The laws of buying and selling a talit — and it contains 2 seifim: (1) One who buys a talit with tzitzit (טלית מצוייצת) from a Jew — it is כשר; likewise from a non-Jewish merchant (תגר עכו״ם) — it is כשר, for since he is a merchant, the presumption (חזקה) is that he bought it from a Jew, דלא מרע נפשיה: a merchant does not discredit himself, his reputation is his livelihood. But if he bought it from a non-Jew who is not a merchant — פסול. (Rama, in the name of the Nimoukei Yossef, הלכות ציצית: if he says he bought it from a Jew, he is believed — נאמן.) (2) אין מוכרין טלית מצוייצת לעכו״ם — one does not sell a talit with tzitzit to a non-Jew; the Gemara (Menachot 43a) grounds this decree in a danger specific to the roads of that era: a Jew, seeing the tzitzit, might take him for a fellow Jew and join him on the way. Even pawning (למשכן) or depositing (להפקיד) it with a non-Jew is forbidden, אלא אם כן it is לפי שעה — temporarily, where that concern does not apply (דליכא למיחש להא).
The 4 levels of study — Siman כ׳, 2 seifim
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רמת המתחיל
Level 1 — Beginner & Intermediate
Vocalized Hebrew text of the 2 seifim with a fluent English translation. Pedagogical, sober explanation: the חזקת התגר — one who buys a talit with tzitzit from a Jew or from a non-Jewish merchant (תגר), כשר, for לא מרע נפשיה; from a non-Jew who is not a merchant — פסול; and the prohibition of selling, pawning or depositing a talit with tzitzit with a non-Jew, except לפי שעה. Modern practical cases: buying a talit or tzitzit from a Jewish shop or a trusted house (certification), checking provenance in online stores, and temporary lending — with a referral to the Rav.
In-depth pilpul: the mechanism of the commercial חזקה (Menachot 42b-43a) — אומן / תגר, לא מרע נפשיה and its limits; the נאמנות of the non-Jew (Rama in the name of the Nimoukei Yossef: ואומר שלקחן מישראל נאמן) and the treatment of the ספק; the reasons of אין מוכרין טלית מצוייצת לעכו״ם (Menachot 43a) and the extension to the משכון and the פקדון; the exception לפי שעה and the relation to simanim 14, 18 and 19; the kedusha of the talit — referred to siman 21. Beit Yossef, Tur, Nimoukei Yossef, Mg״A, Taz, Pri Megadim, Mishna Berura and Beour Halakha.
Structured summary for review and memorization: the חזקת התגר (כשר from a Jew or a תגר, פסול from a non-Jew who is not a merchant), the נאמנות of the Rama, and the prohibition of selling / pawning / depositing a talit with tzitzit with a non-Jew — except לפי שעה. Conduct le-maaseh in everyday life (provenance and certification of the talit), with a referral to the Rav and cf. siman 14, 18, 19 and 21.
The Choulhan Aroukh HaRav of the Admour HaZaken on Orach Chaim siman 20 (where the Rav develops ו׳ seifim): full text and the force of the psak relative to the Mechaber — the חזקה of the תגר and the basis of לא מרע נפשיה, buying from a non-Jew who is not a merchant, selling, pawning and depositing a talit with tzitzit with a non-Jew and their reasons, and the exception לפי שעה. For in-depth study, a referral to a Chabad Rav.
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One who buys a talit with tzitzit from a Jew, or from a non-Jewish merchant (תגר) — כשר: since he is a merchant, the חזקה is that he bought it from a Jew (Menachot 42b-43a).
לָא מַרַע נַפְשֵׁיהּ
לא מרע נפשיה
The basis of the חזקה: a merchant does not discredit himself — he would not sell doubtful merchandise as כשר, for his reputation is his livelihood.
נֶאֱמָנוּת
The נאמנות (Rama)
The Rama, in the name of the Nimoukei Yossef (הלכות ציצית): the non-Jewish merchant who says he bought the talit from a Jew is believed — ואומר שלקחן מישראל נאמן.
עַכּוּ״ם שֶׁאֵינוֹ תַּגָּר
The non-merchant non-Jew
Bought from a non-Jew who is not a merchant — פסול: without the merchant's חזקה, we fear the tzitzit were attached by a non-Jew (see siman 14).
