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In the response to List of Techelet Wearers it mentions a few Gedolim that wear Tzitzis of Techeiles on Shabbos only. Why would there be a difference between Shabbos and the rest of the week?

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I just spoke to Rav Herschel Shachter Shelit"a and he quoted a Gemara Shabbat that says that Rav Yehuda Bar Ilai used to wear his special garment of Techelet for Shabbat, but he also said that he obviously used to wear it during the week. He told me if possible to wear it during the week also. – Hacham Gabriel Feb 5 '12 at 15:52

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I can come up with a few reasons of why to only wear it on Shabbat.

  1. You wear the best clothing on Shabbat. Techelet is Expensive, and to wear it every day might be too expensive to clean properly or to buy extra garments. However, on Shabbat you need to wear your best, so you buy a set of techelet for Shabbat.

  2. They only bought one set of Techelet strings, and wanted it to be attached to their favorite talit/jacket.

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I agree with @GershonGold, but +1 for number 1, which makes a lot of sense to me. (Number 3 seems a duplicate of it, actually. Buying only one and putting it on Shabas clothes is the same as wearing only on Shabas the only one you've bought. No?) – msh210♦ Jan 9 '12 at 17:51
1 I meant lehtichila only buying it for shabbat, and 3 I meant Bdeived, he only bought 1 set. – avi Jan 9 '12 at 18:00
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What sources do you want for "I can come up with"? :) – avi Jan 9 '12 at 18:01
@GershonGold Good point about 2. Deleted. When I wrote "I can come up with" I meant, that I scoured my brain and tried to come up with excuses. – avi Jan 9 '12 at 18:10
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@GershonGold Although, now that I think on it, I was told recently that the rabbi of one congregation in New York makes fun of his congregants that wear techelet on the tzizit katan but not on the tzizit gadol on shabbat. There might be some source related to that. – avi Jan 9 '12 at 19:46
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I know a rabbi who only wears on Shabbat because he thinks it's a reasonable chumra but he doesn't want his kids to grow up thinking that we have a mesora for techelet so he only wears on his Shabbat/Yom Tov Tallit Gadol. As for why then, he said that Shabbat is a traditional time to be more makpid on certain chumrot (for instance, putting salt on the bread that we eat).

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I never understood how it could be a Chumra...Isn't it either an Aseh or nothing? – Hacham Gabriel Jan 9 '12 at 19:51
@HachamGabriel, would you also say "I don't understand how eating at others' houses on Pesach can be frowned upon due to chumra. Isn't it chametz or nothing?"? – msh210♦ Jan 9 '12 at 20:50
@msh210 I don't see how this is similar. – Hacham Gabriel Jan 9 '12 at 21:02
@HachamGabriel, would you say about any chumra that's based on a mitzva "I don't understand.... Isn't it a mitzva or nothing?"? – msh210♦ Jan 9 '12 at 21:20
@msh210 No, because this to me is all or nothing. That's how I understand it. Maybe someone can explain otherwise. – Hacham Gabriel Jan 9 '12 at 21:25
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Well, for one of the Rabbanim- Rabbi Meir Mazuz Shelit"a it is because he wants to show that it is not a Hiyuv.

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How does wearing it on Shabbos show it is not a Chiyuv? – Gershon Gold Jan 9 '12 at 15:59
Because if he were to wear it all week than people would think it is set-in-stone chiyuv, but if only wears it once a week than it's not a hiyuv. – Hacham Gabriel Jan 9 '12 at 16:04
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Then why wear it at all? And why Davka on Shabbos? – Gershon Gold Jan 9 '12 at 16:05
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Why even once a week? Why not every Rosh Chodesh? What is the significance of once a week? Why not Mondays and Thursdays? If anything wearing it on Shabbos shows he holds that it is L'Chatchila or else it may be considered carrying. – Gershon Gold Jan 9 '12 at 16:13
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I really don't why. I am just speculating. You have good points. You can ask at kisse-r.co.il – Hacham Gabriel Jan 9 '12 at 16:15
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There is a famous "brisker chumra" to be worried about the position of the Ba'al HaMa'or who said that tzitzit are only kosher if they have the blue and the white (just white is just not good enough) and refrain from wearing their tzitzit outside without an eruv as according to him, the tzitzit are invalid and you would thereby in fact be carrying the strings for no reason! Maybe some people wear techelet on shabbat so they don't have to worry for this opinion.

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This is what I was thinking of when I wrote it in my answer, but these same people should not be wearing tzizit during the week, because then they are wearing a four corner garment without tzizit on them! And this is much worse than possibly "carrying" something which is permanently tied to your clothing. (Which is not even an issur of carrying) – avi Jan 10 '12 at 9:00
@avi That is a question on the briskers. There really are briskers who have this chumra. I'm just pointing out an application of it. But you should know that the gemara in Menachot 37b at the bottom calls pasul tzitzit an issue of carrying on shabbat. – Double AA♦ Jan 10 '12 at 12:57

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