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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman כ״ד · Wearing the tsitsit, its reward (הנהגת לבישת הציצית)

הנהגת לבישת הציצית ושכרה ועונשה — the talit katan all day, the love of the mitsva (חבוב מצוה), and זוכה ורואה פני שכינה
סימן כ״ד · ו׳ סעיפים
הנהגת לבישת הציצית ושכרה ועונשה
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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The crown of the laws of tsitsit: no longer how to make it, but how to live it. Vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation and explanations on the טלית קטן worn all day long (טוב ונכון), on holding the tsitsit with the left hand against the heart at the Chema, on gazing at them while wrapping oneself, on placing them on the eyes and kissing them at וראיתם אותו — all of it חבוב מצוה —, on the symbolism of the knots and strands (כ״ו = the Name), and on the reward — beholding the face of the Chékhina — with a section of practical cases.

Topic: The conduct of the mitsva of tsitsit — the talit katan all day, holding and gazing at the tsitsit, the love of the mitsva (חבוב מצוה), the reward and the gravity of neglect
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן כ״ד · ו׳ סעיפים

Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com

In the previous simanim we learned how to make the tsitsit, its strands and knots, and what renders it pasoul. Here the Shulchan Aroukh closes the Hilkhot Tsitsit not with a technical law but with a conduct of the heart — הַנְהָגָה. The halakha itself comes to say: this garment is not only to be worn according to law, it is to be loved. One is indeed not obligated to own a four-cornered garment; but it is טוב ונכון — good and right — that every person be zealous to wear a טלית קטן all day long, so as to remember the mitsvot at every moment. During the Chema, one holds the tsitsit with the left hand, against the heart — a רמז to « וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה … עַל לְבָבֶךָ ». One gazes at them while wrapping oneself, and at « וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ » one places them on the eyes; some kiss them (Rama) — and all of it is חבוב מצוה, the tender love of the mitsva. Even the knots and strands speak: together they total כ״ו, the value of the Name. Finally the siman closes on the weight of the matter: great is the penalty of one who neglects, and one who is zealous in the mitsva of tsitsit merits to behold the face of the Chékhina. We study here at the level of principle and of elevation; for the finer conduct, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. The טלית קטן כל היום — no obligation to own a four-cornered garment, but it is טוב ונכון to wear the talit katan all day to remember the mitsvot (seif 1)
B. מצוה לאחוז הציצית ביד שמאל כנגד לבו — holding the tsitsit against the heart during the Chema, a רמז to « על לבבך » (seif 2)
C. טוב להסתכל בציצית — gazing at the tsitsit at the moment of wrapping, while blessing (seif 3)
D. חבוב מצוה — gazing at the tsitsit at « וראיתם אותו », placing them on the eyes, and (Rama) kissing them (seif 4)
E. The symbolism כ״ו — the 2 front tsitsit, 10 knots (רמז להויות), 16 strands + 10 knots = כ״ו, the value of the Name (seif 5)
F. שכר ועונש — great is the penalty of one who neglects; the zealous one זוכה ורואה פני שכינה (seif 6)
+ Practical cases and comprehension questions

A. The טלית קטן worn all day long (seif 1)

Original text (seif 1)

[א] הַנְהָגַת לְבִישַׁת הַצִּיצִית וּשְׂכָרָהּ וְעָנְשָׁהּ. וּבוֹ ו׳ סְעִיפִים. אִם אֵין אָדָם לוֹבֵשׁ טַלִּית בַּת אַרְבַּע כְּנָפוֹת, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב בְּצִיצִית ; וְטוֹב וְנָכוֹן לִהְיוֹת כָּל אָדָם זָהִיר לִלְבּוֹשׁ טַלִּית קָטָן כָּל הַיּוֹם, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּזְכֹּר הַמִּצְוֹת בְּכָל רֶגַע. וְעַל כֵּן יֵשׁ בּוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה קְשָׁרִים כְּנֶגֶד חֲמִשָּׁה חוּמְשֵׁי תוֹרָה, וְאַרְבַּע כְּנָפַיִם שֶׁבְּכָל צַד שֶׁיִּפְנֶה יִזְכֹּר. וְנָכוֹן לְלוֹבְשׁוֹ עַל הַמַּלְבּוּשִׁים. לְפָחוֹת יִזָּהֵר שֶׁיְּהֵא לָבוּשׁ צִיצִית בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה.
[1] The conduct of wearing the tsitsit, its reward and its penalty. It contains ו׳ סעיפים (six paragraphs). If a person does not wear a four-cornered garment, he is not חייב (obligated) in tsitsit; but it is טוב ונכון (good and right) that every person be זהיר (zealous) to wear a טלית קטן all day long, so as to remember the mitsvot at every moment. That is why it has חמשה קשרים (five knots) — כנגד the five books of the Torah — and ארבע כנפות (four corners), so that to whatever side he turns, he will remember. And it is right to wear it over the garments. At the very least, let him take care to be clothed in tsitsit at the time of prayer.
טוֹב וְנָכוֹן (tov ve-nakhon) — "good and right" — the halakha distinguishes what is obligatory (חובה) from what is desirable. No one is bound to buy a four-cornered garment; but wearing a talit katan all day is a beautiful and lofty conduct (מידת חסידות) — for it places a person, at every moment, within the radiance of the mitsva.
Three ideas in this seif:
Seif 1 in one sentence: no one is חייב as long as he does not wear a four-cornered garment — but it is טוב ונכון that everyone be זהיר to wear a טלית קטן all day long, to remember the mitsvot at every moment; at the very least during prayer.

