For donations Click Here

Does a very wide scarf need tzitzis or a rounded corner?

Question:

I am buying some fleece fabric to make long & wide scarves for the family. The bolt of fabric is 60 inches wide (152 cm). That would be the width of the scarf. How many inches “deep” can I cut the scarves so as not to require tzitzis or rounding the corner? I would like to make them 20 inches (51 cm)

They would be worn in two ways:

1. Around the back of the neck, with the remaining fabric wrapping around the chest

2. Over the top of the head, like a hood, with the remaining fabric wrapped around the chest.

Answer:

You do not have to round one of the corners of the scarf even if you will cut it 20 inches wide, (which is more than a square amah in front and back). Scarfs nowadays generally do not have to have tzitzis on them for a number of reasons. One is because all four corners are meant to be in the front, and a garment is only obligated in tzitzis if the way it is worn is two corners in the front and two in the back. Secondly, the scarf is going to be worn while folded, so it isn’t considered as being amah wide. Aside from this, although the left over material will drape on the chest, the scarf is meant to cover the neck or the head, and not the body. Therefore it doesn’t need tzitzis.

Best Wishes

 

Sources:

Biur Halacha O;CH D:H Sudar, Piskei Teshuvos 10-11.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *