NEW SERIES (Part 5) In-depth Analysis of the Mitzva of Tzitzit with Rabbi Aryeh Grossnass

[Music] You see your tomorrow [Music] Good evening. We're going to go back to the last show which we discussed which was an awful long time ago, two weeks ago. Um we're carrying on the topic. We know titsis is an obligation when we have a garment which has four corners. So it's quite straightforward. You get a garment, you go to the shop, judicial shop and you buy yourself a pair of tits. But the issue is when we look in our cupboards, our closet and we see that there's lots of things which look like they should be and titus. We discussed two weeks ago a how do you say in America in English it's called a cardigan. Thank you for being here. Sweater, huh? Button down sweater. Not button down. And like you could it could be button down but basically it's straight to the top and goes like this. So usually it's got a zipper. So it's a it's a corner at the bottom. Real corner at the bottom and real corner at the top. So again you have 1 2 3 4. That's your classic case of titsus. Why why aren't you titus? That's what we discussed in the last year. We gave numerous reasons the mamm is to be made. Um, I shared a story with my friend who went to yeshiva for the first time. He was 15 years old and he had been shopping with his mother. It's called we we always make fun of it. Before you go to yeshiva, you go for like a month and then you come home and it's like for the last you know what is it July just before tab you go for a month just to get a taste of you know to get your feet wet and then you go back for the for the year. So we called, if you look on their shirts, you got, you know, they've just taken their shirts out the packet. They're white shirts. It's called FS creases, you know, cuz Ephes that that they're not in the first shirt. They're not a I love they're in effs. It's got ES creases. This guy had his FS creases on. And it was a little bit cold. Don't ask me why. I don't know why he's wearing a jumper. Then he put his jumper on, his his cardigan. Some older guy who's been the issue for 3 years comes over to say, "Do you know you could be titus in this? He said he was shaking in his boots, you know, come to Yeshiva, not so he went over to the mag and the mag says the shil which we discussed. He said if you really want to be get out of all problems, he said give your cardigan to your friend then it doesn't belong to you. If you borrow a garment, you're not in only if it's yours. After 30 days, but that's only a that's a big shel really. So just, you know, you'll you'll be okay if it's only that was the sh we discussed last week, two weeks ago. I'd like to discuss another two cases. One of them is very very common. The other one less so. If you turn to the second page, I tried to put a picture of a graduation hat. It's actually quite a bad picture. Um, I think in color would look better. A graduation hat. It comes down over here and it's like this. It's got a square. Why is that notus? Why is it not? What do you think? What do you mean? What? Oh. I never even thought of that. It's not the right sh. It's true. It sits as a sh We're going to discuss that. It's actually quite complicated what the sh is. Big makers. That's definitely not in the right sh. Okay. So, I posted on there's nothing to discuss. A graduation cap, doesn't it's probably not bigger than this. I've actually never seen it in real life. Seen it? Never. Never graduated anything. Um it's not very big. So, it doesn't have the But Rab Pon just before the sh said a more relevant shila would be these big Mexican hats. I think in Australia they have bigger hats than the Mexicans. I'm not joking. They have massive hats. What's the word? What? Mexican hats. They're bigger. Have you seen Australian hats? Double hats. I don't know what they're called. I heard they have really big hats. They're for the sun. So Mexicans are bigger. See, it's a very wide hat. What happens if they made it um square? Rectangle. What's going to be the D? So on the last source, source number four, we're starting uh backwards today because I decided really it should have been the other way around. This is the BF. Bus brings up this interesting is a hatus over it's written it's written a hatus is not royalis you do not put situs on it in a in a bryson son. This a free have a excludes excludes it. That's right. It says is really referring to a clothing something that you're wearing. So says the comes to tell you not a hat. So however big your hat is, you can have a massive hat. If it's got four corners, do not worry. Yes. You're from Mexico, aren't you? Okay. So, do they actually wear those hats or is it just on PUM? They wear them. Well, they don't in the city. They don't. It's probably more of a country countryside type of thing they wear. Okay. It's like England, you know, wherever I go. Would you like tea and crumpets? I don't remember. Tea. I do have I have to own up crumpets. Not really. So, yes. So, you don't need to worry about your hats. Now that's a very important thing. What it is is a turban. Oh, so if you have like a very large I don't know what they call piece of pot, you know, piece of uh cloth that's the right size but it's wrapped around. Is that what mus is? Um that's definitely in the mishko. It definitely was. And I would think it's also part of don't know how it would come out in four corners. What? Cuz it's stuffed in. You saying uh when it's unraveled it's for corn if it's rectangular. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. I think it's also potter cuz it's it's not a it's not a beard according to the bio. So it'll be left. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Now this one is very very common and for some reason we've never ever seen anyone put tits on it but we need to understand why. a scarf. Um, now after sha, it's not really in season. My plan was to bring some scarves today cuz there's different types of scarves. Would have had to gotten it. I had to get it out from underneath the bed, but I forgot. I think I like a scarf. I think it was instances. Yeah. Okay. A scarf. It was a scarf on a shape in the of a very wide letter. Sounds sounds quite Is there a difference between a scarf and a shaw? Shaw. Oh, a shawl meaning it goes shaw more goes over your body. This is this is a fight which I just had just before the sh like about 7:00 with somebody and I really wasn't sure. It's about 20 minutes ago. I called a different rabbi. He also said that I'm wrong. So, you know, lay there. I think I think it's but let's let's see. Let's go through it. Let's go through it. is a scarf m in sitsus. This is a million-dollar question. We need to understand it. I just brought the part of the b that is ready discussing the question. He spends a long time sorry the front page. Yeah, this is the front page. Source number one. He spends a long time asking the question. He says he's seen some people who did put titas on it, right? He says but most people don't put titas on it. It goes through backwards and forwards. Let's see. He's going to say three reasons and let's see which reasons we can use if any. Um, no. Let's start with the next one. Go down. Go down seven lines for F. Good. Seven lines. It's one line. One word in the for we're discussing why Lawrence we're discussing why scarves aren't situs four corners most scarves have four corners that's the question says the may the reason why we patter it we do not call it a garment something which is lavish which is clothing you or it if it's wrapped around you these scarves you place it upon you you don't really it's not really something you wear you don't wear a scar it's around you it's on you and he quotes the mudk we discussed this mk when we when we we discussed a um how do you call it a blanket if you have a blanket it's got four corners Why don't you put scissors on a blanket, Alicia? Why don't you put scissors on a blanket? It was because we said last week that there are certain garments that it's or something. Oh, that was one reason. But the some shas would hold you still. So I think it was David, he he suggested and that's what the MK says that something which isn't a it's just something you put on you, you're not sit. So this is what he wants to suggest over here. A scarf is not something you put on. This is where it gets a shawl. It makes sense if you're talking about a shawl. You don't really wear it. It's not so much something you wear. You place it upon you. Guess there's different types of shaws. You might have a problem with it since it's really a shaw. You're only wearing it over. Interesting. Interesting. They call it prayer shaw. Pray. That's what they call it. No. Why is it you have all over here? He says when you wrap it, you are only in a way of wearing or wrapping, right? So wrapping is wrapping. So I mean when we put on our you do a real wrapping, right? Yeah, you have to wrap it around your head. You you do all that. But is only I guess you have to know, you really have to understand the practically how you put on the scarf, the style and fashion of the scarf. If it's one that your men are wrap it around you properly, I don't think this would apply. Just thinking the way I wear my scarfs, very tightly wrapped around you. I wonder if you can use it. It's one of these that you just I don't know, you put it around one side. You're wrapping it to keep your neck warm or to guard your neck. You're not wearing it. Well, you could be as for Okay. That's what I'm saying. Yeshiva style. You put it on, you go like that. That's it. Right. Right. So that that I think the the would apply. That's what we'll be talking about. But if you're putting on, you know, these people like myself, you know, you put it on, it's really cold outside, you go out, you you want to get walking with a sore throat, so you put you really put it I wonder if you if you put it really tight around your neck. I don't know if you can say the I wonder that's called just placing it upon you. I don't know. Okay, that's the first reason the bas brings is that when are you only if you're wearing it or it's wrapped around you. But if it's just placed upon you like some shawls, some scarfves, they're just placed upon you, you know, you just sling it back, that won't be situs. And that is the first reason. His second reason is in bold. It's about halfway down. We can give another