B. אחיזת הציצית against the heart at the Chema (seif 2)

Original text (seif 2)

[ב] מִצְוָה לֶאֱחֹז הַצִּיצִית בַּיָּד שְׂמָאלִית כְּנֶגֶד לִבּוֹ בִּשְׁעַת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע ; רֶמֶז לַדָּבָר : וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְגוֹ׳ עַל לְבָבֶךָ.
[2] It is a מצוה to hold the tsitsit in the left hand, against the heart, at the time of the קריאת שמע (reading of the Chema); a רמז (allusion) to the matter: « וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה … עַל לְבָבֶךָ » ("and these words … shall be upon your heart").
כְּנֶגֶד לִבּוֹ (keneged libo) — "against his heart" — the left hand is the one that runs alongside the heart. Holding the tsitsit there during the Chema is not merely a gesture: it attunes the body to the word the mouth is saying — "these words shall be upon your heart." The mitsva then becomes something felt, held against oneself.
What this seif says:
To remember: during the Chema, it is a מצוה to hold the tsitsit with the left hand, against the heart — a רמז to « וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה … עַל לְבָבֶךָ »: the word the mouth speaks, the heart carries.

C. הסתכלות בציצית while wrapping oneself (seif 3)

Original text (seif 3)

[ג] טוֹב לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בַּצִּיצִית בִּשְׁעַת עֲטִיפָה כְּשֶׁמְּבָרֵךְ.
[3] It is טוב (good) to gaze at the tsitsit at the moment of עטיפה (wrapping oneself in the talit), when one recites the ברכה (blessing).
עֲטִיפָה (atifa) — "wrapping" — the act of enveloping oneself in the talit. The gaze cast upon the tsitsit at the moment one blesses ensures that the ברכה is not a formula spoken into the void: the eye sees what the mouth blesses, and the kavana attaches to the very object of the mitsva.
What this seif says:
To remember: it is טוב להסתכל בציצית at the moment of wrapping oneself, while one blesses — so that blessing and gaze unite upon the mitsva.

D. חבוב מצוה: at « וראיתם אותו », on the eyes and kissing (seif 4)

Original text (seif 4)

[ד] יֵשׁ נוֹהֲגִין לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בַּצִּיצִית כְּשֶׁמַּגִּיעִים לִ« וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ », וְלִתֵּן אוֹתָם עַל הָעֵינַיִם ; וּמִנְהָג יָפֶה הוּא וְחִבּוּבֵי מִצְוָה. הַגָּהּ: גַּם נוֹהֲגִים קְצָת לְנַשֵּׁק הַצִּיצִית בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁרוֹאֶה בָּם, וְהַכֹּל הוּא חִבּוּב מִצְוָה [בֵּית יוֹסֵף].
[4] Some have the custom to gaze at the tsitsit when they reach « וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ » ("and you shall see it") [in the Chema], and to place them upon the eyes; it is a מנהג יפה (beautiful custom) and חבובי מצוה (a way of cherishing the mitsva). Glose (Rama): some also somewhat have the custom to kiss the tsitsit at the moment they look at them — and the whole of it is חבוב מצוה (love of the mitsva) [Beit Yossef].
חִבּוּב מִצְוָה (hibouv mitsva) — "the love of the mitsva" — beyond bare fulfillment, the Torah knows of hiddour and the affection one bears toward the mitsva: « זֶה אֵ-לִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ » — "this is my G-d, and I will beautify Him." Gazing at the tsitsit at « וראיתם אותו », placing them on the eyes, kissing them: all gestures not commanded to the letter, yet expressing the heart of one who loves the mitsva.
Three gestures of חבוב מצוה:
To remember: at « וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ » one gazes at the tsitsit and places them on the eyes (מנהג יפה); the Rama adds that some kiss them — and « הַכֹּל הוּא חִבּוּב מִצְוָה », all of it is love of the mitsva.

