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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman כ״א · Cut tsitsit and worn-out talits (ציציות שנפסקו וטליתות ישנים)
ציציות שנפסקו וטליתות ישנים — the respect due to תשמישי מצוה: discarding with dignity, geniza as a hiddour, and not dragging one's tsitsit
סימן כ״א · ד׳ סעיפים
ציציות שנפסקו וטליתות ישנים
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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A first approach to the ד׳ סעיפים: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation and pedagogical explanations on the cut tsitsit strands — which may be discarded, being a mitsva without intrinsic holiness (מצוה שאין בגופה קדושה), yet which may not be used while still attached to the talit (ביזוי מצוה) —, geniza as a hiddour (Rama, Maharil), the worn-out mitsva talits one keeps apart from, the permission to enter the restroom and to sleep in tsitsit, and the care not to drag one's tsitsit — with a section of practical cases.
Topic: Cut tsitsit and worn-out talits — discarding the strands with dignity (תשמישי מצוה), the ביזוי מצוה, geniza as a hiddour, the restroom and sleeping in tsitsit, and not dragging one's tsitsit
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן כ״א · ד׳ סעיפים
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
In the previous simanim we learned how to wear the tsitsit and to say its berakha. The Shulchan Aroukh here turns to the end of life of the objects of the mitsva: what does one do with cut strands, with a worn-out talit? The guiding principle: the tsitsit is a תשמיש מצוה — an object that serves a mitsva — but its material carries no intrinsic holiness (מצוה שאין בגופה קדושה). Hence a subtle balance. On the one hand, once the strands are cut and their mitsva has passed, they may be discarded — they do not require geniza. On the other, as long as they are attached to the talit, any profane use of them is a ביזוי מצוה — forbidden. And even afterwards: one does not throw them in a degrading place (Rama), and the scrupulous place them in geniza — והמחמיר ומדקדק במצות תע״ב (Maharil). The same balance governs daily life: one may enter the restroom and, by accepted custom, sleep in tsitsit — but one takes care not to drag one's tsitsit on the ground. We study here at the level of principle; for concrete conduct, we refer to the ruling of the Rav.
📑 Study outline
A. חוטי ציצית שנפסקו — they may be discarded (מצוה שאין בגופה קדושה); but attached to the talit: forbidden to use them (ביזוי מצוה); geniza as a hiddour (Rama) (seif 1)
B. טליתות של מצוה שבלו — keep apart from them: no קינוח and no תשמיש מגונה; one throws them away (seif 2)
C. בית הכסא — permitted to enter in tsitsit; all the more so to sleep in them (Rama); laundering by a non-Jew (seif 3)
D. שלא יגרור ציציותיו — take care not to drag one's tsitsit (seif 4)
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions
A. חוטי ציצית שנפסקו: discard them — but do not use them (seif 1)
Original text (seif 1)
[א] כְּדָת מַה לַּעֲשׂוֹת בְּצִיצִיּוֹת שֶׁנִּפְסְקוּ וּבְטַלִּיתוֹת יְשָׁנִים. חוּטֵי צִיצִית שֶׁנִּפְסְקוּ, יָכוֹל לְזוֹרְקָן לָאַשְׁפָּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מִצְוָה שֶׁאֵין בְּגוּפָהּ קְדֻשָּׁה ; אֲבָל כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהֵם קְבוּעִים בַּטַּלִּית, אָסוּר לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶם, כְּגוֹן לִקְשֹׁר בָּהֶם שׁוּם דָּבָר וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, מִשּׁוּם בִּזּוּי מִצְוָה. הַגָּהּ: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּאַף לְאַחַר שֶׁנִּפְסְקוּ אֵין לִנְהֹג בָּהֶם מִנְהַג בִּזָּיוֹן, לְזוֹרְקָן בְּמָקוֹם מְגֻנֶּה, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵינָן צְרִיכִין גְּנִיזָה [כָּל בּוֹ הִלְכוֹת שַׁבָּת] ; וְיֵשׁ מְדַקְדְּקִין לְגוֹנְזָן, וְהַמַּחְמִיר וּמְדַקְדֵּק בְּמִצְוֹת תָּבוֹא עָלָיו בְּרָכָה [מַהֲרִי״ל הִלְכוֹת צִיצִית] [וְע״ל סִי׳ תרס״ד סָעִיף ח׳ ט׳].
[1] What to do, according to the law, with tsitsit that were cut and with old talits. Tsitsit strands that were cut — one may throw them into the refuse (לזורקן לאשפה), for it is a mitsva whose body carries no holiness (מצוה שאין בגופה קדושה). But as long as they are attached to the talit, it is forbidden to use them — for instance to tie anything with them, and the like —, because of ביזוי מצוה (disgracing the mitsva). Gloss (Rama): some say (וי״א) that even after they were cut, one should not treat them disgracefully by throwing them in a degrading place — yet they do not require geniza [Kol Bo, hilkhot Shabbat]; and some, scrupulous, place them in geniza — and he who is more stringent and scrupulous in mitsvot, may blessing come upon him (תבוא עליו ברכה) [Maharil, hilkhot tsitsit] [ע״ל סי׳ תרס״ד סעיף ח׳ ט׳].
