Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nope. I wore 'em too, when I was Reform. smile In fact, I still have a whole lot of them somewhere.



It isn't weird to wear them if you're wearing them for the Biblically-stated purpose of reminding you of the mitzvot and enticing yourself to keep more of them. It's very un-weird, and very admirable.



My best friend says that her son only has about five, and her husband has about seven or eight. They are, I should add, notoriously short on funds. Personally, in an ideal situation, I'd have about a dozen if possible, so that one could have enough to wear every day of the week, even if it's a Yom Tov with two days at the beginning and end, both of which are preceded or followed by Shabbat, in case you can't get the laundry done more often. But start with just one and wear it on Shabbat, and see how you do. If you decide to keep wearing tzitzit, you can always buy one more each month until you feel that you have enough. Or buy three, and then every three months add more, if you don't want to pay shipping costs every single month.



COTTON. Polyester makes you sweat more, and it makes your sweat stink more. Actually, look into the Perf-Tzit and the NeaTzit -- they're halachically valid and permissible, and very comfortable. Remember that you'll be wearing an undershirt beneath them, though, to keep the sweat off them so you don't have to launder them every single time you wear them. A little Febreeze and/or hanging them up in a ventilated room will work wonders.



Wash in Woolite, by hand, in the sink. The shirt may not be quite that delicate, but the fringes can get really tangled and messy looking. If they break shorter than a certain length (ask your local halachic authority, i.e. rabbi), they become posul (halachically invalidated) and must be cut off and given to your synagogue for burial. To keep the fringes from fraying, dip the very tips into a little clear nail polish. Make sure you dip ONE tip, let it dry fully for an hour or so, then dip another tip, and keep the dipped tip away from the others so it doesn't stick. Yes, this is the voice of comical but expensive experience.



See above. smile



Depends. Are you going to wear the tzitzit out so that they're visible to the whole world, or inside your trousers so that they're only 'visible' to you (and Hashem)? If they're inside, get whatever you want. If they're outside, getting the techelet could be a beautiful expression of faith, or it could be looked down upon as fanaticism, depending on the flavor of your local Jewish community.



Ashkenazim usually wear them out, though I know a few who tuck them away so that they don't get dirty, pulled by curious kids, or make them targets in the larger community of non-Jews. Sephardim usually wear them tucked away for the sake of efficiency and modesty, though I know a few who leave them out because they say the fringes tickle their legs. Do whatever you think best.

Just remember that, even more than a kippah, tzitzit will mark you as A JEW, and will call your behavior under even greater scrutiny, because you'll suddenly be representing "this is how Jews act."



Not nearly enough. wink



Nope. smile Unless you're bored. Then it's time to listen to something else for a bit, and go back when you miss him.



Jolly right!

You could try making your own Woolite-like washing solution, or use a regular liquid detergent (diluted, and hand-wash only), or even a mild shampoo. As long as you keep swishing it in the water for at least five or ten minutes, it'll do the job.

Fray-Check, which you can purchase at most fabric stores, may help the fringes not unravel.

DO NOT USE BLEACH. It would be fine for the cotton undershirt, but it would turn the white wool strings a dingy yellow-beige.

Can you afford to have them professionally cleaned every week or two? Because that's your other choice.

Or you could use soft-grip tongs to swish the garments around in the water. If you truly want to do a thing, you will find a way. If you don't, you won't.

THANK YOU! biggrin
Why couldn't Divash had made it sound that easy?

Cool story...I saw Matisyahu at a festival last summer and after his show he was walking around in the crowd and we walked past one another. He also hosted a Shabbat tent that I didn't go to because I was too nervous to hang out with Jews. whee

Good luck for you tzitzit Lummanny. I think it's a very admirable thing.

Alright, the Tzitzit undershirt just came in the mail. And there are washing instructions! blaugh


I can do that. And your 'best way' was not only complicated but also un-doable for someone with OCD.

So I've been wearing my Tzitzit undershirt, fringes tucked into my pants.

My Ulcerative Colitis is a problem, though. I have had... bowel accidents... before and I'm getting worried. Today I had a lot of stomach pain and I was so scared about the Tzitzit that I untucked them and then later took off the undershirt altogether.
Am I going to have to keep doing this????

I'm worried.
And G-d knows Divash won't come back after my last comment. Damn.