Question
I am a Bochur and only own one Tallis Katan, which I wear throughout the day and also sleep in at night. In the morning I remove it briefly in order to go to the Mikveh or take a shower, and then I put the same Tallis Katan right back on. Since I removed it to go to Mikveh and re-wear it, do I recite a new blessing on it after I leave the Mikveh?
Answer
No. If one slept in his Tallis Katan throughout the night and then removed it in the morning only for Mikveh or a shower, he may not recite a blessing upon rewearing it. This is true even if he removed it for the Mikveh and put it back on afterward. Since the removal was only temporary and does not constitute a sufficient interruption, no new blessing is recited. Rather, he should try to hear the blessing from another person, or recite a blessing on another Tallis and have in mind to exempt his Tallis Katan.
Explanation
The General Rule: A Blessing Is Not Repeated Unless a Halachic Interruption Occurred:
Before discussing the special laws of one who slept in his Tzitzis, it is important to understand the general rules regarding the blessing on Tzitzis. As a rule, once a blessing has been recited on a Tallis Katan or Tallis Gadol, that blessing continues to cover future wearings of that garment unless a halachically significant interruption (Hesech Hadaas) takes place. Thus, one who removes his Tzitzis and shortly thereafter puts them back on will frequently not recite another blessing. According to Admur, one of the primary factors in determining whether a new blessing is required is the amount of time that elapsed between removing and rewearing the Tallis. If approximately three hours pass between removal and rewearing, this is considered a significant interruption and a new blessing is required in virtually all circumstances. If less than three hours have passed, then whether a blessing is repeated depends on additional factors, such as whether one intended to rewear it and whether he remained wearing another Tallis in the interim.
Now that we have established the general concept of a halachic interruption (Hefsek) which may require a new blessing upon rewearing a Tallis, we must analyze the present case. A Bochur who sleeps in his Tzitzis throughout the night and then removes them in the morning for Mikveh seemingly experiences three possible interruptions: the nighttime period itself, the sleep that took place during the night, and the temporary removal for Mikveh. The question is whether any of these factors independently create a sufficient interruption to require a new blessing. Accordingly, each issue must be analyzed separately. We will first discuss whether nighttime itself is considered a break between the previous day’s blessing and the morning’s mitzvah. We will then examine whether sleep, in and of itself, is considered a halachic interruption. Finally, we will analyze whether going to the Mikveh or taking a shower creates a sufficient interruption to require a new blessing when the Tzitzis are re-worn.
The Basic Halacha of Nighttime and Tzitzis – Is Nighttime considered an interval:
The Poskim discuss whether one who wore a Tallis Katan throughout the entire night should recite a new blessing in the morning. This depends on a fundamental dispute in Rishonim regarding whether a day garment remains obligated in Tzitzis during the night. The Rambam rules that the Mitzvah of Tzitzis does not apply to any garment that one wears at night, even if it is a garment that is normally worn during the day. The Rosh however rules that when wearing a garment that is designated to be worn only during the day, or is designated to be worn by both night and day, then one is obligated to attach Tzitzis to it and say a blessing upon wearing it even if one wears it at night. Now, if the garment remained obligated throughout the night as rules the Rosh, then no interruption occurred and no new blessing should be recited in the morning. If the garment was exempt at night, then perhaps a new blessing should be required in the morning. Because of this dispute, the Poskim, including Admur and the Magen Avraham, rule that one does not recite a blessing on a Tallis Katan that he wore throughout the night. We apply the rule of Safek Brachos Lehakel and refrain from making the blessing.
Now, i should be noted that this ruling is not universally accepted. The Mechaber rules that one who slept in his Tzitzis is to recite a new blessing upon awakening in the morning. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of Poskim reject this ruling and conclude that due to the dispute regarding whether nighttime constitutes an interruption in the mitzvah of Tzitzis, no blessing should be recited. Admur rules accordingly, based on the principle of Safek Brachos Lehakel. Indeed, even the accepted Sephardic practice today follows this approach and not the ruling of the Mechaber, and therefore one who slept in his Tzitzis does not recite a blessing upon awakening unless he can exempt it through another Tallis or by hearing the blessing from another person.
Is Sleep Considered an Interruption?
Now that we have established that we do not recite a blessing in the morning due to the doubt regarding whether nighttime itself creates an interruption, we must clarify a second point: Does this ruling apply only if one remained awake throughout the night, or even if one actually slept?
