא (souma) — "the blind person" — one deprived of sight. One might have thought that the mitsva of tsitsit depends on sight — "וראיתם אותו," "you shall see it and remember all the commandments of Hashem." The Torah teaches the contrary: the blind person covers himself with his garment like everyone ("אשר תכסה בה"), and he is therefore fully ḥayav — he wears the talit and recites the blessing over it like every man.
Three ideas in this seif:
- The question: the verse "וראיתם אותו" seems to tie the mitsva to sight — would the blind person be exempt?
- The inclusion: the verse "אשר תכסה בה" ("with which you cover yourself") comes to include the blind person — it is the act of covering oneself with the garment that obligates, and the blind person covers himself like everyone.
- The role of "וראיתם אותו": this verse comes to exclude the כסות לילה (the night garment) — it is the night that lies outside the mitsva, not the blind person (the details in siman 18).
כְּסוּת לַיְלָה (kesout layla) — "the night garment" — a garment intended for the night. The verse "וראיתם אותו" — "you shall see it" — teaches that the mitsva of tsitsit applies at the time when one sees, that is, by day, and not to the night garment. It is this link to time that makes tsitsit a מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא — the key to the next seif. The details of the כסות לילה are studied in siman 18.
Seif 1 in one sentence: the blind person is fully obligated in tsitsit — included by "אשר תכסה בה" — and he wears the talit with the berakha like everyone; "וראיתם אותו" comes to exclude the כסות לילה (siman 18), not the blind person.
B. נשים ועבדים פטורים; טומטום ואנדרוגינוס (seif 2)
Original text (seif 2)
[ב] נָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים פְּטוּרִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמַן גְּרָמָא. הַגָּה: וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם אִם רוֹצִים לְעָטְפוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו — הָרְשׁוּת בְּיָדָם, כְּמוֹ בִּשְׁאָר מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמַן גְּרָמָא ; אַךְ מֶחֱזֵי כְּיוּהֲרָא, וְלָכֵן אֵין לָהֶן לִלְבֹּשׁ צִיצִית, הוֹאִיל וְאֵינוֹ חוֹבַת גַּבְרָא. טֻמְטוּם וְאַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס חַיָּבִין מִסָּפֵק, וְיִתְעַטְּפוּ בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה. הַגָּה: וּלְפִי מַה שֶּׁנָּהֲגוּ נָשִׁים לְבָרֵךְ בְּמִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמַן גְּרָמָא — גַּם הֵם יְבָרְכוּ.
[2] Women and slaves are exempt, for it is a מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא (a positive commandment determined by time). Gloss (Rama): nevertheless, if they wish to wrap themselves [in the talit] and recite the blessing over it, they have the right to do so, as with the other positive commandments determined by time; but it appears as יוהרא (ostentation), and therefore women should not wear tsitsit, since it is not a חובת גברא (an obligation resting on the person). The טומטום and the אנדרוגינוס are obligated out of doubt (מספק): they wrap themselves without a blessing. Gloss (Rama): and according to the custom whereby women recite the blessing over positive commandments determined by time, they too would recite it.
מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמַן גְּרָמָא (mitsvat assé she-hazman guerama) — "a positive commandment determined by time" — a positive commandment that applies only at certain times (by day and not by night, on a festival and not all year round). The general rule: women are exempt from it. Tsitsit belongs to this category, since the כסות לילה is excluded (seif 1) — the mitsva applies by day and not by night. The exemption is not an exclusion: it is the structure the Torah gave this mitsva.
What the seif says — step by step:
- The exemption: women and slaves are exempt — tsitsit is a מ״ע שהזמן גרמא.
- The right (Rama): a woman who wishes to wrap herself and recite the blessing may do so — as with the other מ״ע שהזמן גרמא (the Ashkenazi custom for loulav or shofar).
- The restraint (Rama): for tsitsit specifically, it appears as יוהרא — women therefore should not wear it, all the more so since it is not a חובת גברא.
- טומטום ואנדרוגינוס: their status being a ספק, they are obligated out of doubt and wrap themselves without a berakha; the Rama notes that according to the custom whereby women recite the blessing, they too would do so.
יוּהֲרָא (yohara) — "ostentation" — making a display of piety, exhibiting a devotion that is not required. The halakha is attentive to this dimension: a supererogatory practice that shows itself off can lose its value. This is why the Rama, while recognizing the woman's right to wrap herself and recite the blessing, concludes that for tsitsit — which is worn and seen — there is no place for it.
חוֹבַת גַּבְרָא (ḥovat gavra) — "an obligation resting on the person" — tsitsit does not obligate the person as such: no one is required to buy a talit in order to become obligated in the mitsva. It is only if one wears a four-cornered garment that it must carry tsitsit — as the Shulchan Aroukh says further on in siman 19. Since even a man is not required to procure a talit, a woman who would procure one especially would appear all the more to be displaying supererogatory piety.
טֻמְטוּם וְאַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס (toumtoum ve-androguinos) — two statuses that the halakha treats with precision and respect: the טומטום is a person whose signs are hidden — it is not known whether male or female; the אנדרוגינוס presents the signs of both. Their status being a ספק (doubt), the halakha applies to them the stringency of doubt: they are obligated in tsitsit מספק — but without a berakha, for one does not recite a blessing in doubt.
