Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 21 - What is to be Done with Tzitzis Detached from Old Tallisos

SECTION 21 What is to be Done with Tzitzis Detached from Old Tallisos. (1–5)

1 Tzitzis are considered tashmishei mitzvah, articles used for a mitzvah. This means that they themselves are not sacred;1 they are merely used for a mitzvah. Therefore, after they have been detached from a tallis, they may be discarded, even [left on] a garbage heap. So long as they are attached to a tallis, however, it is forbidden to use them for any mundane purpose, e.g., to use them to tie an object or the like, for this would indicate disrespect for the mitzvah.

Some authorities hold that even after they have been detached they may not be treated disrespectfully, e.g., by being thrown on a garbage dump or in any repulsive place. (They may, however, be discarded in a place which is not repulsive.) One is not obliged to bury them, however, for they are not intrinsically holy.

Although the Halachah follows the first opinion, may blessings light upon any man who is stringent and precise in his observance of the mitzvos [and who follows the second view].

Certain spiritually sensitive people are stringent in their observance and bury [worn-out tzitzis] or use them as bookmarks, having in mind that since they were used for one mitzvah, they should now be used for another.

2 When a tallis which was used for the mitzvah becomes worn out, it should be set aside. It may not be used [as a cloth] to wipe oneself or for any other unseemly purpose. Instead, it should be cast aside and allowed to wear away.

3 It is permitted to enter a lavatory while wearing a garment with tzitzis, for this is not considered unduly degrading for the mitzvah. When does this apply? To a garment which is worn as part of one’s attire and is not set aside for times of prayer.2 The tallis [gadol] which we use [exclusively] for the mitzvah, by contrast, is used only for prayer. [Hence] it is not appropriate to enter a lavatory while wearing one. Similarly, when a person goes to relieve himself on Yom Kippur, he should first remove his kittel, for that garment is used only for prayer.3

4 It is, however, permitted to sleep even while wearing a tallis made for the sake of fulfilling the mitzvah, for this is not unduly degrading [to the tallis].4 Similarly, one may give [a tallis] to a launderer, even a non-Jew, [to launder].

5 One should be careful that his tzitzis not drag on the ground, for that would be disrespectful to the mitzvah.