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Do tzitzit need to dangle? Can one use some velcro to pin the strings down along the side of the beged so that they don't dangle down and get in the way of things?

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Related: Wearing your tzitzis out? –  Shmuel Nov 29 '11 at 6:00

2 Answers 2

up vote 9 down vote accepted

No, they do not need to dangle. Many rabbis, including my Rosh Yeshiva, tuck their tzitzit under their belt to keep them neat and prevent them from ripping on nearby objects. In addition, letting them dangle could be considered "undignified" and "shlumpy." Rabbi Menachem Posner of Chabad recommends "tucking them under your belt and then into your pants pockets. This way, they are still visible, but stay neat and tidy."

In addition, one is permitted to tuck his tzitzit into his pants. See Daily Halacha and this article on Hirhurim for details.

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In your examples they are still dangling off the beged. What if I attach them to the beged itself as in my quesiton? –  Double AA Nov 29 '11 at 17:35
Oh. Interesting. I'm not sure, but it makes sense that as long as they're not permanently sewn into that position, and are properly tied and knotted, it shouldn't be a problem. You should really ask your LOR. –  Shmuel Nov 29 '11 at 19:21
@DoubleAA In your question, as far as I can tell, you are not attaching the actual Tzitzis to the begged. You are simply using velcro to keep the Tzitzis in place. Seems no worse than a belt. –  yydl Nov 29 '11 at 20:49
@yydl true my intention was if one of the sides of the velcro was sewn to the back of the beged. –  Double AA Nov 29 '11 at 21:30
@DoubleAA Yep. So the velcro is sewn. The tzitzis are still technically their own entity. –  yydl Nov 29 '11 at 21:32

Of course there are plenty of opinions that allow you to tuck tzitzit into your pants, but it is not universally accepted. In Az Nidberu, HaRav Zilber zt"l wrote a very forceful tshuva saying you cannot tuck tzitzit in, and those who cite the Arizal misunderstood him!

I doubt that tzitzit have to dangle, but it seems to me they should. I vaguely recall a halacha regarding tangled tzitzit (the Gra is machmir on this) being problematic and the terminology of tzitzit tying -- the knotted section is called the gid and the rest is called the anaf -- seems to imply the tzitzit should dangle.

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Can you cite the Az Nidb'ru? –  msh210 Jan 11 '12 at 15:43

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