Q&A: Four Corners on a Coat
Four Corners on a Coat
Question
Dear Rabbi Michael, greetings,
For some time now I’ve been wearing a coat that has sharp corners and is open in the front (with buttons), and the collar rises up along the neck with sharp upward-pointing corners. I never seriously thought that maybe it might require tzitzit.
It resembles a raincoat that goes down to the knees (or a Haredi coat), except that at the top it has pointed corners at right angles facing upward, which can be closed with a button so that they wrap around the neck, without a hood. Like a shirt collar that you don’t fold downward (although I can fold it too, but I like that less). It has a slit in the back.
It is made of fabric.
Is it considered a four-cornered garment?
If so, what are the options? Should I simply tie tzitzit onto it? Or can I also round the corners? (Actually, I rather like the idea of tying tzitzit onto it.) If tying tzitzit—then should they be attached at the neck, and at the lower front corners? And what about the corners at the slit in the back?
Many thanks,
Ofir
Answer
The two upper ends are not relevant to the discussion, because the corners need to be worn with two in front of him and two behind him. There is, however, room to discuss whether the lower corners are obligated in tzitzit, if the slit is long enough. This is the dispute regarding jackets. Some had the practice of rounding the corners, and some attached tzitzit (I saw this with Rabbi Yoel Bin Nun). But it seems to me that most people are lenient about this, and perhaps the reasoning is what was written here: that the garment is worn wrapped around the body, and the corners are not two in front of him and two behind him.
http://din.org.il/2016/11/06/%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%A9%D7%95-%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%9D-%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%92%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%96%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%91%D7%99%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%A6/
Beyond that, there is also a difference of opinion regarding garments made of nylon (that is, material that is not woven). So one must distinguish between a coat and a jacket (though one should check what the coat is made of and how its fabric is produced). On that too, see there.