Q: Are we obligated to wear tzitzit throughout the day? I see some Jews who have them dangling from
beneath their shirts all day.
A: The biblical mitzvah for
wearing tzitzit to be attached to the
“corners of your garments.” Modes of
dress have radically changed throughout the centuries, certainly since the time
of the Patriarchs. Generally, people no
longer wear four-cornered clothes. Hence
the obligation of wearing tzitzit all day long does not
apply.
In its place Jews wrap themselves
in a tallit each day in order to fulfill the mitzvah.
If one were to wear clothes
that had four corners the law (halacha)
was demand that we attach tzitzit to
them. There are many Jews who, eagerly wanting
to fulfill God’s mitzvot, will put on a four cornered undershirt with tzitzit attached to them to both mete
out God’s word as well as be reminded of God throughout the day. This undergarment is called a tallit katan, literally a small tallit.