The answer is that it clearly applies even if one slept. Sleep, in and of itself, is not considered a halachic interruption that requires a new blessing. A person who sleeps while wearing his Tzitzis remains clothed in the garment throughout the entire period of sleep, and thus the mitzvah continues uninterrupted. The entire discussion in the Poskim concerns whether the nighttime period creates a break in the obligation of Tzitzis, not whether sleep creates a break. This is likewise evident from the ruling of Admur regarding a daytime nap, where he recommends that one not completely remove his Tallis Katan before sleeping, but rather keep it on his body or use it as a covering. If sleep itself were considered a true interruption, this advice would serve no purpose, as a new blessing would be required upon awakening in any event. Rather, we see that sleep is not viewed as a hefsek, and hence one who slept in his Tzitzis remains under the same blessing that he recited beforehand. The only remaining question is whether nighttime itself constitutes an interruption, and due to the dispute on that issue, no new blessing is recited in the morning.
What If He Removed It for Mikveh — Is Mikveh and Shower a Hefsek?
As explained above, according to Admur a new blessing is generally only recited when a significant interruption has occurred, which is defined by the Ketzos Hashulchan as approximately two to three hours. A typical Mikveh immersion or shower is far shorter than this amount of time and therefore does not qualify as a halachic interruption. Accordingly, if one slept in his Tzitzis throughout the night and then removed them briefly for a shower or Mikveh, no new blessing is recited when putting them back on.
This ruling is accepted by many Poskim, including the Ben Ish Chai, Rav Pe’alim, Kaf Hachaim, Artzos Hachaim, Toras Chaim Sofer, Alef Hamagen, and Betzel Hachochmah, who all understand that the relatively short amount of time spent in the Mikveh is insufficient to create an interruption requiring a new blessing. The Biur Halacha likewise records that the common custom is not to recite a blessing after returning from the Mikveh.
Some dissenting opinions do exist. The Arizal was accustomed to recite a blessing on his Tallis Katan after Mikveh. However, the later Poskim explain that the Arizal would remain in the Mikveh for an extended period while engaged in deep kavanos, and his practice therefore cannot be compared to an ordinary immersion. Other Poskim rule that thirty minutes already constitutes an interruption and therefore require a new blessing if one remained in the Mikveh that long, while others require an interruption of approximately one hour. Nevertheless, the accepted Chabad ruling follows Admur and the Ketzos Hashulchan that a brief Mikveh visit does not constitute a sufficient interruption to justify a new blessing.
Accordingly, in the case of a Bochur who slept in his Tzitzis throughout the night and then briefly removed them for Mikveh or a shower, although there are two reasons to recite a blessing [first, because sleeping in the Tzitzis creates the well-known doubt regarding Hefsek, and second, because the Mikveh itself may constitute a sufficient interruption] practically, according to the accepted ruling on both of these issues he should not recite a blessing upon re-wearing the Tzitzis.
A Tradition Quoted in the Name of the Rebbe Rayatz
There is a tradition cited in the name of the Rebbe Rayatz, transmitted through Rav Yehuda Yeshaya Vilshansky in the name of Rav Nochum Levkovsky, that one who slept in his Tzitzis may recite a blessing after Mikveh based on a Sfeik Sfeika (double doubt). However, this tradition requires great analysis. Firstly, according to the explicit ruling of Admur, a brief immersion in a Mikveh does not constitute a halachic interruption, and thus it is difficult to understand how a valid Sfeik Sfeika can be formed. Secondly, even if one were to construct a Sfeik Sfeika, the accepted ruling of Admur in the Siddur is that we are stringent regarding blessings and do not recite a blessing even in situations involving a Sfeik Sfeika. Accordingly, there is no room to rely on this report in practice. Of course, were this tradition to be properly verified as an authentic directive from the Rebbe Rayatz or the Rebbe, then it would certainly warrant serious consideration and would potentially affect the practical ruling. However, the Rebbe repeatedly emphasized that he is not responsible for unverified reports and stories circulated in his name, especially when they appear to contradict established halacha. Therefore, until such a tradition can be properly authenticated, the practical ruling remains that one who slept in his Tzitzis and then went to the Mikveh does not recite a blessing upon re-wearing them, and should instead hear the blessing from another person or exempt them through another Tallis. See Tzitzis Halacha Lemaaseh ch. 8 footnote 65; Hiskashrus 567.
