שולחן ערוך · אורח חיים

The conduct in wearing the tsitsit, its reward and its punishment. This siman has 6 seifim:

Seif 1: If one does not wear a four-cornered garment — one is not obligated in tsitsit; but it is good and proper (טוב ונכון) that every person be careful to wear a talit katan all day, so as to remember the mitzvot at every moment. Therefore it has five knots — כנגד the five books of the Torah — and four corners, so that whichever way he turns he will remember. And it is proper to wear it over the garments. At the least, let him be careful to be clothed in tsitsit at the time of prayer.

Seif 2: It is a mitzva to hold the tsitsit in the left hand, against the heart, during the reading of the Shema — an allusion to the verse: « וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה … עַל לְבָבֶךָ » (and these words … upon your heart).

Seif 3: It is good to look at the tsitsit at the time of wrapping oneself, when one recites the blessing.

Seif 4: Some have the custom to look at the tsitsit when reaching « וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ » and to place them upon the eyes — it is a fine custom, a mark of love of the mitzva (חבוב מצוה). [Glose: some also have somewhat the custom to kiss the tsitsit when they look at them — and all this is חבוב מצוה (Beit Yossef).]

Seif 5: When one looks at the tsitsit, one looks at the two front tsitsit, in which there are ten knots — an allusion to the הויות — and sixteen threads; and sixteen threads with ten knots come to כ״ו, the value of the Name (הויה).

Seif 6: Great is the punishment of one who neglects the mitzva of tsitsit — of him it is said « לֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ » (to seize the corners of the earth); and one who is careful in the mitzva of tsitsit — merits to see the face of the Shechina (זוכה ורואה פני שכינה).