What is Rabbi Abadi’s approach to holding the tzizis during shema?
He does not hold them. To be fair it is brought down in Shulchan Aruch but he follows his Rebbi (Rav Ahron Kotler zt”l) on this, who held they should not be gathered. The front ones stay in front at all times and the back stay in back.
While on the topic of tzizis during prayer, I must comment on a sad phenomenon with the following story
I was once sitting next to a Hasidic Jew on shabbos that was dressed with all the trappings of a pious man. He wore a talis of the finest wool with a beautiful atarah (the Rav holds not to use an atarah) with a wide, large gartel girding his waist (The Rav also does not agree to this custom) swaying and praying very loudly (that too should be discouraged if it bothers others) when I noticed his tzisis were dangling on the floor. I pointed this out to him and he lifted them up perfunctory and then within a few moments they were dragging again on the ground.
My point here is that emphasis and focus were given to the many extras but the Halacha of watching your tzisis carefully that they don’t drag on the floor which is a degradation of the mitzvah was haplessly overlooked.
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so why not holding the two front ones like minhag hagra (see maaseh rav 39) ?
and it was the custom of the 'hazon ish, rav elyashiv ztl, rav yaakov kamenetzky ztl, etc
The Rav follows his Rebbi in this regard, Maran ha Rosh Yeshiva , Rav Ahron Kotler z”tzl.
ok but what is the argument of Rav Kotler ztl for not holding them at all ?
if it was because of keeping 2 in front and 2 in back I would have understood he’s against holding all four (minhag arizal and the custom of most today) but will be ok about holding the 2 in front (like the shulchan aruch, the gra)
i’d like to know the argument for not holding them at all
I’m supprised Rav Kotler did not hold them as I know he was following many minhag hagra.
i read that holding them is from midrash tehilim on 35:10 mentionning the holding of tzitzios during the shema
I wouldn’t make any assumptions with regard to the specific reasoning of Rav Aharon Kotler. Let’s just learn from his practices and continue following our Rabbis.
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Thanks that was my question too!!
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does Rav Abadi have the custom to touch his tefilin during the Shema while saying the related words ?
I have never seen him touch his teffilin at all.
Actually he wears 2 together, Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam, one in front of the other. He puts them on and never checks or adjusts them throughout the prayers.
Wow I’ve never seen that before. Do you have a picture of the two tefillin?
I don’t have a picture but I can try taking a pic. It should be noted that the Rabbeinu Tam is covered by his kippa and only the Rashi is visible.
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did his Rebbi, Rav Aharon Kotler ztl, wear tefilin rabbeinu tam ? (if yes i guess not at the same time)
No, he did not.
(verified with the Rav for you)
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The practice of holding tsitsiot during does not originate from Shas, but it is from a non-legal text, Yalkut Shim’oni which discusses a section Midrash Tehillim (Tehillim 35):
יד שמאלית בה אני קושר תפלין של יד ובה אני אוחז ציצית בזמן קריאת שמע
From this, it was actually opposed by some Geonei Bavel, such as Netronai Gaon. (see picture below), as well as Moshe Gaon and some authorities in the proto-Sephardic world.
Despite these objections, the custom caught on and was recorded by Maran for posterity.
R’Yitzchak and R’Kotler Z’L have no reason to justify their practice, since it is a non-legal minhag.