(37) The LORD said to Moses as follows: (38) Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. (39) That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the LORD and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. (40) Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God. (41) I the LORD am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I, the LORD your God.
וזכרתם את כל מצות ה׳ AND YE SHALL REMEMBER ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD — The ציצית will remind one of all the commandments because the numerical value of the letters of the word ציצית is six hundred, and there are eight threads and five knots in the fringes, so that you have six hundred and thirteen, which is also the number of the commandments of the Torah.
It is taught in another baraita: The verse states: “That you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord” (Numbers 15:39). This indicates that once a person is obligated in this mitzva of ritual fringes, he is obligated in all of the mitzvot. The Gemara comments: And this is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, who says that ritual fringes are a positive, time-bound mitzva. It is taught in another baraita: The verse states: “That you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord”; this teaches that this mitzva of ritual fringes is equivalent to all the mitzvot of the Torah. And it is taught in another baraita: The verse states: “That you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them.” This teaches that looking at the ritual fringes leads to remembering the mitzvot, and remembering them leads to doing them. And Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai says: Anyone who is diligent in this mitzva of ritual fringes merits receiving the Divine Presence. It is written here: “That you may look upon it [oto]” (Numbers 15:39), and it is written there: “You shall fear the Lord your God; and Him [oto] shall you serve” (Deuteronomy 6:13).
(א) כְּסוּת שֶׁחַיָּב אָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהּ צִיצִית מִן הַתּוֹרָה הִיא כְּסוּת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ אַרְבַּע כְּנָפַיִם אוֹ יוֹתֵר עַל אַרְבַּע. וְתִהְיֶה מִדָּתָהּ כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ רֹאשׁוֹ וְרֻבּוֹ שֶׁל קָטָן הַמִּתְהַלֵּךְ לְבַדּוֹ בַּשּׁוּק וְאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ אַחֵר לְשָׁמְרוֹ וְלֵילֵךְ עִמּוֹ. וְתִהְיֶה הַכְּסוּת שֶׁל צֶמֶר אוֹ שֶׁל פִּשְׁתָּן בִּלְבַד:
(1) The garment in which one is bound by scriptural enactment to insert fringes, is a garment that has four corners or more than four corners; its dimensions must be sufficient to cover the head and greater portion of the body of a child that walks by itself in the street and does not need any one to watch it and accompany it; furthermore the garment has to be of wool or linen.
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 Hagadol).
(יב) גְּדִלִ֖ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ עַל־אַרְבַּ֛ע כַּנְפ֥וֹת כְּסוּתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּכַסֶּה־בָּֽהּ׃ (ס) (יג) כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֖ישׁ אִשָּׁ֑ה וּבָ֥א אֵלֶ֖יהָ וּשְׂנֵאָֽהּ׃
(12) You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself. (13) A man marries a woman and cohabits with her. Then he takes an aversion to her.
(ט) (ט) ליקח לו ציצית - פי' ליקח לו בגד של ד' כנפות ולהטיל בו ציצית כדי לחנכו במצות. ושיעור טליתו כתב בפמ"ג בסי' ט"ז ובדרך החיים שהוא כדי להתעטף בו ראשו ורובו שלו ומשערינן בקטן עצמו שמתעטף בו לפי גדלו ולפי קטנו ואם יש בו זה השיעור אז צריך אביו להטיל בו ציצית ולברך עמו ואם אין בו זה השיעור אין מברכין עליו:
(י) (י) לחנכו - כ"ז דוקא כשלא הגיע עדיין לי"ג אבל מי"ג ואילך חייב בציצית כגדול ומ"ש בדרשות מהרי"ל בהלכות נשואין שנוהגין שגם נערים גדולים אין מתעטפים בציצית עד שנושאין להם נשים וסמכו להן אקרא דכתיב גדילים תעשה לך וסמיך ליה כי יקח איש אשה הוא דבר תמוה דעד שלא ישא אשה יהיה יושב ובטל ממצות ציצית:
(10) All this only applies when he has not yet reached the age of thirteen, but from the age of thirteen onwards he is obligated to fulfil the mitzvah of tzitzit as a grown person. It is written in the Drashos Maharil, in the laws of marriage, that it is the practice for grown youths not to wrap themselves with tzitzit until they have married women. They ascribe this to the implication of the verses. For it is written "You should make for yourself tassles," and close to this verse it is written,"If a man takes a wife." This is a surprising statement, for it is unthinkable that a person should sit idly neglecting the mitzvah of tzitzit, as long as he has not yet married a woman.
(ו) וכן ראוי להתעטף בציצית לפני התפילה, מפני שהפרשה השלישית של קריאת שמע עוסקת במצוות הציצית, וראוי לאומרה תוך שמקיימים את מצוות הציצית. ונוהגים בעת אמירת קריאת שמע לאחוז את הציציות ולנשקן פעמים מספר (עיין בהמשך טו, יא). ואף שגם בטלית קטן מקיימים את מצוות ציצית, נוהגים להוסיף ולהתעטף בטלית גדול לכבוד תפילת שחרית. אמנם לפני הנישואין, רוב יוצאי אשכנז נוהגים להסתפק בטלית קטן, ורק לאחר החתונה מתחילים להתעטף בטלית גדול בתפילת שחרית.
(6) Likewise, it is proper to put on one’s tzitzit before prayer because the third paragraph of Keriat Shema discusses the mitzvah of tzitzit and it is appropriate to recite it while actually fulfilling the mitzvah of tzitzit. It is also customary to hold the tzitziyot and kiss them a number of times while reciting Keriat Shema (see further in this book 15:11). Even though the mitzvah of tzitzit can be fulfilled by wearing a “tallit katan” (tzitzit), it is also customary to put on a “tallit gadol” (tallit) in honor of the Shacharit prayer. However, before marriage, most Ashkenazim suffice with wearing a tallit katan. Only after they marry do they begin to wear a tallit gadol for Shacharit.