מִצְוָה שֶׁאֵין בְּגוּפָהּ קְדֻשָּׁה — "a mitsva whose body carries no holiness" — the tsitsit strands serve a mitsva, but their material is not holy in itself: they are תשמישי מצוה (objects of mitsva), as opposed to תשמישי קדושה (tefilin, mezouza, holy books), whose very body carries holiness and which require geniza. That is why, once cut — the mitsva having passed —, the strands may be discarded; but with dignity.
בִּזּוּי מִצְוָה (bizouy mitsva) — "disgracing the mitsva" — using for profane purposes an object while it is serving the mitsva. As long as the strands are attached to the talit, they are assigned to the mitsva: tying an object with them, using them as string — that is degrading the mitsva, and it is forbidden.
Three ideas in this seif:
- Cut → they may be discarded: the cut strands are תשמישי מצוה without intrinsic holiness — they do not require geniza.
- Attached to the talit → forbidden to use: tying anything with them is a ביזוי מצוה, as long as they are קבועים בטלית.
- The hiddour (Rama): even once cut, no degrading place (Kol Bo); the scrupulous place them in geniza — והמחמיר ומדקדק במצות תע״ב (Maharil); and the Rama adds the reference: ע״ל סי׳ תרס״ד סעיף ח׳ ט׳.
Seif 1 in one sentence: cut tsitsit strands may be discarded (a mitsva without intrinsic holiness); while they are attached to the talit, using them is a ביזוי מצוה; and the hiddour is not to throw them in a degrading place — or even to place them in geniza (Rama).
B. טליתות של מצוה שבלו: keep apart from them (seif 2)
Original text (seif 2)
[ב] טַלִּיתוֹת שֶׁל מִצְוָה שֶׁבָּלוּ, אָדָם בּוֹדֵל עַצְמוֹ מֵהֶם, וְאֵינוֹ מֻתָּר לְקַנֵּחַ עַצְמוֹ בָּהֶם, וְלֹא לְיַחֵד אוֹתָם לְתַשְׁמִישׁ הַמְגֻנֶּה, אֶלָּא זוֹרְקָן וְהֵם כָּלִים.
[2] Mitsva talits that have worn out (שבלו) — a man keeps himself apart from them (בודל עצמו מהם): he is not permitted to wipe himself (לקנח) with them, nor to assign them to a degrading use (תשמיש מגונה); rather he throws them away — and they pass on (והם כלים).
תַּשְׁמִישׁ מְגֻנֶּה (tachmich megouneh) — "a degrading use" — assigning the mitsva object to a demeaning employment: rag, cloth, wiping. Even worn out, the talit that served the mitsva keeps its dignity: one does not lower it to a contemptible use — one keeps apart from it, and throws it away with dignity.
What this seif requires:
- Keep apart: a worn-out mitsva talit — one does not recycle it for oneself: no קינוח (wiping), no assignment to a תשמיש מגונה.
- But one may throw it away: like the strands of seif 1, the talit is a תשמיש מצוה without intrinsic holiness — it requires no geniza: one throws it away, and it passes on (והם כלים).
- The dividing line: discarding with dignity — yes; using for the degrading — no.
To remember: the worn-out mitsva talit — one keeps apart from it: no wiping, no תשמיש מגונה; one may throw it away with dignity, for it requires no geniza.
C. בית הכסא: entering the restroom — and sleeping — in tsitsit (seif 3)
Original text (seif 3)
[ג] מֻתָּר לִכָּנֵס בְּצִיצִית לְבֵית הַכִּסֵּא. הַגָּהּ: וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן לִשְׁכַּב בָּהֶן דְּשָׁרֵי ; וְיֵשׁ שֶׁכָּתְבוּ שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁכַּב בְּטַלִּית שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ צִיצִית, גַּם שֶׁלֹּא לִתְּנוֹ לְכוֹבֵס עַכּוּ״ם לְכַבֵּס — וְהַכֹּל שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ מִצְוֹת בְּזוּיוֹת עָלָיו ; אַךְ נוֹהֲגִין לְהָקֵל לִשְׁכַּב בָּהֶם [כָּל בּוֹ].
[3] It is permitted to enter the restroom (בית הכסא) in tsitsit. Gloss (Rama): and all the more so (וכ״ש) is it permitted to sleep in them. Some wrote that the custom was not to sleep in a talit bearing tsitsit, and also not to give it to a non-Jewish launderer to wash — all this so that the mitsvot not be despised by him (שלא יהיו מצוות בזויות עליו); but the custom is to be lenient and to sleep in them [Kol Bo].
