At What Age Must a Child Begin Wearing Tzitzis and How Kosher Do They Need to Be?

Introduction

My dear son, Yosef Shalom, recently celebrated his third birthday and began wearing tzitzis. In honour of this milestone, I would like to dedicate this week's discussion to a fundamental question: At what age does a child become obligated to begin wearing tzitzis?

The widespread custom is for a child to begin wearing tzitzis from the age of three. Is this practice universally accepted, or do other opinions exist regarding the appropriate age at which to introduce a child to this mitzvah?

The Gemara, in several places, teaches that a child becomes obligated in tzitzis once he “knows how to wrap himself.” What precisely does this requirement entail, and at what age is a child generally considered to have attained this level of maturity?

If a child is still wearing diapers and is unable to keep himself clean, should he still wear tzitzis or should he wait?

What are the minimum size requirements for a child’s four-cornered garment? Given that young children frequently damage or break their tzitzis strings, what is required for the tzitzis to remain kosher, at least on a bedieved level? Furthermore, may pasul tzitzis be used for the purpose of fulfilling the obligation of chinuch?

Must a child be careful not to go out into a public domain on Shabbos while wearing pasul tzitzis?

These questions, together with many related issues, will be explored in the discussion that follows.

Aside from its personal relevance, this topic also bears a connection to this week’s parsha. Rashi, toward the end of the parshah (9:23), teaches that as a reward for covering his father, Shem merited that his descendants would be granted the mitzvah of tzitzis.

The Age at Which a Child Becomes Obligated in Chinuch

The Gemara (Arachin 2b; Sukkah 42a) states that everyone is included in the mitzvah of tzitzis, including a minor who knows how to wrap himself properly in a garment. Once a child reaches this stage, he becomes subject to the obligation of chinuch in the mitzvah of tzitzis.

According to Tosfos (Arachin 2b, s.v. HaYode'a), this refers to a child who knows how to wrap himself in the manner described by the Gemara (Moed Katan 24a), namely, as the Arabs would wrap themselves, with the garment covering the body up to the area of the moustache. Tosfos also cites the explanation of Rav Yosef Tov Elem, who understands proper wrapping to mean arranging the garment so that two sets of tzitzis are positioned in front and two behind, with strings on both the right and left sides.

This is the ruling of both the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 17:3) and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (17:4). Once a child knows how to wrap himself properly, his father is obligated to provide him with tzitzis in fulfilment of the obligation of chinuch.

The Rema adds that this requirement applies only when the child knows how to position two tzitzis in front and two behind him. He further cites the view of the Mordechai (Sukkah §763), who maintains that a child reaches the age of chinuch when he knows how to hold the tzitzis in his hand during Krias Shema, as is customary.

Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita, in Mo’adim U’Zemanim (vol. 7, siman 255), cites the Brisker Rav as explaining that although wrapping oneself in the garment is not essential to the validity of the mitzvah, the entire purpose of chinuch is to train a child to perform mitzvos in the same manner that he will ultimately perform them as an adult. Consequently, if the child does not yet know how to wrap himself properly, there is no obligation to educate him to perform the mitzvah in a deficient form, since this does not represent its ideal fulfilment.

A similar concept exists regarding the lulav. Although waving the lulav is not essential to fulfilling the mitzvah, a child becomes obligated in lulav only once he knows how to wave it. Likewise, the required height of a lulav is four tefachim: three tefachim corresponding to the size requirement of the hadasim and aravos, plus an additional tefach specifically for waving, as this constitutes the complete fulfilment of the mitzvah.

An interesting interpretation appears in the commentary of the Rivavan (Sukkah 42a; see also his commentary to Hilchos Tzitzis, pg. 449). He explains that “knowing how to wrap oneself” means knowing how to pull the tallis over one’s face by a tefach so that, during davening, one does not look around but instead concentrates on one’s tefillah.

According to the Semak, cited by the Bach and the Pri Megadim (Eishel Avraham 16:1), the age of chinuch for tzitzis is approximately six or seven years old. The same understanding is inferred by the Lev Chaim (vol. 1, siman 101) from the words of the Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 386).

The Tur, cited by the Magen Avraham, appears to maintain that the age of chinuch is nine or ten, similar to the age at which a child is trained regarding Yom Kippur.

