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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman כ״ג · Tsitsit in the Cemetery (דיני ציצית בבית הקברות)
דיני ציצית בבית הקברות — entering the cemetery with tsitsit, לועג לרש, and the respect due to the departed
סימן כ״ג · ד׳ סעיפים
דיני ציצית בבית הקברות
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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A first approach to the ד׳ סעיפים: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation and pedagogical explanations, in a sober register, on entering the cemetery wearing tsitsit — the tsitsit must not drag over the graves, because of לועג לרש —, the reversal between their times and ours (uncovered tsitsit forbidden, covered permitted), the custom of tying two tsitsit together (which accomplishes nothing), the ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave, and the talit of the deceased when the pallbearers (כתפים) wear tsitsit — with a section of practical cases.
Topic: The laws of tsitsit in the cemetery — לועג לרש, uncovered or covered tsitsit, the ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave, and the talit of the deceased
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן כ״ג · ד׳ סעיפים
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
After the laws of making and wearing the tsitsit, the Shulchan Aroukh here turns to a place that calls for particular delicacy: the cemetery. The Torah asks us to honor the departed; and the departed is henceforth exempt from the mitsvot. To perform a mitsva conspicuously right beside him — wearing visible tsitsit above the graves — would be to taunt him with what he can no longer do: this is the principle of לועג לרש, "whoever mocks the destitute insults his Maker" (משלי י״ז, ה׳). The siman proceeds in four steps, all marked by restraint. First, the basic din: entering a cemetery wearing tsitsit is permitted, provided they do not drag over the graves — with the historical reversal: in their days, the tsitsit was placed on an ordinary garment; in our days, when the garment is dedicated to the mitsva, uncovered tsitsit are forbidden even if they do not drag — covered, it is permitted. Then, the custom of tying two tsitsit together upon entering: it accomplishes nothing. Next, the ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave: the same din as the cemetery. Finally, the talit of the deceased: where the tsitsit are removed from it, if the pallbearers (כתפים) wear tsitsit, there is reason to be concerned about לועג לרש. We study here at the level of principle; for concrete conduct, we refer to the ruling of the Rav.
📑 Study outline
A. Entering the cemetery wearing tsitsit — they must not drag over the graves (לועג לרש); in their days / in ours; uncovered forbidden, covered permitted (seif 1)
B. Tying two tsitsit together upon entering the cemetery — it accomplishes nothing (seif 2)
C. The ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave — the same din as the cemetery (seif 3)
D. The talit of the deceased and the pallbearers (כתפים) — where the tsitsit are removed from the talit of the deceased (seif 4)
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions
A. Entering the cemetery wearing tsitsit — לועג לרש (seif 1)
Original text (seif 1)
[א] דִּינֵי צִיצִית בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת. מֻתָּר לִכָּנֵס בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת וְהוּא לָבוּשׁ צִיצִית, וְהוּא שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא נִגְרָר עַל הַקְּבָרוֹת ; אֲבָל אִם הוּא נִגְרָר עַל הַקְּבָרוֹת — אָסוּר, מִשּׁוּם לוֹעֵג לָרָשׁ. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים — בִּימֵיהֶם, שֶׁהָיוּ מַטִּילִים צִיצִית בְּמַלְבּוּשׁ שֶׁלּוֹבְשִׁים לְצֹרֶךְ עַצְמָם ; אֲבָל אָנוּ, שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ מְכַוְּנִים בָּהֶם אֶלָּא לְשֵׁם מִצְוָה — אָסוּר אֲפִלּוּ אֵינָם נִגְרָרִים. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי כְּשֶׁהַצִּיצִיּוֹת מְגֻלִּים, אֲבָל אִם הֵם מְכֻסִּים — מֻתָּר.
[1] Laws of tsitsit in the cemetery. It is permitted to enter a cemetery while wearing tsitsit — provided [the tsitsit] do not drag over the graves; but if they drag over the graves, it is forbidden, because of לועג לרש ("mocking the destitute"). Of what was this said? Of their days, when the tsitsit was placed on the garment one wore for one's own use; but we, who intend [these garments] only for the mitsva — it is forbidden even if they do not drag. And this, when the tsitsit are uncovered; but if they are covered — it is permitted.