בֵּית הַכִּסֵּא (beit ha-kisseh) — "the restroom" — since the tsitsit is a mitsva without intrinsic holiness, one may enter while wearing it — unlike the tefilin, whose holiness requires that they be removed. The tsitsit accompanies a man through his entire day: it is a garment of mitsva, not an object of holiness to be shielded from every place.
Three points in this seif:
- The restroom — permitted: one enters the בית הכסא in tsitsit; the tsitsit does not have the holiness of the tefilin.
- Sleeping — all the more so (Rama): if the restroom is permitted, sleep is permitted וכ״ש; some nevertheless avoided sleeping in a tsitsit-bearing talit and giving it to a non-Jewish launderer — so that the mitsvot not be despised.
- The custom: one is lenient about sleeping in them (Kol Bo) — that is the accepted conduct.
To remember: it is permitted to enter the restroom in tsitsit — and, by accepted custom, to sleep in them (Rama); the restraint of some (sleep, laundering by a non-Jew) aims at the respect of the mitsvot, but the custom is lenient.
D. שלא יגרור ציציותיו: not dragging one's tsitsit (seif 4)
Original text (seif 4)
[ד] יֵשׁ לִזָּהֵר, כְּשֶׁאָדָם לוֹבֵשׁ טַלִּית, שֶׁלֹּא יִגְרֹר צִיצִיּוֹתָיו.
[4] One must take care, when wearing a talit, not to drag one's tsitsit [on the ground].
Respect in daily life:
- A simple vigilance: tsitsit dragging on the ground — in the dust, underfoot — that is the mitsva lowered to a man's feet.
- The thread of the siman: from seif 1 to seif 4, one idea — the mitsva has no intrinsic holiness, but it has dignity: one wears it, one does not trample it.
To remember: when wearing the talit, one takes care that the tsitsit do not drag on the ground — the respect of the mitsva is also expressed in this daily gesture.
Practical cases
Case 1 — Tsitsit strands cut or replaced
Situation: the tsitsit of a talit were replaced (strands cut, worn, exchanged for new ones) — what does one do with the old strands?
Conduct: the cut strands are תשמישי מצוה without intrinsic holiness (seif 1): they may be discarded — but with dignity, not in a degrading place (Rama, in the name of the Kol Bo). The best — the hiddour — is to place them in geniza: והמחמיר ומדקדק במצות תע״ב (Maharil). On the other hand, as long as the strands are still attached to the talit, one uses them for nothing — ביזוי מצוה.
Case 2 — An old worn-out talit katan
Situation: a talit katan is worn out, faded, torn — may one use it as a rag, or must it be treated otherwise?
Conduct: one keeps apart from it (seif 2): no wiping, no תשמיש מגונה — a talit that served the mitsva does not become a rag. One may throw it away with dignity (it requires no geniza); and whoever wishes to beautify the mitsva places it in geniza, as with the strands (seif 1). For a particular case (a family talit, a talit bag), one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Case 3 — Restroom, sleep, and dragging tsitsit
Situation: may one go to the restroom with one's talit katan? sleep in it? and how should the tsitsit be carried in the street?
Conduct: it is permitted to enter the restroom in tsitsit (seif 3), and the custom is lenient about sleeping in them — all the more so than the restroom (Rama). Some, out of respect for the mitsvot, avoided sleeping in a tsitsit-bearing talit and giving it to a non-Jewish launderer — the accepted conduct remains leniency for sleep. And in the street as at home: one takes care that the tsitsit do not drag on the ground (seif 4). For each person's particular practice, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- Why may one discard the cut tsitsit strands (seif 1)? What does מצוה שאין בגופה קדושה mean?
- Why is it forbidden to use the strands while they are attached to the talit? What is ביזוי מצוה?
- What does the Rama say about the cut strands — degrading place, geniza, והמחמיר ומדקדק במצות תע״ב (Maharil)?
- What does one do with a worn-out mitsva talit (seif 2)? What is a תשמיש מגונה?
- May one enter the restroom and sleep in tsitsit (seif 3)? And why take care not to drag one's tsitsit (seif 4)?
Going further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul — the distinction תשמישי מצוה / תשמישי קדושה (מגילה כ״ו:) — נזרקין or נגנזין; the ביזוי מצוה while the strands are attached (their status during the mitsva and after); the restroom and sleeping in tsitsit (the difference from the tefilin); and the גרירה of the tsitsit — the link to לועג לרש (see siman 23)
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav (ה׳ סעיפים) — the cut strands (תשמישי מצוה without intrinsic holiness; geniza as a hiddour), the worn-out talits, entering the restroom, and not dragging one's tsitsit
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן כ״א · ד׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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