Brachot on Tzitzit

Question

As a continuation of this question (Tallit Katan and Tallit Brachot):

My understanding is that when one takes off a Tallit Katan and then puts it back on, the bracha is not said again. What is the source for this, and why the difference from the Tallit Gadol itself?

What about if you put on a new pair of Tzitzit (Tallit Katan), is the bracha restated?

Also, somewhat related: My understanding is that if one must take off their T'fillin then the bracha is repeated upon putting them back on. Why the difference from the Tallit Katan and is there a source for this?

Answer 1

Both Tallit (of any variety) and Tefilin have the same operative principle: the one bracha you say covers all instances of wearing, as long as when you take it off you have in mind to put it back on, and you're never in a position where you couldn't be wearing it.

For tefilin, if I have in mind to wear my tefilin for ten minutes, then remove them for ten minutes to help carry groceries (an act which theoretically doesn't require tefilin removal), then put them back on, only one bracha is needed. If, however, I stop and use the bathroom (in which tefilin can't be worn), a new bracha is needed upon re-application of the tefilin.

For a tallit big or small, in theory it can remain worn in the bathroom -- common practice is not to wear a tallit gadol in the bathroom, out of respect for its status as a garment usually reserved for prayer, but that's not an absolute requirement. Hence my first bracha covers any intended removal and re-wearing. (But not if it suddenly, unintentionally, completely falls off.)

In Ashkenazic practice, the optimal blessing for a tallit -- to wrap oneself in tzitzit -- is said only on a talit gadol. For a *tallit katan", we're not sure it's quite up to that level, so it gets a lesser blessing, regarding the mitzva of tzitzit. So rather than have in mind, when doing the lesser blessing, to cover the better one, we wait for the better opportunity to say the better blessing.

Does that answer your question?

Answer 2

There is a disagreement between Rav Yosef Karo ('the Mechaber') and Rav Moshe Isserles ('the Rama') regarding this issue. By both tzitzit (SA OC 8:14) and tefillin (SA OC 25:12) the Mechaber rules that if one takes the object off even for a moment he must make a new blessing when putting it back on while the Rama rules that one only makes a new blessing if he did not intend to put it back on right away. (Note that the Gra here rules like the Mechaber.)

Two caveats: if he was in a situation where he would be unable to wear the object in question, this immediately constitutes an interruption regardless of his intention when removing it and would require a new blessing when putting the object back on. (A common example of this is removing tefillin when going to the bathroom as tefillin are not permitted to be worn in the bathroom. A tallit on the other hand is permitted to be brought into the bathroom.) (See MB ad loc)

If he removed one such object without specific intention and retained another such object on him, then it is considered as if he removed the first one with intention to put it on right away. (A common example of this is removing a tallit gadol while still wearing a tallit katan or vice versa. A less common example is removing one's head tefillah while still wearing the arm tefillah or vice versa.) (See MB ad loc)

Note all this applies to putting back on the same exact object. If one were to put on a new pair of tzitzit or tefillin then he would say a new blessing regardless. (See SA OC 8:12)

As is generally the rule, Askenazim tend to follow the Rama and Sephardim follow the Mechaber.