We’re starting Siman Yud: birkat Tzitzit (blessing of Tzitzit). When do you make Tzitzit (fringes)? That is, when do you make the Beracha (blessing)? Tzitzit, chovat gavra hi (personal obligation). Tzitzit is not a chovah (obligation) on the beged (garment). So if you make Tzitzit, let’s say you want to be like Rav Scheinberg, zichrono livracha (of blessed memory), and have a hundred Tzitzit, but it’s hot, you might make a hundred Tzitzit and put them in your drawer instead of wearing them. But by putting them in your drawer, you’re not Yotzei (fulfilling the obligation). As long as you’re not wearing the talit (prayer shawl), you’re patur (exempt) from Tzitzit. The mitzvah (commandment) is only when you wear it.
That’s the rule. The Rambam says—this is why we know the ladies don’t wear it, though they take a Lulav (palm branch). He says, “What I mean is, it’s not a—you don’t have it, you don’t have to do it. It’s not like Lulav: go get one. If you don’t have it, you’re patur.” But even so, it’s not a chovat gavra; it is a chovat gavra: if you’re not wearing it, you’re not chayav (obligated). So it’s not chovat gavra, and it is chovat gavra. Patur miTzitzit, af al gav deketiv (although it is written), “Ve'asu lahem Tzitzit al kanfei vigdehem” (And they shall make fringes on the corners of their garments). It sounds like you have bigadim (garments), so put Tzitzit on them. Chovat Mana (garment obligation): your drawer is full of four-corner garments; you have to put Tzitzit on them. Mikol makom (nevertheless), ketiv kra achrina (another verse is written): “Gedilim ta'aseh lecha al arba kanfot kesutecha” (You shall make twisted cords for yourself on the four corners of your garment), “asher techaseh ba” (which you cover yourself with), “asher techaseh ba.” When you’re wearing it, mashma (it implies) davka (specifically) keshe mitkaseh ba (when he covers himself with it). Only when you’re wearing it.
So therefore, we make the Beracha. You don’t make the Beracha al asiyat Tzitzit, retzono lomar (meaning to say), be'et hatalatan babeged (when putting them into the garment). You don’t make it when you’re putting them on the garment, ela acharkach (rather, afterward), when you put on the Tzitzit: “Lehit'atef baTzitzit” (to wrap oneself in Tzitzit). If they come off after he puts them on—say a guy is wearing Tzitzit and walking, and then, oops, they rip off—how does he make it? He has to take it off and make the Beracha when he puts it back on. Even though he’s putting it on right away, he thinks, “Why should you have to take it off?” The Torah says you put them on and then you make the—like we said. He says you have to take it off. Okay. Ela bilvishato (rather, when wearing it). You put it on when you make the Beracha, when you wear it.
Good morning, Mr. Rudy. The question is, that’s what he says: you have to take it off when it became pasul (invalid), fix it, put it back on, and make a Beracha. The Ish Matzliach says not to make a Beracha. That’s right. Okay, so you got it. Ela bilvishato. So the Magen Avraham is bothered. Lechora (seemingly), mezuzah (doorpost scroll) is also chovat hadar (obligation of the resident). When you live in the house, you’re chayav (obligated) in mezuzah. If I don’t live in the house, I’m not chayav in mezuzah. Yeah, with mezuzah, you make the Beracha when you put it up. Why don’t you make the Beracha when you walk into the house that has a mezuzah? Say, “Ladur babayit sheyesh bo mezuzah” (to dwell in a house that has a mezuzah), exactly as you say, “Lehit'atef baTzitzit.” In no house. When you go into the house, if he’s already living there and he’s putting it up.
Now, the Birkei Yosef says, ve'chen mashma (and so it implies): you walk in, you put up the mezuzah, right? You put up the mezuzah, so I’m in the house, I’m putting up the mezuzah. Or, if I’ve already moved in and I’m putting it up, he says, ve'chen mashma midivrei (from the words of) the Magen Avraham. Is there a possibility of making a Beracha to live in a house where there is a mezuzah? Rabbi Akiva Eiger wants to claim yes. I’m reading the Ish Matzliach. He thinks he can make the Beracha even before you live in the house. Ayin sham ba'arichut (see there at length). Or, in Sefer Halichot Olam, HaMechaber katav (the author wrote) that one should not affix the mezuzah except when preparing to enter the house right away, after bringing some of the household items inside. After you move some of the stuff in, and you’re about to move in, that’s when you can put it up.
