The mitzvah
Tzitzit are knotted fringes on the four corners of a four-cornered garment. Many men wear a small one, a tallit katan, all day; a large one, the tallit, is worn during morning prayers.
The sources
“Make fringes on the corners of their garments… and you shall see it and remember all the commandments of Hashem and do them.”
Seeing the tzitzit leads to remembering, and remembering leads to doing.
What you need
- A tallit katan from a Judaica store, with kosher tzitzit strings
- Your normal clothes over or around it
Step by step
- In the morning, check the strings on each corner: eight strings and five double knots, none torn short.
- Hold the garment and say the blessing.
- Put it on like a vest, so one set of fringes hangs in front and one behind on each side.
- Wear it through the day.
- During the Shema, many gather the fringes and look at them during the third paragraph, which describes this mitzvah.
What to say
English first, then the words to say out loud — sounded out so anyone can say them.
This page contains Hebrew prayer text with the Divine Name. If you print it, please treat it respectfully and dispose of it appropriately (in genizah).
Questions people ask
Who wears tzitzit?
Traditionally men and boys. Women are exempt, since it is a mitzvah tied to daytime.
Inside or outside my shirt?
Customs differ: some tuck the whole thing in, some let the strings hang out.
Why only during the day?
The Torah says “you shall see it,” and the Sages understood this as a daytime mitzvah (Menachot 43a).
Your family’s way
Many Ashkenazim who wear a large tallit at prayers do not bless separately on the tallit katan. Ask your rabbi which applies to you.
The inner dimension
Rashi’s interpretation: the word tzitzit equals 600 in Hebrew letters; add 8 strings and 5 knots and you get 613 — all the mitzvot (Rashi on Bamidbar 15:39).
Try on a tallit katan this week — many shuls have one to give.
These are general guidelines. Customs differ between communities, and for a personal question, ask a rabbi you trust.