Understanding the Shema

Hi,

The mitzvah of reciting the Shema includes more than mouthing the words; the words should be understood. The minimum is for a person to understand the first line and think about those words while saying them.

In addition, throughout the three paragraphs of Shema one must remember that he is reciting this to fulfill the mitzvah of saying Shema.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 60:5; Mishneh Berurah 60:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The blessings before and after Shema

Hi,

The siddur contains blessings which precede and follow the Shema, both morning and evening. These blessings are recorded in the Talmud itself. In truth, one who recites Shema without these blessings has fulfilled his obligation to recite Shema, but this is not the ideal format.

The blessings build up themes which relate to the Shema, and these blessings were composed specifically for recitation with Shema. As such, a person who recited Shema earlier would still, upon reaching this point in the service, read the Shema again along with its blessings; without it the blessings would lose their meaning and function.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 60:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Making up a missed Shema

Hi,

There are those who rule that if a man does not say Shema at the appropriate time (see yesterday's email), he should recite it twice at the next opportunity. Thus if one missed it in the morning, he would recite it once at the evening service that night and then repeat it after the evening service. [This is not relevant for women, because the time restrictions apply only to men.]

This later recitation would not serve as a true "make-up" for that morning; it would be considered to fulfill a separate obligation.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 58:7; Mishneh Berurah 58:28)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The latest time for the morning Shema

Hi,

The morning recitation of Shema must take place before one quarter of the day has elapsed. That one-quarter is measured either by quartering the time between sunrise and sunset (position of the Vilna Gaon) or by quartering the time between first light and the emergence of the stars (position of the Magen Avraham, which yields a significantly earlier time).

One who misses that time should still recite Shema; if nothing else, he will have recited verses of Torah, and that act has its own merit.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 58:6, 70:1; Mishneh Berurah 70:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The earliest time for the morning Shema

Hi,

The earliest time to recite the morning Shema is when there is enough light that one could recognize a somewhat familiar friend at a distance of six to eight feet. However, a person who absolutely will not be able to recite Shema between that time and the latest acceptable time may say it earlier, from the very first light.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 58:1,3; Mishneh Berurah 58:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Shema

Hi,

There is a mitzvah to recite Shema twice a day. The Torah says to recite Shema "when we rise and when we go to sleep," and these times are talmudically understood to refer to the normal times of rising and going to sleep. Thus we are instructed to recite Shema (1) from first light through the first quarter of the day, and (2) from when the stars emerge, through the night.

Please note that this is separate from the mitzvah of reciting Shema before one goes to sleep. That is a practice for personal protection, as we have a verse-based tradition that reciting Shema protects us during the night. However, one could recite the entire Shema before going to sleep and so fulfill the mitzvah of reciting Shema in the evening, and reciting it at bedtime, simultaneously.

(Talmud, Berachot 5a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Permanent Ink

Hi,

Writing on one's skin with permanent ink, without any cut in the skin, is not a violation of the laws of tattooing.

(R' Shmuel haLevi Wosner, Shut Shevet haLevi 3:111)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Cutting

Hi,

Cutting one's skin, without filling it with dye, is not the equivalent of tattooing. It is not halachically prohibited unless it is done in grief for a death, or in the service of idolatry.

(Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 180:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Design tattoos

Hi,

There is some debate as to whether one is liable for a tattoo which does not involve letters.

(Pitchei Teshuvah Yoreh Deah 180:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tattooing

Hi,

The prohibition against tattooing applies to cutting a groove in one's skin and then filling it with liquid ink or a dyeing powder, or placing the dyeing agent on a spot and then cutting a groove.

(Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 180:1; Shach Yoreh Deah 180:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Used tallit and tzitzit strings

Hi,

Technically, tzitzit-strings that have become separated from a tallit possess no sanctity. However, out of respect for their mitzvah we don't discard them in a disrespectful fashion. Some people bury them, and others discard them in a respectful manner, wrapping them to avoid contact with refuse. Others recycle them for another mitzvah - they use the strings as a bookmark in a sefer (book of Torah).

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 21:1; Mishneh Berurah 21:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzitzit for blankets?

Hi,

Four-cornered blankets do not require tzizit, even if a person sleeps in them after morning has begun. Their essential function is a nighttime function. Further, there is debate as to whether lying in a four-cornered item renders it a 'garment.'