אֵין מוֹכְרִין לְעַכּוּ״ם
Not selling to a non-Jew
One does not sell a talit with tzitzit to a non-Jew — the Gemara (Menachot 43a) evokes a danger of the roads of that era; the prohibition extends to the pawn (משכון) and the deposit (פקדון).
לְפִי שָׁעָה
The exception לפי שעה
Pawning or depositing temporarily (לפי שעה) is permitted, דליכא למיחש להא — for a short time, the concern raised by the Gemara does not apply.
Structure of the Siman — landmarks in the 2 seifim
Seif
Subject
Theme
Detail
סעיף א
חזקת התגר
כשר / פסול
The buyer from a Jew or from a תגר עכו״ם — כשר: חזקה שלקחה מישראל, דלא מרע נפשיה (Rama: ואומר שלקחן מישראל נאמן — Nimoukei Yossef). But from an עכו״ם שאינו תגר — פסול.
סעיף ב
אין מוכרין לעכו״ם
✦ Le-maaseh
One does not sell a talit מצוייצת to a non-Jew (a talmudic reason tied to the road dangers of that era — Menachot 43a); אפילו למשכן ולהפקיד אסור, אא״כ הוא לפי שעה, דליכא למיחש להא.
חזקת התגר and אין מוכרין — the mechanism and its limits
Case
Register
Status of the talit
Central idea
לוקח מישראל או מתגר
Gemara · Menachot 42b-43a
כשר
From a Jew — כשר; from a תגר עכו״ם — likewise כשר, for חזקה שלקחה מישראל: a merchant does not discredit himself (לא מרע נפשיה), his merchandise is his reputation. The Rama adds the נאמנות: ואומר שלקחן מישראל נאמן.
לוקח מעכו״ם שאינו תגר
Shulchan Aroukh · seif 1
פסול
Without the merchant's חזקה, we fear tzitzit attached by a non-Jew — and tzitzit made by a non-Jew are פסולה (relation to siman 14, the making of tzitzit).
משכון ופקדון — לפי שעה
Le-maaseh
✦ Le-maaseh
Even pawning (למשכן) or depositing (להפקיד) a talit with tzitzit with a non-Jew is forbidden; לפי שעה — temporarily — it is permitted, דליכא למיחש להא. The precise conduct (buying, provenance, certification) — see Level 4 and the referral to the Rav.
Frequently asked questions — Siman כ׳
May one buy a talit with tzitzit from a non-Jewish merchant, according to Siman 20?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh, Orach Chaim 20:1, one who buys a talit with tzitzit (טלית מצוייצת) from a Jew — it is כשר; and likewise from a non-Jewish merchant (תגר עכו״ם), for since he is a merchant, the חזקה is that he bought it from a Jew — דלא מרע נפשיה, a merchant does not discredit himself. The Rama, in the name of the Nimoukei Yossef (הלכות ציצית), adds: if he says he bought it from a Jew, he is believed (נאמן).
Why is a talit bought from a non-Jew who is not a merchant פסול, according to Siman 20?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 20:1), if one bought the talit from a non-Jew who is not a merchant (עכו״ם שאינו תגר), it is פסול: the merchant's חזקה does not exist here, and we are concerned that the tzitzit were attached by the non-Jew himself — and tzitzit made by a non-Jew are פסולה (see siman 14). It is precisely his standing as a תגר that grounds the presumption: his commercial reputation is his livelihood, לא מרע נפשיה.
May one sell a talit with tzitzit to a non-Jew, according to Siman 20?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 20:2), אין מוכרין טלית מצוייצת לעכו״ם — one does not sell a talit with tzitzit to a non-Jew. The Gemara (Menachot 43a) grounds this decree in a danger specific to the roads of that era: a Jew, seeing the tzitzit, might take him for a fellow Jew and join him on the way. Even pawning (למשכן) or depositing (להפקיד) it with a non-Jew is forbidden, אלא אם כן it is לפי שעה.
May one pawn or deposit a talit with tzitzit with a non-Jew, according to Siman 20?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 20:2), even pawning or depositing a talit with tzitzit with a non-Jew is forbidden — the prohibition of the sale extends to the משכון and the פקדון. The exception: if it is לפי שעה, for a short time, it is permitted, דליכא למיחש להא — the concern raised by the Gemara does not apply. For conduct le-maaseh (and the question of the kedusha of the talit, see siman 21), a referral to Level 4 and to the Rav.