reason. The main reason why we wear scarves is to wrap it around our neck because it's cold to pop and put it on your head when it's hot. We started off asking is a hat. We said the hat isn't we use it in the summer just as a as a hat to protect you from the sun. We use it to around your r she says around your ridge like a balaclava. I remember once I was in my mind my masle I don't know how I managed it was 20 maybe 17. I'm sure you can check out. It was the coldest winter in something like 30 years or something like that. There was snow on the ground for a good 3 months, right? Canadians used to come from England. We see snow once every 2 three years for like for like 2 three days, right? And then it's gone. Oh, it was so cold and Monty in order to walk to Shabas meal. Shabas meal is minimum 20 minutes away. Everything's very spread out. To walk out to Shabas, I'll never forget it. You needed the balaclava. Like my cheeks hurt from from the Yeah, it was really really really cold. So this is what he's talking about. Those days they use the scarf in the heat to cover yourself with some shade apparently. I don't know maybe it's stuck out like a cap or in the winter to wrap around your neck and to wrap around your head. So says the bas if you're wearing it like that that's like a hat that's like a garment for your head. A garment for your head we said right at the beginning of the sh is not only if it's for your body a a a garment for your body. Okay, that's his second reason. So, so far, could we use any of these reasons in our days? We said the mudra maybe cuz if you really wrapping the scarf good around you, we can't use the mud. And do we use a scarf around our head or for shade? I've never seen you. Have you? They cover their head like that with a scarf. Some kind of fashion they do. Uh-huh. Okay. Is are you related to that type of fashion? Would you say you'd wear it like that? achieve a kind of uh fashion week. I don't know it. Look, if if that's the way they're doing it, then then maybe a Potter. But I I think in our days, you know, if you open a magazine and you're looking for a for a scarf, I don't think you'll see them advertise, you know, around the head like that. I'm telling you, they won't sell anything, right? That's not how they wear it. So, so what right? So I don't So so far it's unclear if we can use any of these reasons. Let's have a look at his third reason which he's bringing. This one is a very interesting one. Times have definitely changed. This is from the last is three lines down. I will tell you another reason why a scarf is not the main reason why we wear these scarves. We use it you know. So the one of these multi- um multi-purpose use use things, right? Which we definitely don't do. What is it? Liter tie money in it. The olden days, you have you seen how they tied up money? Yeah. Fancy wallets. They they got like some type of material, put all their coins in there, wrapped it up with um some type of uh string, and there there you had it. Litra, you had a little um wallet. That's how they brought their fruit home from the shop. Sorry about this. To wipe your sweat. Apparently, they used it to wipe the sweat. They used it as a belt when they're doing heavy work. They used it to dry their hands. To to hold things with. Okay. And he says that's how it's called. That's why it's called in a different language. Um something cuz it's like that. Okay. Handkerchief. A but we're talking about something that goes around your neck. You know, I think it's something else. Yeah. Shar. This suda is called it's a lotion of strength. Okay, fine. He carries on. He says, "So the we we look at a scarf as just something to make you warm, something stylish." Says basically you got it all wrong. This is a major tool. Take it with you wherever you go. If you're hot, you've got you've got, you know, something to wipe your bro with it. If you have gone shopping and you didn't bring your bag with you, you've got your shaw, you've got your scarf, put your things in it, pick it up, you walk home, says the says, "It's not only a scarf. It's not only a garment," he carries on. Even though you have pleasure when it's hot from the sun, it's going to shield you when it's raining. You can put it over [Music] you since the main reason you have the scarf is not for that. It's a multi-purpose tool. It's not as a garment. Therefore, we don't give it the same um the same evaluation, the same as something which is a garment. See, even though we do wear it, we do. They did definitely wore a scarf. There's no question about it, but we don't give it that of a beet. Unbelievable. Okay. Now, we need to be honest with ourselves and we need to really say what what do we use a scarf for nowadays? Can we can we use any of these excuses? How do we get away with it? We also have to make sure that this scarf we're talking about if you have a very thin scarf it's unclear if it'll be you know really the regular scarfves don't know if that'll be because has to be a certain amount wide and a certain amount long so it's definitely long enough right I think a thin one should be fine because it has to be a certain wide it has to be a certain width but some of them