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Siman 14 – Intent when making tsitsis/The borrowed tallis

  1. A boy of chinuch age can make tsitsis for himself and continue wearing them after bar mitzva as long as he knew that he made them lishma. (BeH “l’hatzrich”)
  1. Be careful, lechatchila, to say explicitly that you are hanging all the tsitsis for the sake of the mitzva of tsitsis. If you didn’t even think that you are doing it for the mitzva it is still kasher. (MB8 – BeH “lo”)
  1. If you say this before hanging the first tsitsis, the others can be hung without specifying any intent. (BeH “belo kavana”)
  1. If you borrow a tallis for davening, it’s best to ask the owner explicitly for a matana al menas lehachzir. The tallis will belong to you and you’ll be able to say a beracha. If you didn’t ask, rely on the majority of poskim who hold to say a beracha anyway. (MB11)
  1. If you borrow a tallis only for an aliya or to be chazzan or to use it for duchaning, do not say a beracha on it it’s best to have a specific intent not to acquire it and therefore not say a beracha according to all opinios. (MB11)
  1. When “borrowing” a shul tallis, it becomes yours al menas lehachzir. Therefore if you have kavana for the mitzva of wearing tsitsis and not merely for kavod hatzibur – you say a beracha on it even if wearing the tallis for being chazzan etc. (MB11 – BeH “sh’ohla”)
  1. Be most careful to return the tallis completely intact – otherwise you will not have fulfilled the mitzva because you will not have fulfilled the condition of al menas lehachzir. (MB12)
  1. You are allowed to use your friend’s tallis without permission under the following conditions:
  1. Fold it back in the same way (except for on Shabbos)
  2. don’t use it on a regular basis
  3. use it only in the place you found it
  4. the owner is not present to ask him. 

Do not say a beracha on it. (ShA4 – MB13,14,15)

  1. This also applies to tefillin. Sefarim, though, might rip so don’t use them without permission. (Rama 4)