Furthermore, perhaps one can also suggest an additional explanation regarding the tradition of the Rebbe Rayatz. In the times of the Rabbeim it was not yet the widespread custom for every individual to shower and immerse daily as is common today. It is thus possible that the process of going to the Mikveh and preparing oneself afterwards involved a substantially greater amount of time and effort than it does today. By contrast, many people today complete their Mikveh visit in just a few minutes, and many Bochurim in Yeshiva are in and out of the Mikveh within ten minutes as they rush to Seder. Accordingly, even if one were to argue that a lengthy immersion experience could potentially constitute a significant interruption, it is difficult to suggest that the brief Mikveh visits and showers common today should be treated as a meaningful hefsek. This provides further support for the widespread practice not to recite a new blessing after a routine Mikveh immersion or shower, especially in light of the principle of Safek Brachos Lehakel.
A Clarification Regarding a Recently Published Gloss of the Rebbe Rashab
Recently, the glosses and comments of the Rebbe Rashab on Kaf Hachaim were published. In letter 22, the Rebbe Rashab makes a statement that some have mistakenly understood to mean that even one who slept in his Tzitzis throughout the night should recite a blessing on them in the morning. However, this is a gross misunderstanding of what is being discussed there.
In general, before studying isolated glosses of the Rabbeim, one must first be thoroughly familiar with the underlying halachic discussion in the Shulchan Aruch and Poskim. The fundamental assumption with which one must begin is that the Rebbe Rashab is not coming to contradict the rulings of his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, unless he explicitly states otherwise. Nowhere in that gloss does the Rebbe Rashab discuss, challenge, or retract the explicit ruling of Admur in 8:27 that due to the doubt regarding the nighttime obligation of Tzitzis, one who slept in his Tzitzis throughout the night does not recite a blessing in the morning.
Rather, the Rebbe Rashab is discussing an entirely different case. His discussion concerns an individual who put on a pair of Tzitzis at night, a time when a blessing could not be recited according to the accepted ruling. The question there is whether, upon the arrival of morning, he should now recite a blessing on that Tzitzis, or whether he should follow the ruling of the Alter Rebbe in the Siddur and exempt it through the blessing recited on a Tallis Gadol. On this specific issue, the Rebbe Rashab writes that the custom is to recite a blessing on the Tzitzis itself. He is discussing a Tallis upon which no blessing was ever recited, not a case of someone who already recited a blessing the previous day and then slept in the garment overnight.
Furthermore, even this discussion does not have practical ramifications for most people today. As the Rebbe himself notes, the prevailing custom is that a married man who wears a Tallis Gadol exempts his Tallis Katan with the blessing recited on the Tallis Gadol, regardless of when he put on the Tallis Katan. Accordingly, even the specific issue under discussion is largely academic in contemporary practice.
This serves as an important reminder regarding the proper methodology of halachic study. One cannot bypass the primary sources in Shulchan Aruch, Admur, and the accepted Poskim and then derive practical halacha from an isolated footnote or gloss. Doing so can easily lead to attributing positions to the Rabbeim that they never intended and to conclusions that directly contradict the explicit rulings of the Alter Rebbe. The comments of the Rebbe Rashab must therefore be understood within the precise context in which they were written and not as a reinterpretation of Admur’s clear ruling that one who slept in his Tzitzis throughout the night does not recite a blessing upon them in the morning.
Practically, What Should a Bochur Do?
A married man who wears a Tallis Gadol can simply have in mind that the blessing on the Tallis Gadol cover the Tallis Katan as well. A Bochur who does not wear a Tallis Gadol has fewer options. The proper solution is:
- To hear the blessing from someone else and have it cover his Tallis Katan; or
- To put on a different pair of Tzitzis and recite a blessing over that pair while intending to exempt the pair that he slept in.
What If He Owns Only One Pair? This is a very common situation among Bochurim. If he owns only one pair and slept in it at night, then after Mikveh or a shower he still should not recite a blessing upon rewearing it. Since he has no second pair and no Tallis Gadol upon which to recite a blessing, he simply continues wearing the Tzitzis without a blessing. When possible, he should hear a blessing from another person.
Practical Summary
- One who slept in a Tallis Katan throughout the night does not recite a new blessing over it in the morning.
- This remains true even if he removed it for a Mikveh or shower and then put it back on.
- A brief stay in a Mikveh or shower is not considered a sufficient interruption to require a new blessing.
- A married man should have the blessing on his Tallis Gadol exempt the Tallis Katan.
- A Bochur should ideally hear a blessing from another person or recite a blessing on a different pair of Tzitzis.
- If he owns only one pair of Tzitzis, he should put them back on after Mikveh without a blessing.