E. The symbolism: כ״ו = the Name (seif 5)

Original text (seif 5)

[ה] כְּשֶׁמִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּצִּיצִיּוֹת, מִסְתַּכֵּל בְּב׳ צִיצִיּוֹת שֶׁלְּפָנָיו, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם עֲשָׂרָה קְשָׁרִים רֶמֶז לַהֲוָיוֹת, וְגַם יֵשׁ בָּהֶם ט״ז חוּטִים ; וַעֲשָׂרָה קְשָׁרִים — עוֹלוֹת כ״ו כְּשֵׁם הַהֲוָיָה.
[5] When one gazes at the tsitsit, one gazes at the ב׳ ציציות (the two tsitsit) in front of him, in which there are עשרה קשרים (ten knots) — a רמז (allusion) to the הויות — ; and there are also in them ט״ז חוטים (sixteen strands); and [the sixteen strands] together with the ten knots come up to כ״ו (26) — like the value of the שם ההויה (the Name of Hachem).
עוֹלוֹת כ״ו כְּשֵׁם הַהֲוָיָה — "they total כ״ו, the value of the Name" — the sixteen strands (of the two front tsitsit) and the ten knots together make כ״ו = 26, the gematria of the שם הויה (the ineffable Name, י־ה־ו־ה). Thus the gaze cast upon the tsitsit is no mere counting: it lifts the heart toward the Name concealed within the strand.
What this seif says:
To remember: one gazes at the ב׳ ציציות in front: 10 knots (רמז להויות) and ט״ז חוטים — together כ״ו, the value of the שם הויה. The strand carries the Name.

F. שכר ועונש: beholding the face of the Chékhina (seif 6)

Original text (seif 6)

[ו] גָּדוֹל עֳנֶשׁ הַמְבַטֵּל מִצְוַת צִיצִית, וְעָלָיו נֶאֱמַר « לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְגוֹ׳ » ; וְהַזָּהִיר בְּמִצְוַת צִיצִית זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה פְּנֵי שְׁכִינָה.
[6] Great is the penalty (עונש) of one who neglects the מצות ציצית; of him it is said « לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ » ("to grasp the corners [the 'wings'] of the earth"). And one who is זהיר (zealous, attentive) in the מצות ציצית זוכה (merits) and beholds the פני שכינה (the face of the Divine Presence).
זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה פְּנֵי שְׁכִינָה (zokhé ve-roé pnei Chékhina) — "he merits and beholds the face of the Chékhina" — the reward of the mitsva of tsitsit is not merely material: it is of the order of closeness to Hachem. One who cherishes and guards this mitsva — wearing it, gazing at it, loving it — draws upon himself a vision of the Divine Presence. The strand that recalls the Name (seif 5) leads the one who guards it toward the One whose Name it bears.
Two facets in this seif:
To remember: גדול עונש המבטל מצות ציצית (« לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ »); and הזהיר במצות ציצית זוכה ורואה פני שכינה — one who is zealous merits to behold the face of the Divine Presence. Thus the Hilkhot Tsitsit close: on love and on light.

Practical cases

Case 1 — Wearing the talit katan all day

Situation: one has no strict obligation (one does not wear a four-cornered garment) — but one wishes to adopt the beautiful conduct of wearing a talit katan from morning to evening.
Conduct: this is precisely the טוב ונכון of seif 1: to wear a טלית קטן כל היום, to remember the mitsvot at every moment — the ד׳ כנפות mean that to whatever side one turns, one remembers. At the very least, to take care to be clothed in tsitsit during prayer. The precise details (wearing it over or under the clothes, its measure) belong to the finer conduct: one refers to the ruling of the Rav.

Case 2 — The tsitsit during the Chema

Situation: during the קריאת שמע, one wishes to fulfill the beautiful conduct with the tsitsit.
Conduct: one holds the tsitsit with the left hand, against the heart (seif 2) — a רמז to « עַל לְבָבֶךָ ». At « וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ », one gazes at them and places them on the eyes (seif 4); according to the Rama, some kiss them — all of it is חבוב מצוה. The detail of which passages one gazes at, and how long one holds them, is a matter of מנהג: one refers to the ruling of the Rav.

Case 3 — The awareness of the mitsva's worth

Situation: one would like to sense, beyond the gesture, what is at stake in this daily mitsva.
Conduct: the siman itself states it (seif 6): גדול עונש המבטל — neglecting the mitsva is grave — but הזהיר במצות ציצית זוכה ורואה פני שכינה, one who is zealous merits to behold the face of the Chékhina. Recalling that the strands total כ״ו, the value of the שם הויה (seif 5), helps one wear the tsitsit not as routine, but as a living bond with Hachem — in the spirit of חבוב מצוה. For concrete application, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. Is one חייב to wear a tsitsit? What does it mean that wearing a טלית קטן כל היום is טוב ונכון (seif 1)?
  2. Where and how does one hold the tsitsit during the Chema (seif 2)? Which verse alludes to it?
  3. What does one do with the tsitsit at וראיתם אותו (seif 4)? What does the Rama add, and what is חבוב מצוה?
  4. Explain the reckoning of כ״ו (seif 5): which knots, which strands, and to what does it point?
  5. What are the two facets of seif 6? What does הזהיר במצות ציצית merit?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 25 →
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