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Is the Tallit Katan allowed to be worn directly on the body?

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    Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/5539
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 18:01
  • footnote 3 points to R' Ovadya Yosef's Yechaveh Daat Vol 2, Chapter 1 for a discussion on how to wear the Tallit Katan. Perhaps it also discusses this: hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=15787&pgnum=44
    – Menachem
    Commented Aug 9, 2012 at 5:16
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    In my experience, wearing the tallit katan directly on the skin is itchy and uncomfortable. A light-weight white t-shirt underneath the tallit should do the trick. (This is especially true if you wear a wool tallit katan.)
    – ezra
    Commented Jul 6, 2017 at 17:59

7 Answers 7

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Halacha Berurah (8:33) rules that it's good wear something under the tallit kattan in order to separate it from the body, but me'ikar hadin it's permissable to wear the tallit kattan without another garment underneath.

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Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach in his Halichos Shlomo (Hilchos Tztzis, perek Gimmel, sif katan Yud Aleph) says it is allowed.

This answers a simple question that, if the original takanah of Tzitzis was on clothes (it is only today that we wear a special garment to obligate ourselves), you would not be allowed to put it on regular clothes either as one's clothes absorbs sweat.

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    "The original Takanah on Tzitzis" !?!?!
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Aug 9, 2012 at 3:41
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    Yes - while there always was a mitzvah to put tzitzis on a garment if it happened to have 4 corners, the takanah to wear such a garment was made by the ר"י less than a thousand years ago because it got to the point where most people would go their entire lives without ever wearing such a garment.
    – Uber_Chacham
    Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 16:09
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For Kabbalistic reasons, the Ari z"l would wear his Tallit Katan under all his garments. (See the Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar Tzitzit, quoted here.) This seems to indicate that he wore them directly on his skin.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe says that R' Chaim Vital was describing a private practice of the Arizal. But, assuming it is literal, it would appear that the Arizal did not have an issue with wearing the Tallit Katan directly on his skin.

One source. See also this source for more details.

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 8:11) says: "The main Mitzvah of a Tallit Katan is to wear it on one's clothes, so that will he constantly see it and remember the commandments". The Magen Avraham (quoting the Pri Etz Chaim cited above) says: While there are Kabbalistic reasons to wear the Tallit Katan under the garments, the Tzitzit strings themselves should still be visible. (See M"B S"K 25.)

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  • you can see the Pri Etz Chaim inside here, but it is not the best quality - hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49521&pgnum=32
    – Menachem
    Commented Aug 9, 2012 at 3:43
  • I cannot imagine the Arizal wearing a tallis katan not made of wool, and I cannot imagine him wearing wool against his skin. (I once told a customer a certain tallis katan product I sell is made of very soft wool. They thought that meant it could be worn against the skin. It turns out they were from New Zealand, where they make super high quality, super soft Merino wool, which apparently can be worn against the skin. But still, I don't think that's what the Arizal had in his dresser drawer.)
    – Ben of Ben's Tallit Shop
    Commented Nov 12, 2015 at 8:51
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שאלה - 68711 לכבוד הרב מוצפי שליט"א:

האם מותר להשים ציצית על הגוף ללא גופיה מתחת?.. תשובה אם יש סיבה לכך, מותר.

Rav Mutzafi says "if there is a reason for it, it is Mutar."

שאלה - 8105 האם מותר לילד ללבוש ציצית על הגוף בלי גופיה מתחת? תשובה אם קשה לו בגופיה _ מותר.

And in another place he writes "if it is hard for him, it is permitted."

שאלה - 8105 האם מותר לילד ללבוש ציצית על הגוף בלי גופיה מתחת? תשובה אם קשה לו בגופיה _ מותר.

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Some say it not kavod to the mitzvah to wear directly on the body, especially if made of undershirt material designed to absorb sweat. (Rivevos Ephraim (4:15), See Masechet Tzitzis 5 re a begged called Apikarsin, Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Sofrim in name of Rosh Moed Kattan (perek 3 siman 43).

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I am not adding anything lehalacha, but the siach yitzchok could agree that the old-time garments were worn on the body. However, now that we wear special garments m'yuchad for tzitzis, it would be a bizayon to the mitzva to wear that on the body. (No source, just my own idea.)

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The Siach Yitchok in Siman Ches says it is Assur because it is an embarrassment to the Mitzvah that its being used as a sweat absorber.

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    A link please??
    – Yahu
    Commented Jun 3, 2010 at 20:16

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