The Ohr LeTzion (vol. 2, ch. 2, §7) rules that training a child in the mitzvah of tzitzis should begin at approximately five years of age.

At What Age Is It Proper to Begin Training a Child to Wear Tzitzis?

Ruach Kedushah (A Spirit of Holiness)

The Kitzur Shelah (at the conclusion of Hilchos Tzitzis), cited briefly by the Eliyah Rabbah (17:3) and Sha’arei Teshuvah (17:4), writes in exceptionally elevated terms about the importance of introducing a child to tzitzis at the earliest opportunity.

According to the Kitzur Shelah, a child should be dressed in a tallis katan as soon as he begins to speak. Through this, he merits a lofty and elevated soul from an early age, and a spirit of holiness comes to rest upon him. He notes that this concept is rooted in the teachings of Kabbalah.

He sharply criticises the practice of delaying the wearing of a tallis katan until a child is older, arguing that such a delay allows a spirit of impurity to take hold and dull the mind’s capacity to absorb and understand Torah.

At the very least, he writes, one should not delay beyond the age of three. He finds an allusion to this in the pasuk, “Ki ha'adam eitz hasadeh” (“For man is like the tree of the field”). Just as a tree remains subject to the laws of orlah during its first three years, so too the first three years of a child’s life correspond, in a certain sense, to a period of orlah. Once that stage has passed, however, the child should begin wearing tzitzis.

Cleanliness

It is recorded in Orchos Rabbeinu (new edition, vol. 1, pg. 31) and in Da'as Noteh (Hilchos Tzitzis, Teshuvos 587-588) that a child should begin wearing a tallis katan once he is able to keep himself clean and refrains from soiling his clothing, even if he has not yet reached the age of three.

Conversely, if a child is unable to maintain basic cleanliness, he should not be dressed in tzitzis, even if he is already older than three.

The Divrei Yatziv (Likutim VeHashmatos, siman 91:8) records that his father's custom was to dress infants in a small four-cornered garment while they were still in the cradle. However, ropes as opposed to regular thin tzitzis strings were attached out of concern that genuine thin tzitzis strings might be treated disrespectfully. This practice reflects the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 21), which prohibits treating tzitzis in a degrading manner.

He cites support for this custom from Rabbi Yaakov Emden in Mor U'Ketzi'ah (siman 17), who writes that “the Jewish people are holy and have accepted additional stringencies regarding tzitzis.”

The Required Size of the Garment for An Adult

The minimum size requirement of a tallis for an adult, who is obligated in the mitzvah of tzitzis, is that it must be big enough lengthwise and widthwise to cover the head and majority of the body of a child old enough to walk in the market alone, without supervision (Shulchan Aruch, siman 16). The Mishnah Berurah (16 s.k. 1) writes that this refers to a child who is approximately nine years old.

The poskim (see Mishnah Berurah s.k. 4) argue as to the exact size. Some say the garment must be ¾ of an amah long by 1½ amos wide [which is 36x24 cm (Rav Chaim Naeh) or 44x29 cm (Chazon Ish)].

Others say the garment must be ¾ of an amah long in the front and ¾ of an amah long in the back by an amah wide.

The minhag of scrupulous people is to have an amah in front, an amah in the back, and an amah in width in order to avoid all doubts (Mishnah Berurah, there) [an amah is 48 cm (Rav Chaim Naeh) or 58 cm (Chazon Ish)].

The Mishnah Berurah’s conclusion is that the garment should lechatchilah be an amah in front, an amah in the back, and an amah in width. The minimum to be able to make a berachah is ¾ of an amah in the front and in the back.

The Required Size of the Garment for a Child

Covering His Head and Most of His Body

The Pri Megadim (Mishbetzos Zahav 16 s.k. 1) and Derech HaChaim (Hilchos Tzitzis, siman 11 ois 1), cited by the Mishnah Berurah (siman 17 s.k. 9 and Biur Halachah, siman 16), write that the required size is measured according to each child individually.

If the garment is large enough to cover the child’s head and most of his body, his father is required to place tzitzis on it and recite a berachah with him. If it does not meet this size requirement, no berachah should be recited.

According to the Siddur HaGraz, for children between the ages of six and thirteen, a garment measuring one amah by one amah is sufficient.