you can get they're very wide very very wide so those those are ones we're definitely talking about. I've brought in source number two. Um this is the says a scarf is going to be potter. Okay. Scarf is going to be potter. Who wrote the uh the who's the also the same the same person who wrote the BF. He just made like a easy um safer which he called a set table. A set table. He wants to make it very clear easy. I've heard many times that there are that he gives that's not the same as what's written in the convert. That could be yes there are sometimes steers. So he quote he says it's why cuz he's just told us his three reasons why it's we saw in his other saf but does it apply nowadays? Let's have a look in the source number three is just after the quoted this which we had a look at and he says according to this according to what I have just quoted in our areas so we're going back about 80 years maybe maybe 100 years where we 20 yeah maybe 100 years close close to 100 years in Raden right in what was it in in Lithuania or Poland? In Lithuania, I think it was I think it was Bellarus the borders you know changed moved many times. Okay. Apparently this was trending then it's gone around newly to put on a big piece which was about or bigger on your on their shoulders. So nowadays it's come back fashionable to wear this shaw/scarfession. It doesn't have any of those reasons. Babasali. Oh, what Baba wore also went on his body, didn't it? as well. So if it went on his body and ro of his body, a lot of it. So it covered his head, but then it went down. So if it went down, then it were going to go back to being a garment as I I left out that shirt. But he see discusses that if you have a hat, he had this. It covered his head, a hood. That's right. But then it comes down once it's coming down a good amount down your body, it's called a garment. That's right. But he's any corners. Yeah. It's Yeah. So if it didn't have any corners, you're good to go. Um, so he's talking about in his days. So this was this was my little argument with somebody, but apparently I'm I'm wrong. It's fine. That uh this this that went on their shoulders. It wasn't just a scarf that went around the neck. It was also went on their shoulders. It was also something that that came out more like a shaw. Okay. says that we don't have any of the reasons to get us out of he says but so maybe some of the other reasons he says it has to be worn and not on top of you so this shaw you don't really wear it's just placed on top of you covered we saw two weeks ago that there's a difference if you're wearing something for covered it's like an honorable garment but it's not necessarily keeps you warm or not necessarily, you know, you want to wear it cuz it's it's just something look looks nice. Yeah. Something for your your status, show who you are. It's not there for to keep you cool or or warm. Maybe it could be such a thing. There are lots who argue with this like someone who is got fear of heaven. He should make one of the corners round. Yeah. Now rea everyone's getting nervous. I see you're mad. I'm taking my scarf. I'm making it round. So let's differentiate. spoke to Tur Bonum because I was a bit confused if it's talking about our scarves which our scarves don't really drape down on the body so much. We put it around our neck more of a neck thing. They told me if it's only on if it's our scarves which are made for your neck and that's that's the main purpose of it. It's fine cuz it doesn't cover a lot of your body. That's what they told me. Yeah, that's what they thought. So fine. So, our scarves I think were okay, but there are some types of scarfves. They're very, very wide and thick. I've even seen I on saw one at the beginning of this winter like a very thick one. It's clearly made. It's meant to come down or a shaw. A shaw which every person keeps on talking about. A shaw. What? Poncho. Poncho. Yeah, that's But that's men don't really wear ponchos so much. Yeah, but you get the the raincoats, you know, the rain coats called a poncho fashion on layers. The old like a gadget. It has like ranges to it. I don't I don't recognize it, but uh bring a picture. Okay. So, so if we're talking about a shaw or like a very big scarf which is meant to come down, that's that's where we're getting dodgy. So we've been through lots of different heretarium which there are out there. There is what to be so but some of them are more tricky than others. If you if you get one if you ever wearing a shaw or a very very big scarf which is meant to come down the easy way is to just give it to somebody else and you wear it. I mean you say you give it to him as a present or you make it hea. You say this is hea belongs to anybody. Don't don't say it loud. Yeah because then someone might come take your scarf. So if it doesn't belong to you, you're not mit and sits if it belongs to you. So if you give it to somebody else and he lets you wear it after 30 days, you need to put on sit as dabon. But because there's so many kus already cuz there's what to rely on, you're okay. That is I think enough discussed about tricky different um garments which could be. Now we are going to go on to the next topic. The