To remember: women and slaves are exempt from tsitsit (מ״ע שהזמן גרמא); the Rama recognizes the woman's right to wrap herself and recite the blessing, but concludes that there is no place for it — יוהרא, and tsitsit is not a חובת גברא (siman 19). The טומטום ואנדרוגינוס are obligated מספק and wrap themselves without a berakha.
C. קטן היודע להתעטף — ḥinoukh (seif 3)
Original text (seif 3)
[ג] קָטָן הַיּוֹדֵעַ לְהִתְעַטֵּף — אָבִיו צָרִיךְ לִקַּח לוֹ צִיצִית לְחַנְּכוֹ. הַגָּה: וְדַוְקָא כְּשֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לַעֲטֹף שְׁתֵּי צִיצִיּוֹת לְפָנָיו וּשְׁתַּיִם לְאַחֲרָיו, וְיוֹדֵעַ לֶאֱחֹז הַצִּיצִיּוֹת בְּיָדוֹ בִּשְׁעַת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע.
[3] A child (קטן) who knows how to wrap himself — his father must buy him tsitsit to educate him (לחנכו). Gloss (Rama): and specifically when he knows how to wrap two tsitsit in front of him and two behind him, and knows how to hold the tsitsit in his hand at the time of the קריאת שמע (the reading of the Shema).
חִנּוּךְ (ḥinoukh) — "education in the mitsva" — the child is not yet obligated in the mitsvot; but as soon as he reaches the age at which he can perform a mitsva properly, his parents have the duty — of rabbinic order — to educate him in it, to accustom him gently, so that at his majority it will be familiar and dear to him. For tsitsit, the threshold is not a fixed age but a capacity: knowing how to wrap oneself.
What the seif says:
- The father's duty: as soon as the child knows how to wrap himself, his father must buy him tsitsit — this is ḥinoukh.
- The Rama's criterion: "knowing how to wrap oneself" means knowing how to set two tsitsit in front and two behind — wearing the garment according to its form.
- And during the Shema: knowing how to hold the tsitsit in his hand at the time of the ק״ש — a sign that he is ripe to live the mitsva, and not merely to wear the garment.
To remember: as soon as the child knows how to wrap himself — two tsitsit in front, two behind, and holding the tsitsit during the ק״ש (Rama) — his father buys him tsitsit to educate him in the mitsva: ḥinoukh.
Practical cases
Case 1 — The blind person and the talit at the synagogue
Situation: a blind congregant asks whether he must wear the talit and whether he may recite the berakha — since the verse says "וראיתם אותו," "you shall see it."
Conduct: he is fully ḥayav (seif 1) — the Torah includes him through "אשר תכסה בה": it is covering oneself with the garment that obligates, not sight. He therefore wears the talit with the berakha, like everyone; "וראיתם אותו" comes to exclude the כסות לילה (siman 18), not the blind person.
Case 2 — A woman wishes to wear the talit
Situation: a woman, sincerely devoted to prayer, asks whether she may wear a talit at the synagogue and recite the blessing over it.
Conduct: as a matter of principle, the Rama (seif 2) recognizes that she has the right, as with the other מ״ע שהזמן גרמא; but he concludes that for tsitsit — which is seen, and which is not a חובת גברא — it would appear as יוהרא, and there is therefore no place for it. The question touches on the customs of the communities (Ashkenazi / Sephardi on women's blessings) and calls for tact: one refers to the ruling of the Rav of one's community.
Case 3 — At what age to buy a talit katan for one's son?
Situation: parents ask from what age they must buy a talit katan for their young son.
Conduct: the threshold is not a calendar age but a capacity (seif 3): as soon as the child knows how to wrap himself — according to the Rama, setting two tsitsit in front and two behind, and holding the tsitsit in his hand during the ק״ש — his father buys him tsitsit for ḥinoukh. One proceeds gently: the goal is that the mitsva become familiar and beloved to him.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- Why might one have thought that the blind person is exempt from tsitsit, and by which verse is he included (seif 1)?
- What, then, does the verse וראיתם אותו come to exclude (seif 1), and to which siman does the Shulchan Aroukh refer?
- Why are women and slaves exempt from tsitsit (seif 2)? What does the Rama permit, and why does he conclude with יוהרא?
- What does it mean that tsitsit is not a חובת גברא (seif 2)? What do the טומטום ואנדרוגינוס do, and why without a berakha?
- From when must the father buy tsitsit for his son (seif 3)? What is the Rama's criterion?
Going further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul — the derasha of מנחות מ״ג: "וראיתם אותו" facing "אשר תכסה בה"; why tsitsit is זמן גרמא (the link to the כסות לילה); the machloket Rambam / Rabbeinou Tam on women's blessings and the יוהרא specific to tsitsit (חובת מנא ולא חובת גברא); the ספק of the טומטום ואנדרוגינוס; and the Rama's criterion for ḥinoukh (סוכה מ״ב)
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav — the blind person included by אשר תכסה בה, women and slaves (the blessing and יוהרא), the טומטום ואנדרוגינוס without a berakha, and the קטן who knows how to wrap himself
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן י״ז · ג׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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