Rav Chaim Naeh, in his sefer Shiurei Torah (siman 3, note 72), after citing the ruling of the Graz, concludes that a child’s tallis katan should measure an amah by an amah square, though he notes that he did not observe people being particular to wear tzitzis that were an amah wide.

The View of Rav Moshe Feinstein

Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Y.D. 3:52:2) questions the widespread practice of dressing children who have already reached the age of chinuch (which the Magen Avraham places at approximately nine years old) in a tallis katan that does not meet the minimum halachic dimensions.

While Rav Moshe agrees that children below the age of chinuch may wear undersized garments, since they are not yet obligated in the mitzvah at all, he contends that once a child becomes obligated in chinuch, the garment should satisfy the requisite halachic standards.

Nevertheless, he innovates that a young child may fulfil the requirements of chinuch with a garment that is somewhat smaller than that which would cover his own head and the majority of his body. The rationale is that even an adult is obligated only to wear a garment that would cover the head and most of the body of an average nine-year-old child.

He notes, however, that in practice many children wear garments that are even smaller than this standard.

Rav Moshe further links this discussion to a dispute cited by the Mishnah Berurah (658:28) in Hilchos Sukkah. The Achronim debate whether a child fulfils the obligation of chinuch on the first day of Sukkos with a borrowed esrog, despite the fact that such an esrog would not suffice for an adult’s obligation.

According to the Magen Avraham and the Bigdei Yesha, genuine chinuch requires training a child to perform a mitzvah precisely as an adult would perform it. Consequently, just as a borrowed esrog is inadequate on the first day of Sukkos, so too an undersized tallis katan would not constitute proper fulfilment of chinuch.

Other Achronim, however, maintain that the essence of chinuch lies in habituating a child to the practical observance of mitzvos, even if the act performed would not fully satisfy an adult’s obligation. According to this approach, an undersized tallis katan may still fulfil the educational purpose of chinuch.

Rav Moshe concludes that it is preferable to purchase properly sized four-cornered garments for children who have reached the age of chinuch. Ideally, the garment should cover the child’s head and the majority of his body, or at the very least come close to doing so.

Additional Views

Rav Yaakov Yeshayah Blau (Chanoch LaNa'ar, Perek 9 §3) rules that until the age of nine, a garment that covers the individual child’s head and the majority of his body is sufficient. From the age of nine onward, however, the required dimensions are identical to those of an adult garment. This follows from the accepted halachic standard that the dimensions of an adult tallis katan are themselves based upon the size necessary to cover the head and majority of the body of an average nine-year-old child. Thus, in practical terms, the size requirement for a nine-year-old and for an adult is essentially the same.

The Ohr LeTzion (vol. 2, ch. 2, §7) writes that a child who knows how to wrap himself properly, generally from about five years of age, should be trained in the mitzvah of tzitzis. He specifies that the garment should adequately cover both the front and back of the body. In front, it should extend from the neck to the end of the ribcage, and it should reach a corresponding length in the back.

He further emphasises that a child should not recite a berachah over his tzitzis unless the strings were spun lishmah, specifically for the sake of the mitzvah.

Orchos Rabbeinu (new edition, vol. 1, pg. 31) records that the common practice was to provide children from the age of three with a tallis katan that reached approximately to the navel. The tzitzis strings were often kept shorter in order to prevent them from becoming soiled. Throughout childhood, families generally did not insist upon strict adherence to the precise halachic dimensions, reserving greater care in this regard for the years approaching bar mitzvah.

The Shevet HaLevi (vol. 3, siman 6) rules that a child who has reached the age of chinuch should wear a properly sized tallis katan. If the garment does not meet the minimum halachic requirements, no berachah should be recited.

However, where a child has not yet reached the age at which he can properly appreciate the mitzvah of tzitzis, but is already capable of understanding the concept of berachos, parents who wish to foster a love of mitzvos may allow him to recite a berachah even when the garment does not satisfy the minimum halachic dimensions.

Common Practice

In Da’as Noteh (Teshuvah 597), Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l writes that the prevalent practice appears to be that, for children aged three or four, people are generally not particular that the tallis katan meet the minimum halachic dimensions. Nevertheless, children commonly recite a berachah when putting it on.

Rav Chaim explains (Teshuvah 599) that the mitzvah of chinuch encompasses two distinct stages.