next topic is looking into this is preparing for Mitsm the factory tour looking into making titsus and there's a very uh important thing to know about making tits which is the of this of comes in many different mitzvah that means when you make certain mitzvah when you makein some parts ofin when you're making some parts of cif to um when you're baking mats don't think so don't think so when you write the shashem I think you need to have any say for writing hashem the of lashma means you're doing it for the mitzvah and no other reason you have in mind that you're doing it for the mitzvah so there's which stages es of tits need to be lushma. So we're going to explain the process of making tits. It goes like this. I know cows have names like Bessie, Daisy, Daisy, but do sheep Do sheep have names? I'm not familiar with that. Cows does names. Only cows. Why is it Why can't sheep have names? That's really That's not fair. Well, you have to ask the I've never heard of sheep having names. What? the pig. Okay, let's let's let's get a sheep. Animal farm. Animal farm from George, I think. Let's take a sheep. Oh, we're in a basement. Let's call him Kimo. Oh, sorry. Let's pick a different name. Um, barrel. Barrel the sheep. You got barrel the sheep. Okay. I did ask somebody who has worked in a moshav if he can get me some wool from a sheep. Tommy's going to try his best because, you know, to to understand what it means to get wool straight off a sheep. What? Raw wool that hasn't been treated. We have our titsus over here. It's been through a very long process. First, is he going to clean this for you first? No, I don't want him to clean it. I want it exactly as it is. He told me he couldn't get it for this Sunday. Maybe for next Sunday, we'll be able to have it. Yeah. How much you getting? We can't steal it. You can just run over and quickly chop off a sheet. How much is he giving you? I'm sure it's not going to be a lot. It cost money. Anyway, we've got Barrel the sheep and you take it and you chop off some of the wool. When you get the wool, it's coarse, it's fluffy, and it's dirty, right? So, I'm sure part of the process is washing it cuz you don't want all the thorns and everything inside it. You cut it off. That is not part of the process of titsus yet. There's another stage. The next stage is combing it. Yeah, combing it is not yet part of the process of titus. It's wool treat. It's called treating the wool. Right. That could be different chemicals and stuff to make it soft. Now, once it's combed and you have it very fine, you have them. That means the the the different strands are apart. Then there's another part is when you're making it. It's a ball. It's like a fluff. It's fluff. It's not really You can't use it as a as a what's it called? as a thread. They do something called means spinning it. Spinning it in order to make it into a thread. This is the first part of means you're spinning it to get it into a thread. That is the first stage. And according to everybody that has to be done, okay? Has to be done for sitsus. There could be many things. Let's say you have a wool factory and you have your corner which is a frimer tit's part the place next to them is making jumpers sweatshirts right so you need to make sure that when you're getting your wool it's not from the part that they're making your sweatshirt from because it has to be done thema can you do something through a machine [Music] right Yeah, you could. Sure. Yeah. What do you mean? I'm not doing it. Why is it my action? You're using a mechanical device. No. If it's doing everything for I'm pressing a button. Press a button. It starts taking stuff and making it then. No. But if it's if you're using a a device, if you're using like one of these hand sewing machines or whatever it is, so then so the whole time it's you stop Delicia. If you're pressing a button, they're not. But if the whole time you're pressing something uping the machine. Uhhuh. Okay. Okay. What do you think? But I think the person has to start it uh pressing the button. No, they have to start it uh doing it manually and set the he wants to say that no that you and and then even with a button. It's okay. You think? Yeah. You have to say you have to the intention install today. Well, I've got news for you. Tell me what matzahas did you have for pes? I work in a matzah factory. Great. What matzas did you eat in pes and ask? I I know. Was it machine or was it hand? It was a hand. It's only hand only hand. What about you? Hmur. What about you? Provided both from the first night. We just had hand. Just had hands. What about you? Hand on the first. Okay. I have only machine. That's my minute. Only machine. But there's a mitzvah. In order to have matzah, it has to be done. It's a machine. That's a good question. Next week continue now again. No, no, no. We're not going to get there. Has to be done by I don't believe they do it by machine. I don't think anyone does a B machine they do by machine lots of people do. It's not it's not made textile factories are pretty much automated and correct but not the titus titus I actually saw some pictures. It's very interesting to see what they're doing. They have I should I should