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Like a towel. Or a barber’s thingy. Or a sheet used as a blanket. Or a blanket.
What if they are worn as a fake Tallis (for a play or for fun)
SiDi™
They have to be a Beged. So no on the towel. Barber’s thingy maybe (but it’s never worn by it’s owner so it’s probably okay). Sheet almost definitely not. Blanket probably is and many are Machmir to round a corner of their blankets because of a Safek in the Mishnah B’rurah (though that’s probably just a Chumra and there are many reasons to be Meyashev the Minhag Ha’olam not to put Tzitzis on your blanket.)
Mistama towels and blankets aren’t considered a begged, even if “worn” as a pretend begged for a minimal amount of time. I assume if you turned it into a begged where it was no longer a towel or blanket then it would be a different shaila. I always had the kasha regarding those square, hooded, one-size-fits-all rain ponchos. I was told by a rabbi that since it’s made of plastic and isn’t shti v’erev that it doesn’t need tzitzis, but I haven’t confirmed it anywhere else. I’m not sure if barber robes are made the same way.
they dont need.
Basically, if “garment” needs to be put in quotes it isn’t a garment.
Curiosity: Forget about that. If it’s plastic it isn’t chayav in tzitzis even if woven.
such questions should be directed to a competent, Rav who has semicha in the area of shulchan aruch that your sha’ala is in. Do not ask halachic questions on a forum where anybody who thinks they know what they’re talking about can offer their opinions, eg probably…; I think… etc.
Not to say that the answers here are wrong, but asking sha’alos in such a manner can prove seriously damaging to your spiritual health.
Itchesrulik – why then are there kosher tzitzit made of polyester?
When I was in yeshiva in EY a number of the guys started wearing ponchos in the cold. It was the style, a bit hippyish. We asked a big rav about the ponchos. He recommended that we put on tsitsis. There was a shayla regarding both the length of the long ponchos, as the strings would drag on the ground as well as the materials of the poncho (largely synthetics) vis a vis bracha (I believe we made one).
When in doubt ask a shayla to your rav. If the costs are too high, ask your rav about the possibility of rounding off a corner of the begged.
and watch out with purim costumes which
a) may be shatnez and/or
b) may require tzitzes
I once made someone round off the corner of a poncho they were wearing.
Sam2…lol… T’was for naught!
Curiosity: Not a plastic rain poncho. Like a Spanish/Mexican poncho. I’m sure it was Chayav in Tzitzis. He didn’t want to look super-weird though, so he rounded off a corner.
Someone told me that I need to round off the corners of my 4th Dr. Who scarf. It’s 14′ long & about 1′ wide with non-tzitzis tassels at both ends just like the one the Dr. wore. I wear it in the winter & on Purim. Does this, l’chatchila, need tzitzis??
KH: I also once told someone who had a scarf that was pretty wide on that it needed Tzitzis. He quoted that he had asked a major Posek who told him that since it’s not worn as a Begged to cover the majority of the body in that it’s not Chayav. But I really don’t think so. I think that if it meets the Shiur it’s Chayav no matter what. After all, the Shiur is not a Shiur that would cover you enough to be able to go into public with with. So obviously when the Poskim gave the Shiur they understood that it might not be worn alone.
So does anyone know how synthetic fiber tzitzis can be kosher? Like polyester “fishnet” tzitzis? I wear those in the summer cus it’s like 110 degrees here…
ItcheSrulik – That’s subject to a machlokes. You stated the view of Rav Moshe Feinstein in O.C. 2:1; however, Tzitz Eliezer (12:3) and Har Tzvi (1:9) hold that if it’s woven, it’s considered a beged.
Curiosity: I’ve seen 80/20 cotton polyester and I’ve heard rabbanim express doubt about even those. Where can you find polyester tzitzis?
Itche: What could the problem with that be? It’s M’fruash that you go Basar Rov to determine what the Begged is made out of.
I bought it in Israel from a large clothing store that is owned by, and employs frum people. Also the tallis had a hechsher tag on it, but now that I look at it, it says the hechsher covers only the tzitzis strands themselves (which are labelled 65% polyester 35% cotton) and the tying of the knots which is done by “avreichim yarei shomayim”. I’m not Ashkenaz, so I don’t hold like R’ Feinstein, perhaps the shti v’erev is good enough to make it a garment. Have you ever seen those “fishnet” tzitzis? It’s see through and very breathable in the summer, that’s why I bought them.
Curiosity: Rav Yisroel Belsky writes (Shulchan HaLevi 1:1:4) “A garment made from a net is not considered a beged and is exempt from tzitzis. A proof for this is from the Mishna in Keilim (28:9) which says, ‘Ha’oseh beged min hacherem tahor.’ The Raa”v there explains ‘min hacherem – from a net, and his flesh is visible. Therefore he is tahor.’…………..this beged is exempt from tzitzis, and if he made tzitzis on it, there is no kiyum mitzva, and if he wears it on Shabbos, there is an issur hotza’ah.”
Ad kan leshono.
Mistama he probably also holds that if someone makes a beracha on it, it’s a beracha l’vatala, another serious issur.
Oy vey- thanks for the response. “Fishnet” tzitizis aren’t really made like fishnets or any other nets. People just call them that because the material has many tiny holes that have the resemblance of a net. I don’t think this psak would apply, but since you’re already in the parsha, does he mention anything about polyester?
Curiosity – I think you’r avoiding the obvious question… Could you catch a fish with your tzitzit? .. if so then it must be a fish net.
It’s got a huge hole in the middle for the head. So probably not.
Curiosity: He was actually referring to the popular net-tzitzis. He said that the point is the fact that it’s made specifically to reveal as much of the skin as possible, so it can’t be categorized as a beged for hilchos tume’as eilim, nor for hilchos tzitzis.
Rav Belsky doesn’t address the issue of polyester, but I am guessing that he would follow Rav Moshe, although my guess is as good/bad as anyone else’s. (He usually paskens like Rav Moshe Feinstein.)
Curiosity, if the fish is big enough, it won’t be able to fit through the head hole. Sort of like the kli with holes that are smaller than pomegranates.
A fish THAT big, will probably tear the tzitzis (and me) right in half. So no, still can’t catch fish with it.
Oy vey- do you know what other rishonim there say?
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