Are We Always Required to Wear Tzitzit?

Answer: In the Talmud, Pesachim (page 113b), we learn that seven types of people are excommunicated from Heaven, one of them being a person who does not wear tefillin on his head and arm, tzitzit on his garment, and mezuzah at his doorway. The Tosafot comment there that one might argue that a person is obligated to purchase a garment for tzitzit in order to obligate himself in this mitzvah, similar to what we find in the Talmud in Sotah (14a), where Moses desired to enter the Land of Israel so that he could fulfill the commandments dependent on the land.

In Tractate Menachot (page 41a), it is related that an angel found Rav Katina wearing a garment exempt from tzitzit (meaning a garment without four corners, like most of our clothing today, which are exempt from having tzitzit strings on their corners). The angel rebuked him saying: "What will become of the mitzvah of tzitzit?" Rav Katina replied: "Do you punish even for neglecting a positive commandment through inaction?" (Since he was neglecting the mitzvah of tzitzit by not actively doing anything). The angel answered, "Yes, in a time of Divine anger." The Mordechai writes there (section 941) that this applies specifically to someone who has a four-cornered garment and seeks excuses to exempt himself from the mitzvah, such as making one of the four corners round or similar alterations. Such a person is punished for this, as the angel said to Rav Katina, that in times of Divine anger, one is also punished for neglecting positive commandments. This was in their times, when people commonly wore garments with four corners, but in our time when our clothing style doesn't include four-cornered garments, there is no punishment at all for not fulfilling the mitzvah of tzitzit, even in times of Divine anger. Nevertheless, it is the optimal fulfillment of the mitzvah to seek out a four-cornered garment to fulfill the commandment of tzitzit.

From the above, it is clear that according to the Mordechai, there is no absolute obligation to wear a small tallit with tzitzit. The Talmud only mentioned punishment for someone who has a garment that requires tzitzit and deviously tries to exempt himself from this mitzvah. But in our times, when most of our garments are exempt from tzitzit,
 there is no obligation to wear a four-cornered garment in order to be obligated in the mitzvah of tzitzit. Similarly, Rambam writes (Chapter 3 of the Laws of Tzitzit, Law 11): "Although a person is not obligated to purchase a four-cornered garment and wear it in order to attach tzitzit to it, nevertheless, it is not proper for a pious person to exempt himself from this great mitzvah. Rather, one should always strive to be wrapped in a garment that requires tzitzit in order to fulfill this commandment. One should be especially careful with the mitzvah of tzitzit during prayer, and it is a great disgrace for a Torah scholar to pray without being wrapped in tzitzit. A person should always be careful with the mitzvah of tzitzit, for Scripture equates it to all the commandments, as it says: 'And you shall see it and remember all the commandments of Hashem and perform them.'" This is also ruled by the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Section 24).

Therefore, although there is no obligation to wear a small tallit to obligate oneself in the mitzvah of tzitzit, it is nevertheless proper and very appropriate for every person to strive to fulfill this precious mitzvah, which is equivalent to all the commandments, and to wear a small tallit under his clothes throughout the day. It is also proper to educate young children in this precious mitzvah starting from the age of 3 by having them wear a small tallit.

Rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef courtesy of the "Daily Halacha" website

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