get the pictures or maybe we should just wait to go there. A wheel like a bike wheel and he's got a pedal. He goes like this and that turns all the relevant things that needs to be turned. You have a guy there all day like this turning it and that's what's making it happen because you need it done through a yard. What very strong? He probably by the time he finishes working there. That's right. Okay. So the first stage which is called which is making the soft fluffy stuff into a thread. There's another part called shazer. If you take a look at your titsus, you will notice that they are intertwined. It's not just one thread. They're intertwined. It's called shazer. They are mixed together. You take one and another one and you make them intertwined with each other. That's called shazer. The raam holds you don't need to do shazira. Everyone else most hold you do and it has to be the raom holds it doesn't need to be the raom. Only thing that needs to be is which is uh making into a thread. The next stage is you have your bag and it has a hole in the corner. You need to put the thread through it. To do that, that is another stage of sitsus. That also needs to be lush. The next one is making your first knot. That also has to be lush. You need to make a one circle around it. That also has to be and then another not the rest is in your name is nice things which we do and we should carry on doing but that is what needs to be done those stages according to everybody according to the Ram is the only thing needs and then after that you have which is intertwining that you have two together followed by putting it through the hole. followed by making a knot, making a second knot, uh making a a a ring around it and a second knot. That is what has to be done. That is what has to be made. There is one which already the combing has to be done. The that is a bit of a even the combing is it specific? What do you mean by that? Is combing it? It's something that is only done by status. No, it's part of the part of the process in order to make it fine and that you can work with. It's not specific towards the product that you're creating. Correct. So then there's probably right you're asking why you're asking why why should it be why? What's it to do with Can I ask you what's to do with titsus? What's what's making it a threat to do with tits? And that's that's we said all the cleaning and the combing before is all about treating the wool. We used the word tuning. Correct. Correct. But once you start preparing it for specific measurements, specific measurements and certain targets and you start to target the wall to a certain direction and that's preparing delicing it is already why are you combing it? What's wrong with fluffy? Have you ever seen a a fluffy wool u um what's it called? Cushion. What's wrong with that? It's stuffed up with with with balls of wool. What's your issue when you're combing it? Why are you combing it? Cuz you're trying to make it fine that you want to deal with it. Alisha, I'm arguing with you. Why not? No. Once once it it's targeted combing it could also be targeted for for tits. No. No. No. Okay. Look, what can I tell you? Most of most of the sham agree with you and that is the mik. The mik is not to be m on the combing. If you walk into store they will say do you want nip lash or do you want the combing or it cost an extra 11 shekel maybe another 20 shekele in the more expensive stores. Yeah, depending where you go. In the place where I go, every time I walk in, depending on my mood, I usually get only 11. I'm looking for I'm looking for what do you say? I'm looking for someone that are extra extra extra thick. Ah, I don't know. So that is with nippets, but the more says you could be MLE. So nippets is not really taken on that. You need nippets needs to be um and then putting it in the beggard. We have a lot a lot to discuss. Can you get a guy to do it? You tell the guy you're not doing this for fashion. You're doing this for tits. Why can't you have that in mind? Why not? You have a guy. I'm telling you what to do. So you say, uh John, do me a favor. You're working in my factory. standing on the oven and I think I can't do it. But that's a whole different reason. That's a whole different reason. That's a whole different reason that you don't a guy cooking for you. You don't I get too friendly with them. Alicia, what do you think? Can you get a to do something that needs you have a dinner? Can you have a go working in your factory? A lot cheaper in Israel to get to get Arabs working for you. You tell them, "Muhammad, listen to me. Ahmed, we're making this for a mitzvah. Make sure you have in mind that this is Lisma, right? Can you do that? Can you Can a lady make tits? Can she have a man? What's wrong? Why can't a lady make? Can a cotton make tits? All these according to the Rambam, it's only by the according to everyone else. It's by most of the stages of tits. Putting it through which is very irrelevant. putting it through um making the first knot. All this we are going to discuss next week, the week after and the mitzm in the next 2 3 weeks we should be going to the factory to see it all live. You see my birthday [Music]