Sources
Admur 8:27 “Any four-cornered garment that is designated to be worn during the day, and one did not remove it at night but rather remained wearing it until morning, does not require a new blessing in the morning. The reason is because there are opinions who maintain that a daytime garment remains obligated in Tzitzis even if one wears it at night. According to this view, there was never any period in which this garment was exempt from Tzitzis. Accordingly, the nighttime does not constitute an interruption at all, and is considered like one long continuous day. Nevertheless, there are other opinions (see Siman 18) who maintain that a daytime garment is exempt from Tzitzis when worn at night. According to this view, the garment went through a period of exemption and therefore an interruption has occurred. Although the person physically wore the Tzitzis throughout the entire night, since during that time the garment was exempt from Tzitzis, it is considered as if he was not wearing Tzitzis at all during the night. Consequently, there is a significant interruption between the blessing that was recited the previous day and the fulfillment of the mitzvah in the morning, and a new blessing should therefore be required. Therefore, in order to satisfy all opinions, it is proper that one recite a blessing on another Tallis and intend that the blessing exempt as well the Tallis that he slept in.”;
Admur 18:1 “Nighttime is not a time for the mitzvah of Tzitzis, as the verse states, “And you shall see it”, which excludes a night garment. However, the garment of a blind person is obligated in Tzitzis, since it is visible to others. Therefore, even if the blind person himself wears it, he must place Tzitzis on it.”
Admur 18:2 “There are those who say that the verse only excludes a garment that is not being worn at a time fit for seeing. Accordingly, anything worn at night is exempt, even if it is a garment designated for daytime use. Conversely, anything worn during the day is obligated in Tzitzis, even if it is designated for nighttime use, because it is being worn at a time fit for seeing. There are others who say that the verse excludes only a garment specifically designated for nighttime use. Such a garment is exempt even if worn during the day, since it was made to be worn at a time that is not fit for seeing. However, a garment designated for daytime use, or for both day and night, is obligated in Tzitzis even when worn at night, and a blessing may be recited upon it, since it was made to be worn at a time fit for seeing. Since the halacha has not been conclusively decided like either opinion, one must be stringent regarding the Torah obligation and follow both views. Therefore: A garment designated for daytime use (or both day and night) should have Tzitzis even if worn at night. A garment designated for nighttime use should also have Tzitzis if worn during the day. However, regarding the blessing, since we follow the rule of Safek Brachos Lehakel (when in doubt regarding blessings, we are lenient), one recites a blessing only when wearing during the day: a garment designated for daytime use, or a garment designated for both day and night.”
- Laws of Hefsek and Hesech Hadas by Tzitzis that require a new blessing: Admur 8:23-25; Siddur Admur; Ketzos Hashulchan 7:6-7
- Opinion that one is not obligated in tzitzis at night: Rambam 3:8; first opinion in Admur and Michaber ibid
- Opinion that one is obligated in tzitzis even at night: Rosh Hilchos Ketanos Tzitzis 1 [p. 40]; 2nd opinion in Admur and Michaber ibid
- Law of sleep not being considered a Hefsek: Admur 8:27, 8:30; Be’er Heitev 8:19; Mishnah Berurah 8:42
- Law that one who slept in his Tallis throughout the night does not recite a blessing in the morning: Admur 8:27; 494:3; Tur 8; Bach; Taz 8:15; M”A 8:21; Elya Raba 8:18; M”B 8:42; Custom of Arizal [as brought in Kaf Hachaim 8:61]; Chesed Lealafim 8:7; Ben Ish Chaiy Bereishis 2; Kaf Hachaim 8:61
- The reason is due to the dispute whether a nighttime exemption constitutes a sufficient interruption to require a new blessing: Admur 8:27.
- One should ideally exempt the Tallis through another Tallis or another person’s blessing: Admur 8:27; Magen Avraham 8:21; Ketzos Hashulchan 7:7.
- A shower or Mikveh does not create a sufficient interruption to require a new blessing: Ben Ish Chaiy Bereishis 10; Rav Pealim 2:5; Kaf Hachaim 8:56; Artzos Hachaim 8:86; Toras Chaim Sofer 8:23; Alef Hamagen 584:4; Betzeil Hachochmah 4:149; see also Piskeiy Teshuvos 8:27 footnote 245; Biur Halacha 8:14 “Veyeish” that the custom is not to say a blessing afterwards, as rules Bach, seemingly due to that it is too short of an interval.
- Even if one slept in his Tzitzis and then went to the Mikveh, he should not recite a blessing afterwards: Tzitzis Halacha Lemaaseh 8 footnote 65; Hiskashrus 567
- Tradition of Rebbe Rayatz: Tzitzis Halacha Lemaaseh 8 footnote 65; Hiskashrus 567.
- Gloss of Rebbe Rashab: Kaf Hachaim Toras Shalom 22