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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman י״ט · The time of the tsitsit blessing (זמן ברכת ציצית)
זמן ברכת ציצית — the חובת גברא, no berakha at the making, and the talit of תכריכין
סימן י״ט · ב׳ סעיפים
זמן ברכת ציצית
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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A first approach to the ב׳ סעיפים: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation and pedagogical explanations on the great yesod ציצית חובת גברא ולא חובת מנא — tsitsit obligates the person and not the object: as long as one does not wear the talit, one is exempt, and therefore no berakha is recited over the making of the tsitsit, since the mitsva lies only in the לבישה — then, with delicacy, the talit made for תכריכין (burial shrouds), exempt even if worn occasionally during one's lifetime — with a section of practical cases.
Topic: The time of the tsitsit blessing — the חובת גברא, no berakha over the עשייה, and the talit destined for תכריכין
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן י״ט · ב׳ סעיפים
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
In the previous simanim we learned how the tsitsit is made and what renders it valid. Here the Shulchan Aroukh lays down a yesod that illuminates all the hilkhot tsitsit: tsitsit is a חובת גברא — an obligation of the person — and not a חובת מנא — an obligation of the object. It is not the four-cornered garment that "must" carry tsitsit; it is the person who, when donning it, is bound to place tsitsit upon it. Two consequences follow. First, as long as one does not wear the talit, one is exempt (פטור) — a talit folded in the closet obligates no one. Second, no berakha is recited over the making of the tsitsit (עשיית הציצית): the עשייה is only a preparation of the mitsva, and the mitsva is realized only in the לבישה — the berakha is therefore said at the moment of donning the talit (see siman 8). The second seif draws from this a particular case, which the halakha touches with reserve: a talit made to serve as תכריכין (burial shrouds) is exempt, even if it is worn occasionally during one's lifetime. We study here at the level of principle; for concrete conduct, we refer to the ruling of the Rav.
📑 Study outline
A. ציצית חובת גברא ולא חובת מנא — as long as one does not wear the talit, one is exempt; no berakha over the עשייה, since the mitsva lies only in the לבישה (seif 1)
B. The talit made for תכריכין — exempt, even if worn occasionally during one's lifetime (seif 2)
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions
A. ציצית חובת גברא: no berakha at the making (seif 1)
Original text (seif 1)
[א] זְמַן בִּרְכַּת צִיצִית. צִיצִית חוֹבַת גַּבְרָא הוּא וְלֹא חוֹבַת מָנָא, שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁאֵינוֹ לוֹבֵשׁ הַטַּלִּית — פָּטוּר מִצִּיצִית ; וּלְפִיכָךְ אֵינוֹ מְבָרֵךְ עַל עֲשִׂיַּת הַצִּיצִית, שֶׁאֵין מִצְוָה אֶלָּא בִּלְבִישָׁתוֹ.
[1] The time of the tsitsit blessing. Tsitsit is a חובת גברא (an obligation of the person) and not a חובת מנא (an obligation of the object): for as long as one does not wear the talit, one is exempt from tsitsit. Therefore one does not recite a berakha over the making of the tsitsit (עשיית הציצית), for there is no mitsva except in wearing it (לבישה).
חוֹבַת גַּבְרָא / חוֹבַת מָנָא (hovat gavra / hovat mana) — "obligation of the person / obligation of the object" — two ways a mitsva can "rest" upon the world. If tsitsit were a חובת מנא, the garment itself would have to carry tsitsit — even folded in the closet — and attaching the strands would be the mitsva. But tsitsit is a חובת גברא: the obligation is born only when a person wears the four-cornered garment. Without לבישה, there is simply no mitsva yet.
Three ideas in this seif:
- חובת גברא: the obligation of tsitsit rests upon the person who wears, not upon the garment. As long as one does not wear it → פטור — this is why one who has no talit is not bound to buy one (see siman 17), even though wearing the talit katan remains precious (see siman 24).
- The עשייה is only a preparation: attaching the strands to the garment fulfills no mitsva yet — it is a הכשר מצוה (a readying of the mitsva), like building a soukka before the festival.
- Hence no berakha at the making: the berakha accompanies the fulfillment of the mitsva; since the mitsva lies only in the לבישה, it is when donning the talit that one blesses — להתעטף בציצית (see siman 8) — and not when making it.