The Hida says the chiluk (distinction). I thought it was good. He said the reason why I don’t make a Beracha on the Tzitzit when I’m making it is that asiyatah, its making, is not gemar mitzvah (completion of the mitzvah). That’s the lashon (wording) of the Gemara: I’m making the Tzitzit; it’s not finishing the mitzvah, because you’re not in the mitzvah until you wear it. He says that when you put it on, now the chiyuv (obligation) chal (takes effect), and when I’m putting on the beged, I’m involved in the mitzvah. Putting on the beged of Tzitzit is part of the mitzvah.
Masha'en ken (unlike that), when you have a mezuzah, what are you going to say? You walk into the house when you move in. I don’t have a connection to the mitzvah; I’m walking into the house. It’s not a ma'aseh mitzvah (act of a mitzvah), walking into the house. Putting up the mezuzah is the last connection I have to the ma'aseh mitzvah. So therefore, he says, Chazal say that when you finish being involved in the mitzvah, you can make the Beracha, “Ladur babayit” (to dwell in the house). That’s not a ma'aseh mitzvah; it’s living in the house. It doesn’t have a shem ma'aseh mitzvah (status as an act of mitzvah); that’s what you need to have, something that’s a ma'aseh mitzvah. Putting on the Tzitzit, I’m involved in the beged Tzitzit; walking into the house, it’s a ma'aseh mitzvah. That seems to be it. This is a long sugya (discussion) to understand. It’s a long piece, it’s a long piece. Okay.
Se'if Bet. Asa talit letzorech tachrichim (he made a talit for shrouds). Af al pi she'lo levasho lefa'amim bechayav (even if he tries it on every so often when he’s alive). If a guy makes a talit for tachrichim, he’s preparing his shrouds. Even if he tries it on every so often when he’s alive, or he wants to say, “Yizkor lo yom hamita” (let him remember the day of death), he tries it on because it’s not made—it’s not made. No, you don’t need Tzitzit when he’s dead; for sure he doesn’t need Tzitzit. What about when he tries it on every time he goes to the tailor to check the fit and make sure he’s looking good? He gained weight, he lost weight. Every time he has to take it in, take it out. A person never knows; you never know when, right? So he says, “I have no idea. Let’s say it is.” Why is it in English? Shrouds.
Now, he says he’s patur because it’s met (a dead person)—he’s dead. He says he opened the closet in his house and found clothing. He asked his mother, “What’s this?” She said, “This is your uncle. He bought special fabric and he made me a—” His wife didn’t want it in their house, so they kept it in someone else’s house. He said, “But it’s a segulah (auspicious remedy) for Arichut Yamim (long life).” Hacham Reuven lived to be 96. Wow. That’s pretty good, no? It’s always good, 96. Right? Okay.
The Mishnah Berurah says the Acharonim (later authorities) say he wasn’t mechalek (distinguishing). The Acharonim say only according to the Rosh is it patur. Why? Because the Rosh goes by the type of beged: beged yom (daytime garment), beged layla (nighttime garment). So this is a beged, so it’s patur, right? Kesut layla (night covering), afilu bayom (even during the day), hachi nami, hanami kesut layla dami (it is also like a night covering). It’s like kesut layla because it’s made for a time when you’re patur. Kesut layla is made for a time when you’re patur. Tachrichim is made for a met, when you’re patur. Right? Sh'arim et patur min hamitzvah (exempt from the mitzvah). Aval leda'at haRambam, de-mechayev (who obligates) kesut layla bayom. Who’s mechayev? Nighttime clothing in the day. Gam bazeh hayav (he is obligated in this too). He says Maran holds that even according to the Rambam you’re patur. I don’t understand why. Questions are after Mr. Shekelo according to us, meaning us, that we say you have to be like the Rambam and the Rosh. What about people who sell clothing and want to show people the size? They’re patur, right? You work in a talit store, and you’re going to show them talitot. You want to show them how it fits. Put it on like this, put it on like that, right? He’s patur. Ve'im lovesh otam (and if he wears them), because that’s not a real levisha (wearing). Ve'im lovesh otam leha'avir bazeh et hameches (and if he wears them to evade the tax). Let’s say he’s putting it on because he doesn’t want to pay taxes. So every time he goes through, he puts on a talit. If that’s the case, maybe over here it’s also considered a levisha, and he quotes on the side that the earlier rabbi said it’s not really a levisha.
