The Siman — Choulhan Aroukh, Orach Chaim siman 18 (3 seifim)
זְמַן צִיצִית. לַיְלָה לַאו זְמַן צִיצִית הוּא, דְּאִמְּעִיט מִ״וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ״. לְהָרַמְבַּ״ם — כָּל מַה שֶּׁלּוֹבֵשׁ בַּלַּיְלָה פָּטוּר, אֲפִלּוּ הוּא מְיֻחָד לַיּוֹם, וּמַה שֶּׁלּוֹבֵשׁ בַּיּוֹם חַיָּב, אֲפִלּוּ מְיֻחָד לַלַּיְלָה ; וּלְהָרֹא״שׁ — כְּסוּת הַמְיֻחָד לַלַּיְלָה פָּטוּר, אֲפִלּוּ לוֹבְשׁוֹ בַּיּוֹם, וּכְסוּת הַמְיֻחָד לַיּוֹם אוֹ לַיּוֹם וְלַיְלָה חַיָּב, אֲפִלּוּ לוֹבְשׁוֹ בַּלַּיְלָה. הַגָּה: וּסְפֵק בְּרָכוֹת לְהָקֵל, עַל כֵּן אֵין לְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁלּוֹבְשׁוֹ בַּיּוֹם וְהוּא מְיֻחָד גַּם כֵּן לַיּוֹם ; וְאַחַר תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעֲדַיִן יוֹם הוּא, אֵין לְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו ; וּבְלֵיל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים יִתְעַטֵּף בְּעוֹד יוֹם וִיבָרֵךְ עָלָיו. (סעיף א) · סְדִינִים, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָדָם יָשֵׁן בָּהֶם בַּבֹּקֶר, אֵין מַטִּילִים בָּהֶם צִיצִית. (סעיף ב) · מֵאֵימָתַי מְבָרֵךְ עַל הַצִּיצִית בַּשַּׁחַר — מִשֶּׁיַּכִּיר בֵּין תְּכֵלֶת שֶׁבָּהּ לְלָבָן שֶׁבָּהּ. הַגָּה: וְאִם לוֹבְשׁוֹ מֵעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר וְאֵילָךְ, יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דִּמְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו, וְכֵן נוֹהֲגִין ; וְאִם לְבָשׁוֹ קֹדֶם לָכֵן, כְּגוֹן בִּסְלִיחוֹת, לֹא יְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו, וּכְשֶׁיָּאִיר הַיּוֹם יְמַשְׁמֵשׁ בּוֹ וִיבָרֵךְ. (סעיף ג)
The time of tzitzit — and it contains 3 seifim: (1) Night is not the time of tzitzit (לילה לאו זמן ציצית), for it is excluded from וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ. According to the Rambam, whatever one wears at night is exempt, even a garment reserved for the day, and what one wears by day is חייב, even a garment reserved for the night; according to the Rosh, the garment reserved for the night is exempt, even worn by day, and the garment reserved for the day, or for day and night, is חייב, even worn at night. (Rama: ספק ברכות להקל — one therefore blesses only when wearing it by day and it is also reserved for the day; after the Arvit prayer, even if it is still day, one no longer blesses; and on the eve of Yom Kippur, one wraps oneself while it is still day and blesses.) (2) The סדינים (sheets), even though a person sleeps in them in the morning, one does not attach tzitzit to them. (3) From when does one bless on the tzitzit in the morning? משיכיר בין תכלת שבה ללבן שבה — from when one can distinguish between the תכלת and the לבן in it. (Rama: if one puts it on from עלות השחר onward, י״א that one blesses — וכן נוהגין; if one put it on before that, as at Selichot, one does not bless, and when day breaks, one handles the tzitzit (משמוש) and blesses. On the ראייה that determines the mitzva, see siman 17; on the סדינים and כלאים, see siman 9; for conduct le-maaseh in the evening — a referral to the Rav.)
