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Is it permitted to tie tzitzis at night? Halachic Responses Handwritten by the Rogatchover Gaon Dvinsk, 1930 * A postal card containing two teshuvos in the holy handwriting and signature of the brilliant gaon Rabbi Yosef Rosen, Av Beis Din of Dvinsk, known as ”the Rogatchover.” Two interesting and relevant halachic questions were posed to the Rogatchover: (a) Is it permissible l’chatchilah to tie and prepare tzitzis at night? Since the nighttime is not the time for wearing them, perhaps there is a concern of “ta’aseh v’lo min ha’asuy” (you shall make, and not use that which was already made). (b) In a written letter to a rav, may one ask more than three questions? Since it is stated in Yoreh De’ah 246:13: “One should not ask more than three halachic questions in one sitting.” In the present letter, the Rogatchover replies with his trademark brilliance and encyclopedic mastery of Shas and poskim: (a) There is sanctity even in preparing the tzitzis at night, and it may be done l’chatchilah. (b) It is permitted to ask more than three questions in a written letter; the restriction of asking no more than three applies only within a beis medrash setting. Rabbi Yosef Rosen of Dvinsk (1858-1936), renowned as the Rogatchover Gaon, was acclaimed as one of the greatest geniuses of his generation whose broad scope and remarkable depth of Torah were virtually unparalleled. Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin praised him as “a treasure-trove of wisdom, like one of the Rishonim.” His astounding brilliance and razor-sharp chiddushim, evident from the many letters and teshuvos he authored, were compiled into the series Shu”t Tzafnas Paneach and Tzafnas Paneach al HaRambam. His son-in-law, Rabbi Abba Dovid Goldfein, extolled his father-in-law’s piety with the following description: “My father-in-law was detached from the following three matters: eating, drinking and sleeping. He washed his hands for a meal only on Shabbos, and during the week sustained himself with several grapes alone. Likewise, he drank only a little, and he never lay on a bed to sleep, merely dozing briefly … All this so as not to waste even a single moment of Torah study, Heaven forbid.” The letter was sent to the righteous Rabbi Shlomo Sabel of Jerusalem, who later printed these teshuvos from the original manuscript before us in his Sefer Salmas Yosef (Jerusalem, 1936), where he published his correspondence with the Rogatchover. (Concerning the question of preparing tzitzis at night — the majority of poskim concur with the Rogatchover that it is permitted l’chatchilah. Interestingly, this same question was also posed by the same correspondent to Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, who replied that it is preferable to tie them by day; see Salmas Chaim §35.) Dvinsk, 1930. Entirely in the handwriting and signature of the Rogatchover. Postal card measuring 10.2 × 14.9 cm. Condition:  Good.