“וראיתם אותו וזכרתם את כל מצות ה’ ועשיתם אותם”
The מחבר (סימן כ”ד סעיף ג’) says טוב להסתכל בציצית בשעת עטיפה כשמברך – When one makes a brocha on his tzitzis, it is a proper to look at them. The Gemara in Menachos (מג:) says וראיתם אותו וזכרתם…ועשיתם – seeing the tzitzis brings a person to remember the mitzvos, and remembering the mitzvos bring a person to do them.
The מחבר (סעיף ד’) says that when one says the words וראיתם אותו in krias shema, there is a מנהג to look at the tzitzis and place them on the eyes. ומנהג יפה הוא וחבובי מצוה – it is a beautiful minhag and is done to show love for the mitzvah. The קרבן נתנאל says another reason for placing the tzitzis on the eyes is to get rid of the טומאה in the eyes. The באר היטב brings from קדמונים that one who places his tzitzis on his eyes when reciting Krias shema is מובטח that he won’t turn blind.
Many Rishonim including the סמ”ג,סמ”ק,מרדכי,רבינו יונה וספר החרדים hold, that when one looks at his tzitzis and has the proper כוונה of fulfilling the mitzvah which is to remember Hashem and His mitzvos, he is fulfilling a mitzvah מדאורייתא. Anytime one looks at his tzitzis, even if it is not during krias shema he is fulfilling this mitzvah.
The ט”ז (סימן קכ”ד ס”ק ד’) brings from the אריז”ל that when one looks at his tzitzis it is a great benefit for the נשמה and it saves a person from חטא. Therefore a person should look at his tzitzis everyday like it says in the passuk וראיתם אותו. There are many stories in חז”ל how tzitzis saved a person from חטא. When it was necessary for the חתם סופר זצ”ל to speak with a woman he would be busy with his tzitzis so he would not come to look at her. At the end of the sefer שמירת הלשון the Chofetz Chaim writes that the simple interpretation of the passuk says that seeing the tzitzis helps a person strengthen himself in doing the mitzvos, and also helps a person control himself from improper thoughts. Therefore one should look at his tzitzis throughout the day especially when he starts to have improper thoughts, or at a time of anger. When he looks at them the יצר הרע will leave him. The רבינו יונה (שערי תשובה שער ג’ סעיף כ”ב) brings the ספרי that the mitzvah of tzitzis adds קדושה to a person as the passuk ends off והייתם קדושים לאלקיכם.
The מחבר (סעיף ה’) says that one should look at the two front tzitzis. They have ten knots which hint to the ten ספירות. Also the sixteen חוטין together with the ten קשרים equals twenty six which is the gematria of הוי”ה. The מחבר (סעיף ו’) ends off הזהיר במצות ציצית זוכה ורואה פני השכינה – one who is meticulous with the mitzvah of tzitzis merits to see the shechina.
Prepared by R’ Avrohom Yehoshua Ziskind
_________________________________
1Sources:משנה ברורה,אוצר פלאות התורה