How do you properly trim tzitzit?

My 3y/o DS's tzitzit are SOOOO LOOONG and it just makes me crazy. I try to tuck them in but they always come out. I did not grow up orthodox and I just find that no matter how cute I dress him, the tzitzit ruin the whole look - sweeping the ground as he walks. He even had a cat come close to attacking him because the cat thought he had on a human wearable cat toy...

Anyway, I know people do trim them. However, I've heard that you're not supposed to do it with metal blades/scissors because metal is associated with instruments of war or something. There may be other 'rules' I don't know about... I tried googling 'wooden scissors' but got nothing besides decorative wall scissors, wooden scissor holding racks, and maybe some metal scissors with wooden handles. I've also heard that some people trim them using their teeth. I had DH do this with one particularly long string, but I can't imagine him or me sitting there chewing off each string one by one.

Please don't suggest that I to buy the tzitzit in a smaller size. DS is wearing the smallest size I could find, and he has both the "undershirt" and regular versions, and they're both super long.

What to do? Please help me appreciate this custom and not secretly loath it! (Because after all, if a man's not wearing a 4-cornered garment - and most shirts are not made like that, these days - then they really don't have to wear these ridiculous stringy things at all!)

Silver Member Joined: May 01 2012 Posts: 629

ask your LOR as I guess there are different customs.
It is really hard with a young kid to keep them tucked in. My husband lets me trim them with a regular scissor as long as the string part is still as long as the entire knotted part. Makes a big difference.

Gold Member Joined: Nov 01 2010 Posts: 1687

Do they need to hang? Some people tie them to either side in a bow and tucked in and that doesn't look messy (but if most of the children where you live wear them out - it won't help).

Executive Member Joined: Jan 04 2011 Posts: 366

you can cut them with a piece of glass. we took a snapple bottle broke it and used it to trim it. btw if you dip it into boiling hot water it tightens the ends.

Silver Member Joined: Oct 09 2010 Posts: 698

Before my ds's wear them I cut them with a scissors. According to my DH the part that's hanging should be twice as long as the knotted part.I also put on nail varnish on the last knot to keep them from opening up

Wow great ideas! Thanks so much!!

You can try cutting them with a plastic knife.

I finally got fed up and just cut them with regular scissors. I think I had tried a plastic knife and it didn't work for me. Sometimes if there's a stray one I missed, I bite it off. The broken glass idea seemed really smart but I don't have any broken glass around and didn't feel like breaking any, at the time. Oh well. He'll survive!

Silver Member Joined: Feb 28 2011 Posts: 583

Don't the undershirt one's have small pockets that you can stuff each one into when you are washing them?