The first is general education (chinuch klali), namely, accustoming a child to the observance of mitzvos even before he reaches the age at which he is halachically obligated to perform them. The objective is to familiarise him with the practical observance of mitzvos so that, when the time comes, their fulfilment will be second nature. At this stage, an undersized tallis katan is sufficient.

The second stage is specific education (chinuch prati), which begins once the child reaches the age at which the particular mitzvah becomes binding upon him as part of the obligation of chinuch. At this point, one should ideally ensure that the tallis katan satisfies the required dimensions and is large enough to cover the child’s head and the majority of his body.

Rav Chaim further notes (Teshuvah 598) that many people remain lenient even after a child has reached the age of chinuch and do not insist that the garment meet the minimum halachic dimensions. Nevertheless, he concludes that, ideally, one should not rely upon this leniency once a child has reached the age at which he is obligated in chinuch, and every effort should be made to provide him with a properly sized tallis katan.

Guidelines of the Eidah HaChareidis

The Eidah HaChareidis, following the measurements of Rav Chaim Naeh, recommends the following dimensions for a child’s tallis katan:

AgeLengthWidthUp to age 636 cm24 cmAges 6-980 cm30 cmAges 9-1395 cm40 cm

Tzitzis That Become Pasul

If the tzitzis strings have been severed on one side, while on the other side they still retain the minimum length required for tying, R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt”l in Da'as Noteh (Teshuvah 422) suggests that such tzitzis may still be used by a nine-year-old child.

This ruling is based upon the Mishnah Berurah (12:7), who concludes that the primary halachah follows the opinion that the tzitzis remain valid so long as the requisite length remains intact on one side. Consequently, for purposes of chinuch, there is room to adopt a lenient approach.

Where the tzitzis are invalid according to all opinions, however, R’ Chaim (Da’as Noteh, Teshuvos 591-592) maintains that it is improper to dress a child in them, even if he has not yet reached the age of chinuch. Certainly, no berachah should be recited over pasul tzitzis.

In the he’oras, it is explained that this differs fundamentally from the case of a garment that lacks the minimum size requirement. In that situation, no actual obligation of tzitzis exists, and the garment is worn merely to accustom the child to mitzvah observance. Pasul tzitzis, by contrast, represent a defective fulfilment of the mitzvah itself, and one should not educate a child through the performance of a flawed mitzvah.

The View of Rav Shlomah Zalman Auerbach

Rav Shlomah Zalman Auerbach (Siach Halachah, siman 17, note 20; Halichos Shlomah, Hilchos Tzitzis, Perek 3 sif 4) writes that because tzitzis is such a fundamental mitzvah, one that accompanies a person throughout the day, one should not protest against those who teach three and four-year-old children to recite a berachah on pasul tzitzis.

Although, as a general rule, a child should not be educated through an invalid performance of a mitzvah, the unique importance of tzitzis justifies a more lenient approach in these early years.

Other Lenient Opinions

Rav Yisrael Chaim Menashe Friedman (Chinuch Yisrael, pg. 142) writes that a child may wear tzitzis whose strings have been torn, since this does not violate the prohibition of actively causing a minor to transgress (safiyah b'yadayim).

As explained by the Mordechai, cited by the Magen Avraham (13), there is no Torah prohibition against wearing a four-cornered garment without tzitzis. Rather, once one chooses to wear such a garment, there is a mitzvah to attach tzitzis to it. Accordingly, allowing a child to wear such a garment does not constitute actively causing him to violate halachah.

Rav David Shmidel shlita (Chinuch Yisrael, pg. 142), citing leading Torah authorities in Yerushalayim, notes that the common practice is not to inspect the tzitzis of young children to determine whether they have become invalid.

For some more halachos regarding the kashrus of tzitzis strings for a young child, see below. The attachment is from R’ Chaim Blier’s amazing Chukei Chaim, sheet #133.