The 4 levels of study — Siman י״ח, 3 seifim
01
Available
רמת המתחיל
Level 1 — Beginner & Intermediate
Vocalized Hebrew text of the 3 seifim with a fluent English translation. Pedagogical, sober explanation: night is not the time of tzitzit (לילה לאו זמן ציצית) and the machloket Rambam / Rosh on the כסות יום and the כסות לילה; the Rama's ruling — ספק ברכות להקל, one blesses only by day on a day garment, no more berakha after Arvit, and on the eve of Yom Kippur one wraps oneself while it is still day; the סדינים exempt; and the morning threshold — משיכיר בין תכלת ללבן. Modern practical cases: the berakha on the talit katan upon rising, Selichot before dawn (משמוש), and the talit kept on in the evening.
02
Available
רמת הלמדן
Lamdan — Advanced Pilpul
In-depth pilpul: the גדר of the machloket Rambam / Rosh — does night exclude the TIME (זמן / גברא) or the GARMENT (חפצא) from וראיתם אותו (Menachot 43a), and the nafka minot (a day garment worn at night, a night garment worn by day); the ruling ספק ברכות להקל (Rama, Hagahot Maimoni); why no more berakha after Arvit (Piskei Mahara״i סי׳ קכ״א) and the talit of the eve of Yom Kippur (Tashbets); the סדינים; and the two morning thresholds — משיכיר בין תכלת ללבן (Berachot 9b) and עלות השחר (Mordechai), with the משמוש. Beit Yossef, Tur, Mg״A, Taz, Mishna Berura and Beour Halakha.
03
Available
חזרה וסיכום
Master Synthesis
Structured summary for review and memorization: לילה לאו זמן ציצית and the machloket Rambam / Rosh (כסות יום / כסות לילה), the ruling ספק ברכות להקל with Arvit and the eve of Yom Kippur, the סדינים exempt, and the moment of the morning berakha (משיכיר בין תכלת ללבן / עלות השחר, and the משמוש at Selichot). Conduct le-maaseh in everyday life, with a referral to the Rav and cf. siman 8, 9, 16 and 17.
04
Available
דעת הרב
Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe)
The Choulhan Aroukh HaRav of the Admour HaZaken on Orach Chaim siman 18 (where the Rav develops ח׳ seifim): full text and the force of the psak relative to the Mechaber — the machloket Rambam / Rosh on the כסות יום and the כסות לילה and the ruling ספק ברכות להקל, the talit at Maariv and on the eve of Yom Kippur, the סדינים, and the morning moment (משיכיר בין תכלת ללבן). For in-depth study, a referral to a Chabad Rav.
05
Personalized
לימוד אישי
Study according to my Poskim
Rebuild this siman according to the Rabbanim YOU follow. Choose your Poskim (Rav Ovadia, the Admour HaZaken, the Rebbe, Ben Ish Chai, Mishna Berura, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu…) — Daat AI rebuilds the siman with their opinions, their reasoning, and their disagreements. If your Poskim do not address a point, the AI asks you before expanding.
The main themes of the Siman
לַיְלָה לַאו זְמַן צִיצִית
לילה לאו זמן ציצית
Night is not the time of tzitzit: it is excluded from the verse וראיתם אותו — it is the ראייה that fixes the mitzva to the day (link with the סומא of siman 17).
מַחְלֹקֶת רַמְבַּ״ם / רֹא״שׁ
Machloket Rambam / Rosh
Rambam: whatever one wears at night is exempt and what one wears by day is חייב — night excludes the time; Rosh: the night garment is exempt even by day, and the day (or day-and-night) garment is חייב even at night — it is the garment that is excluded.
סְפֵק בְּרָכוֹת לְהָקֵל
ספק ברכות להקל
The Rama rules: one blesses only when wearing by day a garment also reserved for the day — the safe case according to both opinions; and after Arvit, one no longer blesses, even if it is still day.
סְדִינִים
The sheets (סדינים)
The sheets: even though a person sleeps in them in the morning, one does not attach tzitzit to them — they are a כסות לילה, exempt from the mitzva (see also siman 9 for כלאים).
מִשֶּׁיַּכִּיר בֵּין תְּכֵלֶת לְלָבָן
משיכיר בין תכלת ללבן
The Mechaber's threshold for the morning berakha: from when one can distinguish between the תכלת and the לבן of the tzitzit — the moment when the ראייה becomes possible again.
עֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר וְהַמִּשְׁמוּשׁ
עלות השחר and the משמוש
Rama: from עלות השחר, י״א that one blesses — וכן נוהגין; if one put it on before that (Selichot), one does not bless, then when day breaks one handles the tzitzit (משמוש) and blesses.
Structure of the Siman — landmarks in the 3 seifim
| Seif | Subject | Theme | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| סעיף א | לילה לאו זמן ציצית | רמב״ם / רא״ש | Night is excluded from וראיתם אותו. Rambam: whatever one wears at night is exempt, by day חייב; Rosh: the night garment is exempt, the day (or day-and-night) garment is חייב even at night. Rama: ספק ברכות להקל — a berakha only by day on a day garment; no more berakha after Arvit; on the eve of Yom Kippur, wrap oneself while it is day and bless. |
| סעיף ב | סדינים | Exempt | The sheets: even though a person sleeps in them in the morning, one does not attach tzitzit to them — an exempt כסות לילה. |
| סעיף ג | ברכת הציצית בשחר | ✦ Le-maaseh | In the morning, one blesses משיכיר בין תכלת שבה ללבן שבה. Rama: from עלות השחר, י״א that one blesses — וכן נוהגין; before that (Selichot), no berakha, then when day breaks — משמוש and berakha. |
כסות יום וכסות לילה — the machloket and the ruling
| Opinion | The גדר | Nafka mina | Central idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| רמב״ם | The time determines | Day garment worn at night: exempt | The Torah excluded the TIME of night: whatever one wears at night is exempt, even a garment reserved for the day, and what one wears by day is חייב, even a garment reserved for the night. |
| רא״ש | The garment determines | Day garment worn at night: חייב | The Torah excluded the NIGHT garment: the כסות המיוחד ללילה is exempt even worn by day, and the garment reserved for the day, or for day and night, is חייב even worn at night. |
| רמ״א — ספק ברכות להקל | Le-maaseh | ✦ Le-maaseh | One blesses only in the case that is safe according to both opinions: by day, on a garment reserved for the day. After Arvit, no more berakha even if it is still day; on the eve of Yom Kippur, one wraps oneself בעוד יום and blesses. Precise conduct in the evening — see Level 4 and the referral to the Rav. |
Frequently asked questions — Siman י״ח
Is night the time of tzitzit, according to Siman 18?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh, Orach Chaim 18:1, לילה לאו זמן ציצית הוא — night is not the time of tzitzit, for it is excluded from the verse וראיתם אותו. According to the Rambam, whatever one wears at night is exempt, even a garment reserved for the day, and what one wears by day is חייב, even a garment reserved for the night; according to the Rosh, the garment reserved for the night is exempt even worn by day, and the garment reserved for the day, or for day and night, is חייב even worn at night. The Rama rules: ספק ברכות להקל — one blesses only when wearing by day a garment that is also reserved for the day.
May one still bless on the talit after Arvit, and what is done on the eve of Yom Kippur, according to Siman 18?
According to the Rama (Orach Chaim 18:1), based on the Piskei Mahara״i סי׳ קכ״א, after the Arvit prayer, even if it is still day, one no longer blesses on the talit — by praying Arvit one has already made that moment into night. And on the eve of Yom Kippur (based on the Tashbets), one wraps oneself in the talit בעוד יום — while it is still day — and blesses on it.
Must sheets (סדינים) carry tzitzit, according to Siman 18?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 18:2), the סדינים — sheets —, even though a person sleeps in them in the morning, one does not attach tzitzit to them: they are considered a כסות לילה, a night garment, exempt from the mitzva. On linen sheets and כלאים, see also siman 9.
From when does one bless on the tzitzit in the morning, according to Siman 18?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 18:3), one blesses on the tzitzit in the morning משיכיר בין תכלת שבה ללבן שבה — from when one can distinguish between the תכלת and the לבן in it. The Rama adds (based on the Mordechai, מגילה פ״ב): if one puts it on from עלות השחר onward, י״א that one blesses — וכן נוהגין; but if one put it on before that, as at Selichot, one does not bless, and when day breaks, one handles the tzitzit (משמוש) and blesses (Tashbets).