Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 15 - Permissibility of Transferring Tzitzis from One Garment to Another, and Laws Relating to Torn Tallis

SECTION 15 The Permissibility of Transferring Tzitzis from One Garment to Another, and Laws Relating to a Torn Tallis. (1–16)

1 It is permissible to detach tzitzis from one garment and attach them to another garment.1 This is not considered as degrading the mitzvah associated with the garment from which the tzitzis were removed, because [the tzitzis] are being attached to another garment immediately thereafter.

2 If one of the eight threads of the tzitzis was severed, even if the remaining thread is of knottable length it is initially forbidden to attach it to another garment. For before being attached to a garment, each of the eight threads must be twelve thumbbreadths long, as stated in sec. 11[:5].

3 If one desires to tie another thread to a thread that was severed in order to bring it to the full measure of twelve thumbbreadths, he may. He may [then] attach it to another garment, even as an initial option, for tying is considered a complete connection, as if [the two] were actually one thread.

4 In what case is tying [two threads together] deemed to produce one thread? When they are tied together before the threads are attached to the garment. If, after [they] have been attached to the garment, one of the four long threads becomes severed without leaving a knottable length, thus invalidating the tzitzis, it cannot be made valid by tying another thread to it.

Once the tzitzis have been invalidated, they cannot be corrected without [the performance of] an act that constitutes a fundamental attaching of the tzitzis to the garment. I.e., one must [first] detach the invalid tzitzis from the garment,2 the [supplementary] thread may then be tied [to the severed thread], and then [the tzitzis] must be validly reattached to the garment. If, however, one does something that does not constitute a fundamental attaching of the tzitzis to the garment, tying the [supplementary] thread [to the tzitzis] is of no avail. For the Torah states,3 “You shall make... braided threads,” [excluding the use of any] that were already made invalidly; see the explanation in sec. 10[:10].

5 It is forbidden to remove tzitzis from a garment unless one intends to attach them to another garment. To do so would be to needlessly negate the mitzvah associated with the garment from which they were removed. If, however, one is not negating a mitzvah-obligation, e.g., one wants to alter the garment so that it will no longer have four corners or he wants to sell it to a non-Jew, it is permitted to remove the tzitzis from it. Since in such a case there is no obligation relating to the garment, by removing the tzitzis one is not nullifying a mitzvah at all. (For this reason it is permissible to detach the tzitzis from a tallis [to be used as a shroud for] a deceased person; see [Rama,] Yoreh Deah 351:2.)4

How much more so [is one permitted to untie tzitzis from a garment] if one’s intent is to replace them with superior tzitzis, or if the end of one of the threads was cut short and he desires to attach new tzitzis which are complete. Even though the existing tzitzis are valid, one is permitted to untie them5 and attach other tzitzis in their place.

6 It is not permissible to take the corner of a garment as a unit, with its tzitzis attached to it, and sew it onto another garment. This is forbidden even if one does not take the corner alone, but rather cuts off a large portion of the garment around the corner and sews it — together with the corner to which the tzitzis are attached — onto another garment which has three corners. If one does this, the tzitzis transferred from the other garment are not valid.

[This is implied by] the verse,6 “They shall make tzitzis for themselves on the corners of their garments.” I.e., at the time the tzitzis are attached to a corner, the corner must be connected to the garment proper. Only then can the tzitzis serve to satisfy the obligation relating to the garment. In this instance, by contrast, when the tzitzis transferred from the other garment were attached to the corner, that corner was not attached to the [host] garment. Therefore, [the tzitzis] cannot serve to satisfy the obligation relating to this garment until they are untied from the corner and attached to it anew after the corner is joined to the [host] garment.

7 When does the above apply? When the piece of fabric transferred from the other garment is not of the [minimum] size of a tallis which requires tzitzis, as explained in sec. 16[:1]. If, however, it is of the [minimum] size of a tallis which requires tzitzis, there is no need to untie the tzitzis from it when it is sewn onto another garment which already has three tzitzis attached to it.7 [The rationale is that] at the time the tzitzis were attached, the corner was attached to the garment proper, i.e., to this piece of fabric which is of the [minimum] size for a tallis and can therefore be called the main part of a garment.

Needless to say, when one does not want to attach this piece [of fabric] which is of the [minimum] size for a tallis to another garment, but instead desires to enwrap himself in it alone, he need not untie the tzitzis that are on it. Instead, he should attach three other tzitzis to it and enwrap himself in it.

