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Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 17
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Read the full text in the readerOrach Chayim Siman 17
Orach Chayim Siman 17 is a source-text unit from the Shulchan Arukh with 3 seifim. Its reading map separates the practical rule, its conditions and the points that need comparison with the surrounding text.
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Original text
<b>מי הם חייבין בציצית. ובו ג סעיפים:</b><br>אע"ג דכתיב וראיתם אותו סומא חייב בציצי' מפני שנתרבה מאשר תכסה בה וקרא דוראיתם אותו איצטרך למעט כסות לילה (ע"ל סי' י"ח):
Who Is Obligated in ציצית. Containing 3 Se'ifim: Even though [the verse] states "And you shall look upon it" (Numbers 15:39), a blind man is [still] obligated in ציצית since the [verse] of "that you cover with" (Deuteronomy 22:12) comes to include [a blind man]. And the verse of "And you shall look upon it" is needed to exclude a nighttime garment.
נשים ועבדים פטורים מפני שהיא מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא: הגה ומ"מ אם רוצים לעטפו ולברך עליו הרשות בידם כמו בשאר מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא [תוס' והרא"ש והר"ן פ"ב דר"ה ופ"ק דקידושין] אך מחזי כיוהרא לכן אין להן ללבוש ציצית הואיל ואינו חובת גברא [אגור סי' כ"ז] פי' אינו חייב לקנות לו טלית כדי שיתחייב בציצית. ולקמן בסימן י"ט אמר כשיש לו טלית מארבע כנפות ולובשו] טומטום ואנדרוגינוס חייבין מספק ויתעטפו בלא ברכה: [פי' טומטום לא נודע אם הוא זכר או נקיבה ואנדרוגינוס יש לו זכרות ונקבות] [הגה ולפי מה שנהגו נשים לברך במצות עשה שהזמן גרמא גם הם יברכו] [דברי עצמו]:
Women and slaves are exempt [from wearing tzitzit] because it is a time-dependent commandment. Rem"a: And if they wish to wrap [in tzitzit] and say the blessing on them it is up to them to do so as with all time-dependent commandments (Tosafot and the Rosh and the Ran, Chapter 2, Rosh Hashanah, First Chapter of Kiddushin). However, it looks as if they are doing it to appear more observant than others, therefore, they should not wear tzitzit, as it is not a commandment of the person [rather of the object] (Agur Section 27). [And for slaves] This means we do not have to buy him a tallit in order that he be required to wear tzitzit as we see in Chapter 19 it says when he has a shawl with four corners he should wear it.The requirement for a tumtum and an androgynous is doubtful and so they should wrap without a blessing (Explanation: a tumtum does not know whether he/she is male/female, and an androgynous has both male and female genitals).Rem"a: And since it is our custom that women should say the blessing when they fulfill time-dependent commandments so should they (Divrei Atzmo)
קטן היודע להתעטף אביו צריך ליקח לו ציצי' לחנכו הגה ודוקא כשיודע לעטוף ב' ציצית לפניו ושנים לאחריו [הגהת מיימוני פ"ג] ויודע לאחוז הציצית בידו בשעת ק"ש [מרדכי סוף פרק לולב הגזול]:
A child who knows enough to wrap in tzitzit must be taught by his father to wear them as part of his education. Rem"a: And in particular if the minor knows to put two tzitzit in front and two in the back (Notes of Maimuni Chapter 3) and knows to hold the tzitzit in his hand during the reading of the Shema (Mordechai, end of Chapter Lulav HaGazul).