Submitted:
To the Editor,
I want to share a personal experience regarding tzitzis.
As a heavier person, wearing layers has always been uncomfortable for me. About three years ago, I tried undershirt tzitzis and found them to be a real solution. They’re comfortable and allow me to keep the mitzvah without the extra bulk.
But there’s something that’s been bothering me. After washing them weekly, the chutzen (strings) often get tangled, knotted, and hard after just a couple of washes. Some companies make little pockets to tuck the strings into, which may help. I haven’t been careful to use them, but perhaps that would avoid the problem.
My bigger concern is the halacha. I don’t know the dinim of tzitsis in detail, but it seems clear that many of my pairs may no longer be kosher after only a few washes. And here is where I struggle: if I wear a regular undershirt, I miss out on the mitzvah of tzitsis. However, if I wear a daled kanfos with invalid strings, I may actually be violating the issur of wearing a beged of arba kanfos without proper tzitzis.
I’ve attached pictures so readers can see exactly what I’m referring to, and perhaps comment whether these are still considered valid tzitsis.
I’m writing for two reasons:
- Hopefully someone can respond with a brief, clear outline of the halachos of how tzitsis must be kept in order to remain valid.
- To raise awareness for others who wear undershirt tzitsis and may not realize this potential issue.
I want to be clear—I’m not speaking against undershirt tzitsis, either halachically or hashkafically. For me and many others, they’re a comfortable and practical way to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitsis.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to the comments and teshuvos.
—A Concerned Reader
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Ask your rav. Not us on the lakewoodscoop
Maybe he asked his rav and his rav told him to post it here!:)
I have shirt’s that are also tzitzit they make them in Israel. There’s a piece you could buy in almost every local sforim store that you put the strings in and they’re safe that way.
Are these regular dress shirts?
https://share.google/images/zOWDaPWpaafbC4YEE
This is what I use to wash my tzitzit with
I don’t understand why this addresses undershirt tzitzis; any tzitzis will have this untying issue if washed without any protection. A simple solution is to wrap the tzitzis in silver foil – you can fold them over 2-3 times, so they won’t stick out, and wrap it well so it stays shut in the wash. There are also special inventions that you wrap the tzitzis around, or the pocket that you mentioned.
Also, hang tzitzis to dry.
About your tzitzis that have already unraveled, anyone who knows how to tie tzitzis will be able to take care of it in a few minutes.
BTW, here are some good and important tips for losing weight – and really for everyone – even if the guy’s a skinny pickle:
• Minimize junk food, maximize health food, get good sleep, don’t sit more than 25 minutes at a time without \standing for five – and vice versa when standing. Walk at least an hour a day in total.
• Junk food includes sugar and chemicals, but especially unhealthy seed oils such as canola, soybean and cottonseed which go through a tremendous chemical process and are easily damaged when heated – but are unhealthy even raw, and have much linoleic acid that sits in the body for months after eating food made with them. And all deep fried foods are made with them, unless you know they use olive or coconut oils. You can use butter for an egg.
• In general, have vegetables with a meal – they have much nutrients; help the main food digest, and help a person to feel satiated earlier. Chew food slowly which helps digestion. Do NOT take “skinny shots” or other such insane nonsense; it slows digestion which is harmful to a person. That’s not the way to lose weight.
• Evey person should have some carbs – like wheat etc. every day, unless one has a very significant amount of weight, and is really working on weight loss. But for normal health, it is important, besides, of course, protein – like chicken, meat or fish.
• One should lean toward organic as much as possible, and wild-caught fish – especially for salmon, of which farm raised is very unhealthy.
• In place of sugar, get stevia – a sweet-tasing herb that naturally has no calories. (Splenda is severely damaged sugar – done with chemicals – and it DOES have calories, just less than required to be listed by law. Splenda is WORSE than sugar, according to major natural health experts – and t’s not splendid!). Organic stevia is best. You may find some in local stores, or, a great choice is Pyure brand – available on Amazon. There is both powdered and liquid forms. Liquid may be easier for drinks; powdered for foods.
Also drink a cup every hour – between meal – with meals less, one should relive oneself daily, generally, or as one needs. Jogging is not good for the back, as it puts much pressure when landing. Walking is good – with some bursts of running here and there.
In the heat you need to drink 2-4 cups per hour, but even indoors, need 1 every hour.
Best is not to eat from about two hours after awakening to two hours before going to sleep. Maybe drinking after an hour.
Sleep fully without alarm clock – you get up on your own when done.
BTW, for anyone reading the health advice here, ignore the thumbs down – they’re less than meaningless. It’s probably people who invest in Big Junk Food and Big Pharma.
Unless they explain themselves and ask some sensible question – which used to get done before the thumbs system started a few months ago, it remains as stated.
I agree wholeheartedly with ALMOST everything above. I recommend cutting out carbs completely. I’ve been on keto/carnivore for 2.5 years and feel like I did when I was in my twenties. Lost 50 lbs. (Almost 50 now) but everything else, including skinny shot garbage that has a side effect of causing blindness as well as wreaking havoc on digestion i agree with. You’re talking my language.
Very nice it worked for you; yes, going low on carbs can help when one is really focused on losing weight, but in general, major natural health experts recommend carbs. They are important – to have every day, as they add health benefits. Ideally, they should be organic, as “regular’ are heavily sprayed with pesticedes etc.
Also, why do you call yourself a health nut? I’m assuming you’re not one of the thumbs-down investors in Big Junk Food and Big Pharma here, are you?
I just read an explanation to this. One reason is because the body produces cortisol when it is low on sugar – as too-low sugar can be dangerous too. But having to come onto the body’s producing cortisol is not so good, as generally, it is produced only when a person is under stress, and that is also not so good for various reasons. So, generally, eating a portion of carbs per day is important. Carbs include certain fruit and beans and of course, grains. Start with whatever works for you, and build up from there. Grains should generally be only organic, as they are heavily sprayed, and oats are the most heavily sprayed of all. And don’t have “enriched” (enpoored) wheat – it’s chemicals that are added to make it easier to work with and more chewy etc, but when they want to make rats diabetic to test diabetes medication, the feed them just one of those chemicals!!
Use the Magen Tzitzis shield for the wash you wind it up around inside and throw into the wash – but NEVER, and I mean NEVER, put them in the dryer, I hang them to dry.
https://www.amazon.com/Magen-Tzitzit-Fringe-Laundry-Protector/dp/B00MEOVWRK
Also, depending on who you ask, its missing Techeiles. A handful of Rabbanim today endorse the true identity of the Chilazon as the Hexaplex Trunculus, so its worthwhile to possibly wear it in case it is, since you would be fulfilling a De’Oraisa Misafeik. Ask your LOR.
The following is a very simple way to prevent the last knot from opening and thereby keeping the rest of the Tzitzis from unraveling.
Tighten the knot as much as you can without risking tearing the strings. Then hold the knot under very hot water for a few seconds until it is thoroughly wet, and immediately tighten- again as much as you can without risking ripping the strings, before it has a chance to cool down.
The way it works is that when the knot is hot, the strings shrink, giving you more room to tighten it. And than as it cools down, it expands, which tightens it further. I’ve been doing this for years and I’ve never had a knot open on me, even in the wash.
Nice idea, but you still have wrap, so the strings won’t get tangled or torn in the wash.
An idea to prevent ripping while pulling, is to hold the knot with one hand, and pull one set of four strings, then the other set. Like this you’re tightening the knot and not putting so much pressure on the two sets of strings.
I have been wearing undershirt tzitzis for close to 10 years now, and in the beginning it was a very close look after every wash to keep them kosher and untangle the knots. Simple solution is to grab all 4 sets of strings and put them all in one tight slip knot. Wash regular without any fancy contraptions, even throw in the dryer.
then I just gave a quick glance when I fold and put them away. They never get knotted in the wash and can easily undo the slip knot after.
HOWEVER, AS WITH WASHING AND DRYING ANYTHING, AFTER ENOUGH TIMES THE STRINGS THEMSELVES DO FRAY ENOUGH TO RIP(FOR ME THIS IS AT LEAST A YEAR) SO THEY STILL NEED A QUICK GLANCE
BEST SOLUTUN
Another nice idea. For dyer, you’re referring to all-cotton, not wool tzitzis.
They sell these blue things which u wrap the strings around
I use them and they really help
Buy A Magen Tzitzis for washing machines sold at your local Judaica store. Solved the problem for me. An exceptional product.
The reason why these undershirt tzitzis are made and completely kosher versus plain undershirts is that plain undershirts are round versus tzitzis undershirts are cut in middle-just a drop on bottom-and change it into a FOUR CORNERED undershirt kosher and a chiyuv in the mitzvah of tzitzis and they sell them in packs of 5 or 10 not just in single packs. Since the undershirts are changed daily
Are the full t-shirts (with sleeves) with snaps all the way down on the side kosher? (it is possible to get them in 100% cotton from Israel) Does anyone know if the snaps have the halacha like a stitch that is easy to be undone and a posek that permits it?
About the second point you mentioned – if someone can explain they key points for tzitzis to be valid, so, in addition to the great washing tips offered here, regarding what the minimums are that the tzitzis should be kosher – and that you are allowed to wear them as you mentioned, is like this. As far as I understand, as long as there at least three knots and two windings (three sets of double knots with at least three windings between each), they are kosher according to the Torah, but the proper halacha is the regular full amount that we do. So, if any of them is less than that, don’t wear it, and for all of them, ask someone to fix them up for you – it literally takes minutes, once you get the hang of it.
The main thing for tying tzitzits is that for an adult, it must be a male adult tying (children can make their own), and he must say ‘l’shem mitzvas tzitzis’ before beginning. So, you say it when starting, and if you leave and return, you say it again. Some even go as far as to say it before tying each knot – but that is a stringency (chumra), but to say it each time you begin, is basic halacha, and, as far as I understand, without that, they are not valid.
Hatzlacha – success!