Kashrus of Strings on a Three-Year-Old’s Tzitzis

1. Lechatchiloh, one should put a kosher tallis koton on a three-year-old. However, the kashrus of all the strings are not crucial since three years old is not actually the age of chinuch for tzitzis. Thus, as long as the tzitzis strings are minimally kosher, one does not need to rush to swap them for mehudar strings. Over time, tzitzis strings commonly tear or become tangled or untied, especially when washed in a washing machine. One should only give a child a tallis koton that can be considered minimally kosher, as will be explained.
2. Tangled. Although one should lechatchiloh make sure each string is separate from the others (שו"ע סי' י"א סעי' י"ד), tangled strings do not make the tzitzis posul. Even if all the strings are tangled together, as long as they can be separated and are not tied together strongly, they are kosher. If most of them are tangled in such a way that it is impossible or very difficult to separate them, they are posul and should not even be put on a three-year-old boy (ע"פ החזו"א סי' ג' סק"ט).
3. Undone knots and coils. The knots and coils of children's tzitzis often come undone on their own. As long as a double knot next to the hole in the beged, three coils, and another double knot after the coils remain intact with the strings continuing downward, strictly speaking, they are kosher (ביה"ל סי' י"א ס"י ד"ה ונתקן).
4. Length of the strings. Some poskim hold tzitzis strings must be four thumbbreadths ["gudalim"] long; others hold they must be twelve thumbbreadths long (שו"ע סי' י"א ס"ד). Bedieved, if the strings tore – or for a child – one may rely on the shorter measure. Thus, if the knots, coils, and strings are altogether 8 cm long (based on Rav Chaim Naeh), and at least six out of the eight strings themselves [after the last knot] on each corner are long enough to be looped [at least, according to the meikel opinion, 1⅓ thumbbreadths long (תורת חיים פסקי תשובות סי' י"א אות ב' ובהע' – 2.65 cm | סופר סי' י"ב סק"ג)], they are kosher for a three-year-old.

Is It Problematic for a Child to Wear an Undersized Tallis Katan in a Public Domain on Shabbos?

The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 13:1) rules that one who goes out into a reshus harabim on Shabbos wearing a garment with invalid tzitzis is liable for a chatas offering, since the tzitzis are considered a burden rather than a component of the garment.

The Mishnah Berurah (13:2), citing the Pri Megadim (Mishbetzos Zahav 13:1), extends this ruling to all forms of invalid tzitzis. Accordingly, it is prohibited on a Torah level to go out into a reshus harabim wearing such tzitzis, and rabbinically prohibited in a karmelis.

It is well known that the custom in Brisk is not to wear a tallis katan on Shabbos. This practice stems from the concern that if the garment is halachically invalid, the attached tzitzis may constitute carrying, and they do not rely on the eruv.

The Piskei Teshuvos (O.C. 13:1), however, notes that many poskim disagree with the Mishnah Berurah, including the Toras Shabbos (301:35), Eshel Avraham of Butchach (16), Da'as Torah (13), Meshiv Davar (1:2), Eretz Tzvi (1:1), Chazon Ish (3:28), Even Yisrael (7:17), and Mishneh Halachos (6:5).

These authorities maintain that the prohibition applies only where the tzitzis strings themselves are invalid. If, however, the garment simply lacks the minimum dimensions necessary to obligate tzitzis, it remains permissible to go out wearing it. Since the wearer wants the tzitzis to remain attached and they serve to enhance the garment, they are considered part of the garment rather than an extraneous burden (massa).

Accordingly, the Piskei Teshuvos concludes that the prevailing custom is to be lenient in this regard, and certainly one should not be stringent with young children by preventing them from going out into the public domain wearing a tallis katan that does not meet the minimum shiur.

Similarly, the Minchas Yitzchak (4:6) adopts a lenient position with respect to children. Since the concern is merely one of safiyah, causing a child to violate a prohibition, and there is considerable educational value in training a child to wear tzitzis, it is preferable for him to wear a garment with tzitzis even when the garment itself is exempt from the mitzvah. This follows from the Magen Avraham at the beginning of siman 16. Furthermore, because the carrying is for the benefit of the child, it is permitted.

Rav Tzvi Weber shlita has likewise stated that, regarding children, one may rely upon the opinion of the Chazon Ish, who disagreed with the Mishnah Berurah and maintained that there is no concern of carrying even when the garment lacks the minimum halachic dimensions.

