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I was always told that if a single string falls off your Tzitzis you should put it in a Sefer so that it will end up in Shamis. My question is: Does anyone know a source for this?

msh210
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shachna
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  • Related: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/15178/throwing-things-out-respectfully – WAF Jun 29 '12 at 23:40
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    duplicate? http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/14446/759 – Double AA Jun 29 '12 at 23:41
  • MB 21:8 brings the custom to use it as a bookmark. – b a Jun 29 '12 at 23:57
  • As @DoubleAA points out, the part of this question that asks what to do with the beged is a duplicate of a previously-asked question. I'm going to cull that part of this question from it, reducing it to the part about the strings. – msh210 Jul 01 '12 at 06:24

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The Mishnah Berurah writes that the Maharil recommended using old tzitzis as a bookmark or for another mitzvah, because we have a rule in the Gemara that one should try to take an object used for a mitzvah and use it for another mitzvah ("ho'il v'isavid b'hu mitzva chado, yisavid b'hu achariso").

Your second question is addressed in the Shulchan Aruch, O.C. 21, 1-2. The begged can be thrown in the trash. Regarding the tzitzit, three opinions are presented: you can toss them in the trash, you should dispose of them in a more respectful manner (e.g. toss them in the bushes) or you should put them in shaimmes.

Ben of Ben's Tallit Shop
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  • According to the Aruch haShulchan, the Rema's Yesh Omrim not to dispose of them in a disgraceful manner is not an alternate opinion to the Shulchan Aruch's throwing them out, but a qualification that even acc. to the Shulchan Aruch one must dispose of them properly. His proof is from the beged, which is a lower mitzva, and the Shulchan Aruch says clearly one must not do anything disrespectful to them: http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=7705&st=&pgnum=45 – YDK Jul 01 '12 at 03:51