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Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 8:12 says we should make one bracha on all our pairs of tzitzit, and if we did not have all the pairs in mind, then we need to make a new bracha on each one. Seemingly, it is a mitzvah to wear each and every pair. Accordingly, why do Jews not wear more than one pair (besides for any reasons relating to inconvenience or weather). From a hashkafa standpoint, it would seem like a more proper act to wear more than one pair of tzitzit if one is able to - so why is this practice not popular?

Edit: Rabbi Sheinberg did it, so I assumed it had value. However, I have no basis for that assumption. I am looking for sources on either end of the spectrum- whether there is, or there is not, value on wearing multiple pairs.

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    Should they also build lots of extra doorways in their homes to be able to have lots of mezuzot?
    – Double AA ♦
    Jun 28, 2020 at 3:41
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    "it would seem like a more proper act to wear more than one pair of tzitzit if one is able to" I'm not sure why you say that. Can you edit to clarify your argument?
    – Double AA ♦
    Jun 28, 2020 at 4:04
  • related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/83214/…
    – Loewian
    Jun 28, 2020 at 5:31
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    "Seemingly, it is a mitzvah to wear each and every pair." If you look at M.B. 17:5, you can see that it's not a mitzvah per se. It's when a garment has 4 corners then one must wear it with tzitzis. It doesn't convey the "more the merrier" like talmud torah or other mitzvos that one may do without limit for the sake of the mitzvah. It means that once one does the mitzvah, if they find themselves chayav to do it on other articles of clothing, one can say one bracha for of of them. The implication that it's better to put on 10 pairs of tzitzis vs. 1 pair just for the sake of it has no grounds.
    – Geltman
    Jun 28, 2020 at 15:45
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    @geltman If one puts on one beged with tzitzit, he makes a beracha. If he puts on an additional beged an hour later he makes another beracha. The OP is inferring that from this that each wearing of such a beged is a mitzvah (kiyumit). What is your argument that this is not the case?
    – Joel K
    Jun 28, 2020 at 16:15

2 Answers 2

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Ralbag in his commentary to Numbers 15:39 writes as follows:

ועוד למדנו ממה שאמר וראיתם אתו ולא אותו וחברו רוצה לומר שאין ראוי לאדם שישא יחד שני טליתות מצוייצים וכן למדנו זה ממה שאמר אשר תכסה בה

And we further learn from that which it says "and you shall see it" and not "it and its companion", meaning to say that it is not proper for a man to don two garments of tzitzit. And we also learn this from that which it says "that you cover with it".

In his commentary to Deuteronomy 22:12 he writes:

ואחשוב שאין ראוי לאדם שילבש יחד שני בגדים שיש בהם ציצית שהרי נאמר אשר תכסה בה ולא בה ובחברתה וראיתם אותו ולא אותו וחבירו עם שזה יביא להאמנת השניות בשם יתעלה ובתורה כי זאת המצוה מעידה על הפך זה כמו שביארנו במה שקדם בסוף פרשת שלח לך ובכלל הנה כמו שיעברו על נשיאת שני תפילין בראש משום בל תוסיף מפני שיש מקום בראש ראוי להניח בו שני תפילין כן יעברו על נשיאת יותר מבגד ציצית אחד משום בל תוסיף שהרי האדם ראוי לעשות כמה בגדי ציצית כי לא הונח לו מקום מוגבל אם יהיה בבגד העליון או התחתון או האמצעי

And I think that that it is not proper for a man to wear together two garments that have tzitzit, for it says "that you cover with it" and not "it and its companion"; "and you shall see it" and not "it and its companion". Additionally, this will bring [him] to belief in duality in God and in the Torah, since this commandment testifies to the opposite of this as we explained previously at the end of Parshat Shelach Lecha. And included in this is that just as you violate bal tosif by donning two head tefillin, since there is room on the head to be able to place two tefillin, you also violate bal tosif by donning more than one garment of tzitzit, since one is able to make many garments of tzitzit as there is no defined location set for it – whether it be on the top garment, or the bottom, or the middle.

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    I don't think any of us think this is actually the reason people don't walk around with dozens of pairs of tzitzit on all the time. Most men wear two sets of tzitzit at the same time daily during prayers without any of these qualms.
    – Double AA ♦
    Jun 28, 2020 at 18:05
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    @DoubleAA I wonder if Ralbag would walk into shul and tell them to take it off (though more likely if Ralbag walked into shul he’d be thrown out). Reminds me of the time R. Hershel Schachter said that wearing tzitzit without techeilet is an issur d’oraita of bal tigra and R. Aryeh Lebowitz asked him if he should tell his high school students to take off their tzitzit and R. Schachter said yes.
    – Alex
    Jun 28, 2020 at 18:17
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The source that you are quoting (S.A.) is saying that "if one has multiple garments that require tzitzis and is going to put them on without any interruption between them, one only says one bracha..."

It's not referring to that one should be wearing multiple tzitzits but rather if one is going to put on multiple garments that require it such as a 4 cornered shirt, a 4 cornered sweater etc. One would say one bracha on all of them at once. It does not mention anything about a mitzvah to wear more than one pair tzitzis. It's not ossur but it not a mitzvah to go out of your way to do it.

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  • What does this add to the question? No one said the Shulchan Aruch says you should wear multiple sets of tzitzit.
    – Double AA ♦
    Jun 28, 2020 at 14:52
  • @DoubleAA The questioner is basing his "hashkafa standpoint" from an inference to that source. Without it, where to based his premise? I attempted to show that the premise is faulty and there isn't a "hashfafic" reason to base it on. If it is you who downvotes the answer, I'll understand, you're quick to do it with me all over the place.
    – Geltman
    Jun 28, 2020 at 15:41
  • On the contrary, he doesn't seem to basing his hashkafic statement on any source provided.
    – Double AA ♦
    Jun 28, 2020 at 16:43

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