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 18:2; Mishneh Berurah 18:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Training children to wear tzitzit

Hi,

Once a boy is old enough to understand how to wear tzitzit, meaning to keep two corners of the garment in front and two behind, and to hold the strings when reciting Shema, we are obligated to acquire a pair of tzitzit for him, and train him.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 17:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tallit for a blind person?

Hi,

Although the Torah states that the mitzvah of tzitzit involves 'seeing' the strings, blind people are also obligated in this mitzvah.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 17:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Removing tzitzit strings

Hi,

One may not remove the tzitzit strings from a four-cornered garment, as this would disgrace the mitzvah. One may only remove the strings if the garment has worn out beyond use, or the owner of the garment has died, or one intends to use the strings on a different garment.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 15:1; Mishneh Berurah 15:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A "borrowed" tallit

Hi,

One may use a tallit he finds in the synagogue or another public place, because it is assumed that people are happy to have others perform mitzvot with their property. However, one may only use it in the spot where he found it, and one may not do this on a regular basis (and one may not do it if the tallit is new).

If the tallit was originally folded, one must re-fold it when putting it back.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 14:4; Mishneh Berurah 14:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Who makes the tzitzit strings?

Hi,

The tzitzit strings, and their attachment to the four-cornered garment, must be done by Jews; the Torah introduces this mitzvah by saying 'Speak to the Jews...'

Some further prefer that this be done by men, specifically, because the mitzvah is obligatory for men, and only optional for women.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 14:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzitzit: All or nothing

Hi,

For the tzitzit on a garment to be valid, one must have the strings on all four corners; all of the strings combine for one overarching mitzvah. If the strings on any corner become invalid, the entire set of tzitzit are invalid.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 13:1; Mishneh Berurah 13:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Putting the tzitzit strings through the corners

Hi,

Tzitzit have four strings looped through each corner, so that a total of eight string-ends hang down.

One may not put a single long string through the corner four times and then cut it to produce four separate strings; the strings must be unique from the start, such that putting them through the hole is the final act to create a valid set of tzitzit.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:12-13)

חג אורים שמח,
Mordechai

The corners of the tallit

Hi,

The holes in the corners of the tzitzit or tallit garment, through which the tzitzit-strings are looped, may be no more than 3 inches from the edge - otherwise the strings cannot be said to go "through the garment's corner," which is a biblical requirement.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:9; Mishneh Berurah 11:41)

Chag chanukah sameach,
Mordechai

Keeping tzitzit from unraveling

Hi,

Some people tie a small knot at the end of each string of the tzitzit, to keep the strings from unraveling. Others specifically don't tie such a knot, because tzitzit are meant to have a specific number of knots, and this would appear to add to that total.

Because the legality of the knots is disputed, it is better to avoid tying them if there is no real danger of the strings unraveling.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:3; Mishneh Berurah 11:18)

Chag sameach and chodesh tov,
Mordechai

Unraveled tzitzit

Hi,

The strings of the tzitzit are supposed to be corded, meaning that they are to be made of multiple strings wrapped around each other. If that cording becomes unraveled the strings are still valid, so long as a small segment at the base remains intact.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 11:3)

Chag urim sameach,
Mordechai

Making the tzitzit strings

Hi,

The strings hung on the corners of the tzitzit must be spun for the sake of use with tzitzit; one may not just use any string.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 11:1; Mishneh Berurah 11:2)

Chag urim sameach,
Mordechai

The scarf tallit

Hi,

A scarf worn around the neck is exempt from tzitzit, even if it is of significant length. [This is one of the reasons that a tallit should not be worn around one's neck, but rather should be draped over the body.]

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 10:11; Mishneh Berurah 10:34)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Which materials require tzitzit?

Hi,

Only garments made of woven materials are obligated in tzitzit. If the majority of the garment is made of some other material, such as rubber or leather, there is no obligation to have tzitzit-strings.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 10:4; Mishneh Berurah 10:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzitzit in a drawer

Hi,

The mitzvah of tzitzit is an obligation for the wearer, not the garment. This means that if I have a four-cornered garment but I'm not wearing it right now, the garment doesn't require tzitzit strings. Any four-cornered garment I am currently wearing requires tzitzit strings.

(Mishneh Berurah 8:44)

Have a great day,
Mordechai