לוֹעֵג לָרָשׁ (loeg la-rach) — "mocking the destitute" — from the verse לֹעֵג לָרָשׁ חֵרֵף עֹשֵׂהוּ (משלי י״ז, ה׳): "whoever mocks the destitute insults his Maker." The Gemara (ברכות י״ח ע״א) applies it to the departed: the deceased is henceforth exempt from the mitsvot — in this sense, he is "destitute." To perform a mitsva conspicuously right beside him is like reminding him of what he can no longer fulfill. Far from being a mere rule of decorum, it is an expression of the respect due to the departed.
Three stages in this seif:
- The basic din: entering a cemetery wearing tsitsit is permitted — provided the tsitsit do not drag over the graves; if they drag, it is לועג לרש.
- The reversal — their days / our days: in their days, the tsitsit was placed on the ordinary garment — wearing it in the cemetery had nothing ostentatious about it. In our days, our tsitsit-garment is dedicated to the mitsva: wearing it visibly among the graves is forbidden even if the tsitsit do not drag.
- The solution — covering: all this applies when the tsitsit are uncovered (מגולים); if they are covered (מכוסים) — tucked in, concealed under the garment — it is permitted.
בִּימֵיהֶם / in our days — a distinction the Shulchan Aroukh employs here with finesse: the same conduct changes meaning according to the era. In former times, the tsitsit accompanied the everyday garment — its presence in the cemetery was neutral. Today, the talit (katan or gadol) is worn only for the mitsva: displaying it among the graves takes on the sense of a mitsva flaunted before those exempt from it. That is why the din becomes stricter in our days.
Seif 1 in one sentence: in the cemetery, the tsitsit must never drag over the graves (לועג לרש); and in our days, when the garment is dedicated to the mitsva, uncovered tsitsit are forbidden even without dragging — covered, it is permitted.
B. Tying two tsitsit together — a gesture that accomplishes nothing (seif 2)
Original text (seif 2)
[ב] יֵשׁ נוֹהֲגִים לִקְשֹׁר ב׳ צִיצִיּוֹת שֶׁבִּשְׁנֵי כְּנָפַיִם זֶה עִם זֶה כְּשֶׁנִּכְנָסִים לְבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, וְלֹא הוֹעִילוּ כְּלוּם בְּתַקָּנָתָן.
[2] Some have the custom of tying two tsitsit of two corners one to the other when they enter the cemetery — and they have accomplished nothing by their device.
What this seif addresses:
- The custom: some, upon entering the cemetery, would tie two tsitsit of two corners to each other — presumably thinking to render the talit momentarily "unfit," so that it would no longer be a mitsva-garment before the departed (על דרך הסברה).
- The ruling of the Shulchan Aroukh: this knot does not invalidate the talit — the mitsva remains as it is — and the gesture therefore changes nothing (ולא הועילו כלום בתקנתן).
- The consequence: the only path given by the siman remains that of seif 1 — covering the tsitsit, or keeping the distance (seif 3).
To remember: tying two tsitsit together upon entering the cemetery accomplishes nothing: the talit remains a mitsva-garment. What guards against לועג לרש is covering the tsitsit — not tying them.
C. The ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave (seif 3)
Original text (seif 3)
[ג] הַנִּכְנָס תּוֹךְ ד׳ אַמּוֹת שֶׁל מֵת אוֹ שֶׁל קֶבֶר — דִּינוֹ כְּנִכְנָס לְבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת.
[3] One who enters within the four amot (ד׳ אמות) of a deceased or of a grave — his din is that of one who enters a cemetery.
ד׳ אַמּוֹת (arba amot) — "four cubits" — the halakhic measure of a person's "near space," about two meters. Here: everything said of the cemetery (seif 1) applies as soon as one is within four amot of a deceased — for example before the burial — or of a grave, even an isolated one, outside any cemetery.
What this seif extends:
- Not only the cemetery: the din of לועג לרש does not depend on the place "cemetery," but on the proximity of the departed.
- A deceased: within ד׳ אמות of a departed person — at a vigil, a levaya, a burial — the same conduct as in the cemetery: covered tsitsit.
- A grave: likewise for an isolated grave — by a roadside, in a field.
To remember: within ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave, one conducts oneself exactly as in the cemetery: the tsitsit do not drag, and in our days one keeps them covered.