The Gerrer Rebbe shlita, however, expressed concern regarding the common practice of allowing young children to wear undersized talleisim ketanim. In a conversation with Rav Shmuel Yosef Stitzberg shlita, he observed that although one may rely upon the more lenient opinions for purposes of chinuch, especially according to those who maintain that contemporary standards of normal dress are the determining factor, the issue becomes significantly more serious in locations that lack an eruv.

This is particularly relevant in certain communities abroad where there may be a bona fide Torah-level reshus harabim, namely, a thoroughfare sixteen amos wide through which six hundred thousand people pass.

In such circumstances, the Rebbe argued, children should not wear a tallis katan that lacks the minimum required shiur on Shabbos. According to the Mishnah Berurah, doing so may involve a Torah prohibition of carrying, either from one domain to another or by transporting an object four amos within a public domain. Given the possibility of a Torah-level violation, it is difficult to rely upon the lenient opinions against the explicit ruling of the Mishnah Berurah.

Moreover, although the Chazon Ish expressed a lenient view on this issue, he himself did not necessarily rely upon it in practice. Rav Binyamin Zilber zt"l, in Beis Baruch (Klal 11), reports that the Chazon Ish was not prepared to be lenient where a possible Torah prohibition of Shabbos was at stake, and he therefore concludes that one should not rely upon this leniency in practice.

Several years ago, during a visit abroad, the Gerrer Rebbe shlita discussed this issue with leading rabbanim and urged them to raise public awareness in communities without an eruv. In his view, children should not go out on Shabbos wearing a tallis katan that is smaller than the minimum halachic dimensions. Where necessary, it is preferable that they go without tzitzis altogether rather than wear them in a manner that may involve a possible Torah prohibition.

Summary of the Dinim That Come Out:

1. Obligation of Chinuch: A child who knows how to wrap himself properly in a tallis must be trained in the mitzvah of tzitzis. This refers to a child who knows how to arrange two tzitzis in front and two behind, and who knows how to hold the tzitzis during Krias Shema.
2. Age: The poskim disagree regarding the practical age at which a child becomes obligated in chinuch for tzitzis. The main opinions are: Five years old; six or seven years old; nine or ten years old.
   Regarding when a child should first begin wearing tzitzis, the following views are found: As soon as he begins speaking; from age three; once he is capable of keeping himself clean.
3. Head and Majority of the Body: According to the Pri Megadim, the required size of the garment is measured according to the child’s own body size.
   Some authorities maintain that a properly sized garment is required only once the child reaches the actual age of chinuch, but not merely when teaching him to recite berachos.
   Regarding the berachah, a child who has reached the age of chinuch should ideally recite a berachah only on a garment that meets the required size. A child who has not yet reached that age may be trained to recite the berachah even on a garment that lacks the requisite dimensions.
4. Required Size: Several measurements are given by the poskim: One amah by one amah square (Graz); sufficient to cover the child from the neck to the lower end of the ribcage in both front and back (Ohr LeTzion); large enough to cover the head and most of the body of an average nine-year-old child (Chanoch LaNa'ar); slightly less than the size required to cover the head and most of the body of a nine-year-old child (Igros Moshe); down to the navel with a customary width (Orchos Rabbeinu).
5. Contemporary Measurements: According to the Eidah HaChareidis:AgeLengthWidthUp to age 636 cm24 cmAges 6-980 cm30 cmAges 9-1395 cm40 cm
6. Invalid Tzitzis: A child who has reached the age of chinuch should not wear invalid tzitzis, such as when the strings have been severed in a manner that renders them invalid according to all opinions.
   If the tzitzis remain valid according to at least one recognised opinion, there is room to be lenient for purposes of chinuch.
   A child who has not yet reached the age of chinuch may wear a tallis katan that does not meet the minimum size requirement. Some authorities are lenient and note that the common practice is not to inspect the tzitzis of very young children to determine whether they have become invalid.
7. Public Domain on Shabbos: A garment bearing invalid tzitzis strings may not be worn in a public domain on Shabbos, since the strings are considered a burden and involve the prohibition of carrying.
   Regarding a garment that lacks the minimum size requirement, the Mishnah Berurah rules stringently, while many Achronim are lenient, and this appears to be the common practice regarding children. Nevertheless, some authorities have urged caution and maintain that children should not go out into a public domain wearing a tallis katan that does not meet the minimum required size.

(This week’s write-up is mostly based on Oimek HaPeshat #318)