בִּרְכַּת צִיצִית
Blessing on the Tzitzit
Check your tzitzit each morning to ensure they are not torn or knotted, and separate any strings that are tangled.
Do not say the following blessing if you are going to wear a tallit (prayer shawl) during Shacharit.
While saying this blessing, stand and hold the tzitzit in your right hand (or, if you are left-handed, in your left hand). After the blessing, kiss the tzitzit and release them.
On Tishah B'av, this blessing is said before Minchah.
Blessing on tzitzit
Hebrew
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ
הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ
בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל מִצְוַת צִיצִת:
Sephardi
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech
ha-olam, asher kidshanu
b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu al mitzvat tzitzit:
English
<b>Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us regarding the commandment of tzitzit.</b>
עֲטִיפַת טַלִּית
Putting on the Tallit
The Chabad custom is to put on the tallit and tefillin at אֵיזֶהוּ מְקוֹמָן, page 50
The Chabad custom is to wear a tallit only after one is married.
On Tishah B'av, the tallit and tefillin are worn during Minchah instead of Shacharit.
Before unfolding the tallit, place it over your right shoulder so that the tzitzit are positioned in front of you.
Say the following while checking the tzitzit to ensure they are not torn or knotted, and separate any strings that are tangled.
For illustrated instructions, see page 955.
Hebrew
בָּרְכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת יְיָ, יְיָ אֱלֹהַי
גָּדַלְתָּ מְאֹד, הוֹד וְהָדָר
לָבָשְׁתָּ: עוֹטֶה אוֹר כַּשַּׂלְמָה,
נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם כַּיְרִיעָה:
Sephardi
Barchi nafshi et Adonai, Adonai Elohai
gadalta me'od, hod vehadar
lavashta: oteh or kasalmah,
noteh shamayim kayeri'ah:
English
<b>My soul</b> should <b>bless the Lord. Lord, my God, You are very great.</b> From Your beautiful creations, I see how <b>glorious and beautiful You</b> are, just as a king is recognized by the royal clothes he <b>wears. God wraps light around Himself as</b> if it were a <b>garment. He stretches heaven</b> over the earth to cover it, as if it were a <b>curtain.</b>
Unfold the tallit and hold it over your head and upper body.
Immediately after concluding the blessing below, wrap yourself in the tallit.
Keep in mind that God commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tallit so that we should remember to keep all of His commandments.
Blessing on tallit
Hebrew
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ
הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ
בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהִתְעַטֵּף בְּצִיצִת:
Sephardi
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech
ha-olam, asher kidshanu
b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu lehit'atef b'tzitzit:
English
<b>Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us to wrap</b> ourselves <b>in</b> a garment that has <b>tzitzit</b> attached to it.
While wrapped in the tallit, say the following:
Hebrew
מָה יָּקָר חַסְדְּךָ אֱלֹהִים,
וּבְנֵי אָדָם בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ
יֶחֱסָיוּן: יִרְוְיֻן מִדֶּשֶׁן בֵּיתֶךָ,
וְנַחַל עֲדָנֶיךָ תַשְׁקֵם: כִּי
עִמְּךָ מְקוֹר חַיִּים, בְּאוֹרְךָ
נִרְאֶה אוֹר: מְשֹׁךְ חַסְדְּךָ
לְיֹדְעֶיךָ, וְצִדְקָתְךָ לְיִשְׁרֵי
לֵב:<sup>1</sup>
Sephardi
Mah yakar chasdecha Elohim,
uvnei adam b'tzel kenafekha
yechesayun: yirveyun mideshen beitecha,
venachal adanekha tashkem: ki
imcha mekor chayim, be'orekha
nireh or: meshokh chasdecha
leyode'ekha, vetzidkatekha leyishrei
lev:<sup>1</sup>
English
<b>God, how precious Your kindness is!</b> People take <b>cover in the shadow of Your wings</b> to protect themselves from their enemies. People <b>will be satisfied from Your good</b> blessings, which come <b>from Your home</b> in Heaven. <b>You will give them to drink</b> from the river of Your Garden of <b>Eden.</b> Your blessings will flow into the world like a river, for all to enjoy, <b>because the source of life is with You;</b> You give us life. When we look into Your holy <b>light</b>, we see the best <b>light</b> that exists. <b>Stretch out Your kindness to those who know You</b> and believe in You, <b>and give Your righteousness to those who have a fair heart,</b><sup>1</sup> to those who learn Torah and do good deeds.
Wear the tallit for the duration of Shacharit.
הָנָחַת תְּפִלִּין
Putting on the Tefillin
The Chabad custom is to put on the tallit and tefillin at אֵיזֶהוּ מְקוֹמָן, page 50.
For illustrated instructions, see page 955.
On Shabbat, festivals, and Chol Hamoed, tefillin are not worn. On Tishah B'av, the tallit and tefillin are worn during Minchah instead of Shacharit.
Stand while putting on tefillin.
Keep in mind that the tefillin contain passages from the Torah that describe God's Oneness and the Exodus from Egypt and that God commanded us to wear them so that we should remember His miracles, which show that He is One and all-powerful.
Additionally, keep in mind that we are commanded to wear the tefillin on the arm next to the heart, and on the head, corresponding to the soul (which is found in the mind), so that we may dedicate our heart and soul to God. By doing so we will remember God and minimize physical pleasures.
Place the hand-tefillin on the biceps of your left arm (or your right arm if you are left-handed), near the heart. While holding it in place, before tightening the strap, say the following blessing. (Have in mind that the blessing also applies to the head-tefillin.)
Blessing for the hand-tefillin
Hebrew
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ
הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ
בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהָנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין:
Sephardi
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech
ha-olam, asher kidshanu
b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu lehaniach tefillin:
English
<b>Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us to put on tefillin.</b>