D. The talit of the deceased and the pallbearers — הכתפים (seif 4)
Original text (seif 4)
[ד] בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁנּוֹהֲגִים לְהָסִיר צִיצִית מִטַּלִּית הַמֵּת בַּבַּיִת, אִם הַכַּתָּפִים לוֹבְשִׁים צִיצִית — אִיכָּא לְמֵיחַשׁ בְּהוּ מִשּׁוּם לוֹעֵג לָרָשׁ.
[4] In a place where the custom is to remove the tsitsit from the talit of the deceased, at the house — if the pallbearers (הכתפים) wear tsitsit, there is reason to be concerned, regarding them, about לועג לרש.
כַּתָּפִים (katafim) — "the pallbearers" — literally "the men of the shoulder": those who carry the deceased at the levaya and the accompaniment. In communities whose custom is to remove the tsitsit from the talit of the deceased already at the house, the deceased is carried without tsitsit; if those carrying him — bent close over him, well within ד׳ אמות — display visible tsitsit, the concern of לועג לרש arises regarding them.
What this seif adds:
- A custom: in certain places, the tsitsit are removed from the talit in which the deceased is buried, already at the house — marking that he is henceforth exempt from the mitsva.
- The consequence for the pallbearers: precisely there, if the כתפים wear [uncovered] tsitsit, the contrast is pronounced — איכא למיחש, there is reason to be concerned about לועג לרש.
- The coherence of the siman: as in seifim 1 and 3, the answer lies in discretion: covered tsitsit do not give rise to this concern.
To remember: where the tsitsit are removed from the talit of the deceased, the pallbearers take care not to wear uncovered tsitsit — the same delicacy of לועג לרש, closest to the departed.
Practical cases
Case 1 — Going to a burial or to the cemetery with the talit katan
Situation: one must attend a burial, or visit the grave of a relative, while wearing one's talit katan with the tsitsit out.
Conduct: the principle of the siman (seif 1) is clear and simple to apply: one tucks in the tsitsit — slipping them under the garment — before entering. Covered tsitsit are permitted; uncovered tsitsit, in our days, are not — even if they do not drag over the graves. It is a gesture of respect toward the departed, not a burden: the mitsva remains, simply without being displayed.
Case 2 — Praying in a cemetery (azkara, hilloula)
Situation: a prayer or an azkara is held at the cemetery; some participants wear a talit katan, others consider the talit gadol.
Conduct: the vigilance concerns the uncovered tsitsit (seif 1): one makes sure they remain covered as long as one is among the graves or within ד׳ אמות of a grave (seif 3). As for the texts one may read there and how to stand — customs vary and the distinctions are delicate: one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Case 3 — Coming within ד׳ אמות of a grave
Situation: outside a cemetery — an isolated grave by a roadside, or the proximity of a deceased before the burial.
Conduct: seif 3 extends the din of the cemetery to any proximity of less than ד׳ אמות from a deceased or a grave: the same rules — the tsitsit do not drag, and one keeps them covered. In case of doubt about the distance or the exact location of a grave, the measurement is delicate: one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What is לועג לרש (seif 1)? Why does this principle apply to the departed, and from which verse does it derive?
- What was the din in their days, and why has it become stricter in our days (seif 1)?
- What is the difference between tsitsit that are מגולים and מכוסים in the cemetery (seif 1)?
- Why does tying two tsitsit together upon entering the cemetery accomplish nothing (seif 2)?
- What does the siman say of one who enters the ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave (seif 3), and what concern applies to the pallbearers (כתפים) where the tsitsit are removed from the talit of the deceased (seif 4)?
Going further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul — the principle of לועג לרש (ברכות י״ח ע״א; משלי י״ז, ה׳) and why the deceased is exempt from the mitsvot; the reversal בימיהם / האידנא (everyday garment / mitsva-garment; מגולים / מכוסים); the measure of the ד׳ אמות של מת; and the talit of the deceased (the לועג לרש on the side of the pallbearers)
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav — the development of לועג לרש (entering the cemetery with tsitsit, in their days and in ours, uncovered and covered), the ד׳ אמות of a deceased or of a grave, tying the tsitsit, and the talit of the deceased
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן כ״ג · ד׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
♥ Support DAAT