Okay. Siman Chaf-Dalet, dinei lekichat u'mechirat talit (laws of buying and selling a talit). Alef: Halokeach (the buyer) a talit metzuyetzet (with Tzitzit) miYisrael (from a Jew), or mitagar eino Yehudi (from a non-Jewish merchant), ve'omer shelekacha miYisrael (and he says he bought it from a Jew), ne'eman (he should be believed). So if you buy it from a Jew, it’s kasher (kosher). When you buy it from a guy who’s a merchant, he should be believed. Since he’s a merchant, he has a reputation to protect. We assume he bought it from a Jew because he’s not going to ruin his reputation. If you buy it from a guy selling something on the street, what does he have to lose? He has no reputation anyway. Even though I don’t know him, and I don’t know that he’s kasher, afilu hachi talinan (even so, we presume). “Stam Yisrael bechezkas kasher hu” (an ordinary Jew is presumed kosher). O bevadai teva'am v'shezaram v'tela'am l'shma (for its sake). Yiv'eshu omeret l'shma. Im lo shehu chashud (unless he is suspected). Klalei hachashud (rules of suspected status). Ayin (see) beYoreh De'ah, siman kuf yud-tet, ve'akam setut chashud. He’s suspected. Ayin siman kuf yud-tet.
Even if he’s a guy who’s in the talitot business—no, he’s in the talitot business. Of course he wants to be believed because that’s his business. But let’s say he’s not in the talitot business. He sells all types of stuff. He sells what he sells. If he’s found to be a liar, they won’t believe him on other things. But he has to say he sells merchandise. Whatever he gets, “I am in clothes.” He has to say that he bought it from a Jew.
What does it mean? The clothes understands. It’s not that the goy (non-Jew) has to say, “Oh, I bought it from a trustworthy Jew.” No, he could say he bought it from a Jew. Why should the goy have to say he bought it from a trustworthy Jew? When you buy it from a Jew, you can assume. The last ones seem to agree with that. It could be the Rama also reads it this way: why did he say ne'eman? It’s like the psalm: we trust him for what he says. Why doesn’t the Rama have to say ne'eman? Why doesn’t it rely on Maran, who says kasher? He could have said, “Ve'omer tagar eino Yehudi ve'omer shelekacha miYisrael, kasher” (and he says he is a non-Jewish merchant and says he bought it from a Jew; it is kosher). Lehora'ot lanu hasvara (to show us the reasoning). Ve'davka al diburo (specifically regarding his statement), samchinan (we rely) u'ma'aminim lo (and believe him). Ve'lo mar nafshai lomar sheker (and he will not bring himself to tell a lie). Ma she'ein ken be'setama (unlike an unspecified case). Lo mar nafshai al yedei zeh. He comes, you buy a talit from the goy because it turns out he bought it from goyim. “I didn’t say anything. You didn’t ask. I didn’t say. Don’t ask, don’t tell.” The long mar nafshai. The goy is not going to ruin his reputation.
Ve'ayin beMagen Avraham shekatav (and see the Magen Avraham, who wrote), “davka gabey talit petzitzitoteha samchinan al sevara zo u'ma'aminim lo” (specifically regarding a talit with its fringes, we rely on this reasoning and believe him). The reason why we rely on this sevara is mishum de'ein derech lenochri litlot Tzitzit bevigdo (because it is not the way of a non-Jew to attach fringes to his garment). So what are the odds the goy put the Tzitzit on himself? If you just want to buy the strings, a goy could make strings. So therefore, you need a little bit of an extra push to say that it’s kosher. They say no, he has a ne'emanut (credibility); he has a ne'emanut. Ve'ayin be' Atzot Hachayim u'b' Shu'ot Yaakov shehiskimu (who agreed), veheicha de'esek hatagar hu (when the merchant’s business is), liknot Tzitzit mi'sevel amkor. If his business is buying Tzitzit, mutar (permitted) mi'tagar. If he’s me'yuchad (specifically involved) for this merchandise, you can believe him. Pesula (invalid). But if you bought from a non-merchant, boy, pesula. Maybe he made them himself. Even if he wants to untie them, even if he wants to untie them. If you find a talit in the street with Tzitzit on it, you can assume it’s kasher. You can’t send strings with goyim because maybe he’ll take them and replace them, unless they’re sealed. Now they say down like wine, because it’s a mitzvah. If the guy is wearing Tzitzit, that is a mitzvah. So therefore, he says in the other Mishnah, they said if he has nothing to gain, you don’t have to suspect. That’s what we’re going to assume. Okay, we’ll leave it here. We’ll continue.