Berachah on a shul tallit

Hi,

The Mishneh Berurah says to recite a berachah upon putting on a tallit owned by one's shul, but that is not the general practice for one who ascends to the Torah. Reasons not to recite the berachah include:

1) The fact that one generally does not wrap himself in such a tallit (ituf);

2) The fact that one dons the tallit only for the sake of the honour of the community, and not for one's own sake;

3) Concern that the tallit may not be strung properly.

One approach to avoid requiring a berachah is to declare beforehand that one abandons any share he owns in the tallit as a member of the synagogue. Thus it is a borrowed tallit, and one does not recite a berachah on a borrowed tallit.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reciting a berachah if a tallis falls off

Hi,

If I remove my tallis temporarily, am I required to recite a berachah when I put it back on?

One who removes his tallis and plans to put it back on immediately (some suggest within 30 minutes; others offer a period of hours) should not recite a new berachah, even if he goes to the washroom in the interim. Ideally, one should have these intermissions in mind at the time of his original berachah.

One whose tallis falls off entirely should recite a new berachah, although some suggest this may not be required if one's tallis falls off incessantly. If one's tallis falls off during Shemoneh Esreih, he should put it back on without a berachah. After Shemoneh Esreih he should recite the berachah and shift the tzitzis strings as though putting it on again.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 8:14-15; Kaf haChaim 8:52-56; Mishneh Berurah 8:38; Biur Halachah 8 "Im pashat"; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 8:20-22; Chelkas Yaakov Orach Chaim 236; Mishneh Halachos 15:7; Yabia Omer 8: Orach Chaim 2; Tzitz Eliezer 17:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

If a tallit falls off

Hi,

If one's tallit or tzitzit fall entirely off, he must recite a new blessing before putting them back on. This is true even if he picks it up and puts it back on immediately.

Among Sephardic Jews, one who removes his tallit intentionally must recite a new blessing before putting it back on. Among Ashkenazic Jews, though, one who intentionally removes the tallit need not recite a blessing before putting it back on, so long as he did not travel far and did not wait a long time before putting it back on. It is difficult to define "a long time;" ask your local authority for more information.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 8:14-15; Mishneh Berurah 8:40)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One berachah for both tzitzit and tallit

Hi,

There is debate as to whether the blessing one recites on the tzitzit (tallit katan) in the morning can include the tallit he will don in the synagogue, because the two garments are donned in different locations. Therefore, one should recite separate blessings for each, and not try to include both in one blessing.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 8:13; Mishneh Berurah 8:33-34)

Have a great day,
Mordechai