Women's Tallit And Tzitzit

 Tzitzit are fringes attached to the four corners of each tallit for women and for men, or a special four-cornered garment (arba kanfot or tallit katan) in fulfilment of the biblical commandment:

 "And the Lord spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the children of Israel and bid them that they make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringes of the corners a thread of blue. And it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look upon (and you shall see it) and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them." (Num.15:37-41)

 "And you shall make yourself twisted cords upon the four corners of your covering, wherewith you cover yourself". (Deuteronomy 22:12)

 In the first reference to the tzitzit above, the phrase "children of Israel" is ambiguous as the male plural form is always used in Hebrew when addressing mixed groups. It is, therefore, possible to interpret this command, originally intended to indicate that Jews wore outer garments with fringes, as incumbent on men and women.

 This is, in fact, how the Talmud interprets the command in the first instance. In tractate Menachot 643a we read that everyone is obligated concerning the tzitzit - Kohenim, Leviyyim, Yisraelim, converts, women and slaves. Then a comment by Rabbi Simon follows:

 "Rabbi Simon exempted women because this was a positive mitzvah limited by time and from all positive, timebound mitzvot women are exempt".

This view was reinforced by subsequent codifiers. In the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayyim 17:2), Joseph Caro writes:

"Women and slaves are exempt (from the tzitzit) because this is a positive, timebound mitzvah".

Moses Isserles, was a Rabbi and Talmudist, renowned for his fundamental work of Halakha and the Shulkhan Arukh, adds:

"If they (women) wish to wrap themselves in a tallit for woman and make a blessing over it, then it is up to them, as with other timebound, positive mitzvot. But if they do put the talit for woman on, it will appear to be a show of haughtiness or pride in their piety. Therefore, they should not wear tzitzit since it is not an obligation which resides in the person themselves (lo chovat gavra) but rather in the garment".

Isserles' point becomes clearer if we examine one of the commentators on the Shulchan Aruch, the Ba'er Hetev, who writes:

"It is explained that he is not obligated to buy a tallit ... because in all events, any time he is not wearing the tallit even if he has a four-cornered garment, he is exempt from (the mitzvah of) tzitzit. And it is not a personal duty because he is not obligated to purchase a tallit in order to fulfil the obligation of tzitzit. Only if he owns a tallit of four corners and wears it, is he obligated with regard to tzitzit".

In other words, the mitzvah of tzitzit and tallit is something you can only fulfil if in possession of the requisite garment. You need not to own a tallit and do not need to purchase one in order to fulfil the obligation to wear tzitzit. The implication of Isserles is that a woman who would go out of her way to purchase a tallit for women must be showing off her piety. No such implication exists for the man who goes out to purchase a tallit. Indeed, it has become customary for men to do so.

Tzila Amihud owns "tallit for women" website that offer handmade silk tallitot made in Israel for women.