8 [The following rule applies] when a tallis to which tzitzis were validly attached is divided in two — each part being of the [minimum] size of a tallis which requires tzitzis, and each part having one or two remaining tzitzis — and then the owner changes his mind and wishes to sew the two parts together again. In such a case it is not necessary to untie the tzitzis and reattach them after [the two parts] are sewn together again.

[The rationale is that] the tzitzis were not invalidated when the garment was divided in two, because each of the tzitzis remained attached to a part of a four-cornered garment that was of the [minimum] size of a tallis requiring tzitzis. Therefore they are still considered valid tzitzis. Though they were separated from each other, this separation does not invalidate them, for whenever tzitzis are [newly] attached to any garment, they are [commonly] attached one at a time.

9 When does the above ruling apply? When each part [of the garment] alone is of the [minimum] size of a tallis requiring tzitzis.

When, however, one of the parts is smaller than the [minimum] size of a tallis, if one desires to sew them together again he must [first] untie the tzitzis from the part which is smaller than the [minimum] size of a tallis and then attach them anew after sewing the [two] parts together. For these tzitzis were invalidated when the tallis was divided in two, since they were attached to a part of a garment which was less than the [minimum] size of a tallis requiring tzitzis, and which was therefore entirely free of the obligation of tzitzis. Once the tzitzis were disqualified, they cannot automatically become valid when the two parts [of the garment] are sewn together, for [the person] is not performing an action that involves the tzitzis themselves. And the Torah states, “You shall make... braided threads,” [excluding the use of any] that were already made invalidly.8

10 When does the above apply? When the tallis was cut into two separate parts or torn into two separate parts.

[Different rules apply when,] by contrast, the two parts are not entirely severed but rather still remain somewhat joined. If their common edge of contact is at least three thumbbreadths long,9 they are considered to be connected entirely, and not at all separated. Hence, when one desires to sew them back together, it is not necessary to untie the tzitzis, even from the part of a garment smaller than the [minimum] size of a tallis.

If, however, their common edge of contact is less than three thumbbreadths long, the two parts of the garment are considered entirely separate. Therefore before one sews them together, he must untie the tzitzis from the part of the garment that is smaller than the [minimum] size of a tallis and then attach them anew after [the garment is] sewn together.

11 There are, however, [more lenient] views which maintain that tzitzis are not invalidated by being attached to a part of a garment which is smaller than the [minimum] size of a tallis, because they are attached to the corner [of the garment] in the same way as any tzitzis are attached to the corner of a garment. Therefore if the corner of the piece that had been cut or torn from the garment is [at least] three thumbbreadths by three thumbbreadths — a measure fit to be called a corner10 — the tzitzis attached to that corner remain valid and have not been invalidated at all.11 Therefore, there is no need to untie them from the part [of the garment] and attach them anew after that piece has been sewn [onto the garment].

If, however, the corner of the part [of the garment] to which the tzitzis are attached is less than three thumbbreadths by three thumbbreadths, the tzitzis are invalidated. Even when that part was not entirely separated from the original garment, but is still connected to it, if their common edge of contact is less than three thumbbreadths long it is [considered as having been] separated entirely from the garment. [The rationale is that] the tzitzis are attached to [a piece of fabric] that cannot be described as a corner at all. Therefore when one desires to sew this piece onto the garment, one must first untie the invalid tzitzis which are attached to it and then attach them anew, or attach new tzitzis.

In practice, one should be stringent and follow the first opinion when this is feasible.12 However, one may rely on the second, [more lenient] opinion when there is no alternative; e.g., there are no other tzitzis available at all and one of the threads of the tzitzis which were invalidated [because they were on a part of a garment that is not large enough to require tzitzis itself] was severed, leaving a knottable length. Although these tzitzis are valid, nevertheless, they may not be untied from a garment and attached anew, as explained at the beginning of this section.13 [Hence it is preferable to leave the tzitzis as they are.]

12 [There is a difference of opinion] if the corner was cut or torn and became totally severed from the garment, and the part to which the tzitzis are attached is less than three thumbbreadths by three thumbbreadths, the minimum size of a piece of fabric that can be called a substantial cloth.14 There are opinions which maintain that it is invalid to [ever] attach tzitzis to this corner of the garment, even if one would desire to untie the tzitzis which are attached to it and attach new tzitzis after sewing [the corner] onto the garment. [The rationale is that] since this corner [of the garment] is not considered a cloth, because it is less than three thumbbreadths by three thumbbreadths, sewing it onto the garment [does not change its status]. Though it is [actually] connected to the garment, it is considered still being separate. It is not considered part of the garment, and the tzitzis attached to it do not fulfill the obligation that relates to this garment.