Why is the mezouza different? — For the mezouza (and likewise the מעקה, the roof parapet), the obligation rests on the one who dwells in the house, and the mitsva is accomplished by the very act of affixing: one therefore recites a berakha when fixing it (לקבוע מזוזה). For tsitsit, on the contrary, attaching the strands accomplishes nothing yet — the mitsva awaits the לבישה. This is the whole force of the yesod חובת גברא: it determines where the mitsva lies, and therefore when the berakha is said.
Seif 1 in one sentence: tsitsit is a חובת גברא and not a חובת מנא — as long as one does not wear the talit, one is exempt; the making is only a preparation, and the berakha is said only at the moment of the לבישה, for only there does the mitsva lie.
B. The talit made for תכריכין (seif 2)
Original text (seif 2)
[ב] עָשָׂה טַלִּית לְצֹרֶךְ תַּכְרִיכִין, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלּוֹבְשׁוֹ לִפְעָמִים בְּחַיָּיו — פָּטוּר.
[2] If one made a talit to serve as תכריכין (burial shrouds), even though he wears it occasionally during his lifetime — it is exempt.
תַּכְרִיכִין (takhrikhin) — "the burial shrouds" — the garments in which the deceased is wrapped for burial. The Torah says of tsitsit: אֲשֶׁר תְּכַסֶּה בָּהּ — "[the garment] with which you cover yourself": a garment destined to cover the living. A talit made from the outset for takhrikhin is not destined to clothe life — it therefore does not enter the scope of the mitsva. A subject the tradition touches with reserve: the deceased is henceforth exempt from the mitsvot, and we take care of his honor.
Two points in this seif:
- The destination decides: a talit made לצורך תכריכין is defined by its designation — it is not a "garment with which you cover yourself" in the Torah's sense, and it is therefore exempt from tsitsit.
- Even worn occasionally during one's lifetime: an occasional use does not change its essential destination; it remains פטור. Here the yesod of seif 1 returns: it is not the cloth that obligates, but the way it serves as a garment for the person.
To remember: a talit made for תכריכין is exempt from tsitsit, even if it is worn occasionally during one's lifetime — its destination is not to be a garment "with which you cover yourself" in life.
Practical cases
Case 1 — Making or repairing tsitsit
Situation: one ties the tsitsit strands oneself onto a new talit, or replaces a damaged strand on one's talit.
Conduct: one recites no berakha at that moment — the עשייה is only a הכשר מצוה (seif 1), and "there is no mitsva except in wearing it." The berakha will come naturally when one dons the talit (להתעטף בציצית, see siman 8). This is the opposite of the mezouza, where one blesses at the affixing.
Case 2 — A stored talit that is not used
Situation: one owns a talit (inherited, received as a gift) that remains folded in a closet; must one "do something" about it?
Conduct: as long as one does not wear it, there is no obligation (seif 1) — tsitsit is a חובת גברא, not an obligation of the garment; this is also why no one is bound to buy a talit (see siman 17). Yet the mitsva of tsitsit is precious, and it is fitting to seek to live it concretely — notably through the talit katan (see siman 24). As for the state of the strands of a talit one decides to wear again, one checks before wearing it — in case of doubt, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Case 3 — The talit destined for takhrikhin
Situation: a family prepares, or has prepared, a talit destined for תכריכין; it happens that it is worn from time to time during the person's lifetime.
Conduct: such a talit is exempt from tsitsit (seif 2), even if worn occasionally during one's lifetime — its destination is not to be a garment of life. This is a delicate subject, touching on the honor due to the deceased and the customs of the communities (notably regarding the tsitsit of the talit at the time of burial): for any concrete question, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What does ציצית חובת גברא ולא חובת מנא mean (seif 1)? What would change if tsitsit were a חובת מנא?
- Why is no berakha recited over the עשיית הציצית? How does the mezouza (and the מעקה) differ?
- When is the mitsva of tsitsit fulfilled, and when is the berakha therefore said?
- A talit that remains stored away without being worn — is there any obligation concerning it (seif 1)?
- Why is the talit made for תכריכין exempt, even if worn occasionally during one's lifetime (seif 2)?
Going further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul — the yesod חובת גברא / חובת מנא (מנחות מ״א-מ״ב); the comparison with the מזוזה and the מעקה (why there one blesses at the affixing); the question of שהחיינו at the making; and the din of the talit of תכריכין (not "אשר תכסה בה") and its occasional wearing
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav — the חובת גברא developed (no berakha at the making, unlike the mezouza and the maaka) and the talit of תכריכין
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סימן י״ט · ב׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן י״ט · ב׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
♥ Support DAAT