As the title mentions, I prefer the look of thick tzitzit to thin, although I'm considering medium. But, is there a meaning or assumed minhag associated with the thickness of tzitzit on the tallit katan? Do thick tzitzit tell others I follow a certain minhag, when in actuality it's just a look that I prefer? I usually see thin tzitzit being worn, but after tying and wearing a tallit that has thin tzitzit, I just didn't like the look compared to the thick look. My tying minhag is standard Sephardi and I like to wear my strings hanging down, grouped together on each side under my belt to keep them in place. This works best for my work situation, as I'm an elementary school teacher and they like to grab my strings when I'm not looking. The forementiond thin tzitzit were not up to par with kids tugging them, either. So, long story short-- Does thickness mean anything, and does the way I prefer to wear the tzitzit conflict with anything halachically? Thanks!
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Possibly just hiddur mitzvah?– DovAug 19 at 22:45
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Some acharonim think if it's too thick it becomes a rope not a string and is invalid. Some kabbalistic sources praise 8 ply strings which is beyond the halachic minimum.– Double AA ♦Aug 20 at 1:35
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To me it says "that guy must hand wash his tallitot'– יהושע קAug 20 at 7:16
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1 Answer
Thickness of strings does not matter. The Mishna Berura says it is preferable to wear your tzitzis on the corners, and not group them together.
While the Shulchan Aruch says to wear the tzitzis outside, the accepted custom among Sefardim is to follow the opinion of Arizal and wear tzitzis under the clothes, so they are not visible. (See Yalkut Yosef) Especially if kids are tugging the tzitzis, it is probably not respectful to leave them exposed to the kids' shenanigans.
