Which tzitzit do I kiss?

Question

There is a practice among some to kiss the tzitzit at certain points during davening (related questions abound). The Shulchan Aruch in one place (O"C, 24:5) says that the person should be looking at the tztitzit that are in front of him because they have a certain number of knots etc. כְּשֶׁמִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּצִּיצִיּוֹת מִסְתַּכֵּל בְּב' צִיצִיּוֹת שֶׁלְּפָנָיו, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם עֲשָׂרָה קְשָׁרִים, רֶמֶז לַהֲוָיוֹת. וְגַם יֵשׁ בָּהֶם ט''ז חוּטִים וַעֲשָׂרָה קְשָׁרִים עוֹלוֹת כ''ו כְּשֵׁם הַהֲוָיָה

However, the O"C in 8:12 also states "אִם יֵשׁ לוֹ כַּמָּה בְּגָדִים שֶׁל אַרְבַּע כְּנָפוֹת כֻּלָּם חַיָּבִים בְּצִיצִית. וְאִם לְבָשָׁם כֻּלָּם בְּלֹא הֶפְסֵק וְהָיָה דַּעְתּוֹ מִתְּחִלָּה עַל כֻּלָּם, לֹא יְבָרֵךְ אֶלָּא בְּרָכָה אַחַת" If one has many four cornered garments, all of them are obligated to have fringes. And if one puts them all on without a break, and has in mind from the beginning about all of them, he only makes a single blessing

This happens to me when I wear both a talit katan and a talit gadol.

When I wear both, I have four tzitziyot in front of me -- which ones am I supposed to hold (and kiss?)? And if I have even more garments, should I be taking the front tzitzityot from only one of them (so that the numbers referenced above hold true) and if so, which one, or all of them because they are all equally important?

Answer 1

The tzitzit of the tallit gadol would take precedence because the fulfillment of the mitzvah is more complete in regard to atifah (being wrapped, head and body) See Tur, Orach Chaim 8:2 and Beit Yosef there. See also the Drisha to Tur, Orach Chaim 8:1:1.

אמר שמואל כל עטיפה שאינה כעטיפת הישמעאלים אינה עטיפה

After the fact, one might have fulfilled by using the tzitzit of the tallit katan, but to start out, it is preferable to use the tallit gadol if you are wearing both.

In terms of consistency, you would want to use the tzitzit from the single garment, not one from an outer garment and one from an inner garment. This relates to a more esoteric concept of the level of makifim that you are associating with.

The two citations from Orach Chaim are not related. 8:12 is dealing with the halachic question of whether one is required to make the blessing for tzitzit more than once for different garments. If you aren't putting them on at the same moment, meaning consecutively with the intention that they all be included in the single blessing, one right after the other, then two blessings are required. This same type of reasoning is used in regard to the blessing for tefillin.

The second citation, Orach Chaim 24:5, is discussing those who follow that particular minhag of gazing at the tzitzit during the recital of the third paragraph of Shema.