[This applies] even if the tzitzis were attached to it after it was sewn onto the garment, for [according to this opinion] the tzitzis are not considered attached to it at all. After being sewn onto the garment, the corner is considered like the bordering strip [reinforcing the edge] of a garment — to which, as stated in sec. 11[:19], tzitzis should not be attached because it is not considered part of the garment, even though it is included in the measures of three thumbbreadths and the measure “from the knuckle to the thumbnail,” as explained there.15

Though there are authorities who differ from this opinion, when it is feasible one should be stringent [and follow it].

13 When does the above apply? When the corner has been entirely separated from the garment. If, however, it has not been separated entirely, even though their common edge of contact is less than three thumbbreadths long,16 since it remains somewhat connected, sewing it to the garment is effective in causing it to be considered part of the garment. Therefore all authorities agree that the tzitzis that are reattached after [the garment] has been sewn fulfill the obligation for this garment.

14 It is customary to sew a piece of fabric onto the corners of a tallis. [The rationale is that] most garments, even new ones, have stitching within the three thumbbreadths nearest the edge of the garment — and according to the first opinion mentioned above, [subsec. 12,] no piece of fabric should be sewn within three thumbbreadths of the edge of the tallis in the place where the tzitzis are attached.17 For this reason, a [whole] piece of cloth [at least] three thumbbreadths by three thumbbreadths, which has no [other] stitching on it, is [sewn] onto the place where the tzitzis will be attached. Thus the tzitzis will be attached to a [piece of cloth] that is fit to be called a corner.

Even if the piece placed in the corner of the garment is of leather, this is of no significance, for a woven garment with leather corners requires tzitzis, as is stated in sec. 10[:8].18

15 [The following rules apply] if the corner of a tallis is torn from the hole to which the tzitzis are suspended, all the way down till the lower edge of the tallis. If the tzitzis were attached to the corner before it was torn — and remained attached when it was torn19 — they are valid, even if the minimum distance “from the knuckle to the thumbnail” does not remain [from the hole to the edge of the garment]. [The rationale is that] this measure was required only at the time the tzitzis were originally attached to the garment, as stated in sec. 11[:18].

[The following laws apply] if the garment was torn, but even the smallest amount of [fabric connecting the corner to the garment] remained. If the tear was sewn up, and the tzitzis were then attached, they are valid. [This applies] even though the [minimum] measure “from the knuckle to the thumbnail” does not remain [from the hole to the edge of the garment] apart from the [piece of fabric] that was sewn. [The rationale is that] since a small part [of the garment] remained untorn, sewing is counted as such a complete connection that the part sewn on is considered as being entirely whole, even according to the first opinion cited above [in subsection 12].

16 [The following rules apply when] the corner of a garment is torn in a place where it is appropriate to attach tzitzis, i.e., within three thumbbreadths from the edge of the garment and above the distance “from the knuckle to the thumbnail” from the edge of the corner. Some authorities maintain that even if there is the smallest tear there, it should not be sewn together with a thread that may be used for tzitzis. For example, if the garment is made of linen, the tear should not be sewn together with a linen thread, but instead, with a thread of silk or of some other fiber. Similarly, if the garment is made of silk, a silk thread should not be used. And if the garment is woolen, one should use a thread of silk or any fiber but wool.

This prohibition is a Rabbinic decree, [enacted] lest some of the thread used for sewing is left over and left [hanging] there on the corner in order to be used as tzitzis, after being supplemented by seven other threads. I.e., [the owner] might add three long threads, fold them in half, making two threads of each one, and then tie another, shorter thread to one end of the thread which remained after sewing. [The problem is that] that [leftover] thread is invalid, because it was not spun for the sake [of the mitzvah] of tzitzis.

According to this opinion, [this precaution is relevant] even if the corner is not torn at all, but reinforcing stitches were sewn around the hole through which the tzitzis will be inserted so that it not widen. Similarly, when one sews a piece of cloth to the corners of the garment, if he sews with a thread fit to be used for tzitzis for this garment he should make a point of not sewing between three thumbbreadths from the edge of the corner, and the distance “from the knuckle to the thumbnail” from the edge of the corner, for the reason explained above.

Though there are authorities who differ from this opinion, it is proper to be stringent [and follow it] when feasible. Even according to this opinion, there is no prohibition unless one sews with a white thread. When, by contrast, [one sews] with a colored thread, there is no need to be concerned that it will be included among the other threads of the tzitzis, for today it is not at all customary to make colored tzitzis.20