Tallit Lining

A tallit lining is a nice addition if you want your tallit to have a bit more body and weight or if your skin is very sensitive to wool. Recently we received the following inquiry with an innovative idea for a removable tallit lining.

I am looking to purchase my first tallis and would like to know if it's possible to make the lining removable. I think it would be really great if the lining that's often used under the head could be removed (maybe it snaps on) and thrown in the washing machine. Perhaps replacement linings could be sold as well.

Friends of mine heard the idea as well and would purchase something like that if it were available. Would you be able to arrange for something like that?

Thank you!

Aaron

I found Aaron's idea intriguing, but I don't know if it's really feasible. If you attached snaps, they would be visible on the top of the tallit, and buttons would not be visible, but it would take a lot of buttons to hold it in place and I think they would be obtrusive.

On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to remove the lining. I just noticed that my own Shabbos tallis is starting to look grimy on the part where the lining would go if I had a tallit lining. It would be great to pop the lining into the washing machine without having to wash the whole tallit.

A dry cleaner once told me washing a tallit with a lining is more complicated, because he has one protocol for wool and another protocol for cotton, so when you put the two together it becomes more problematic from his perspective.

If you are considering a tallit lining (and/or sidebands), keep in mind that the tallit will take up more space folded, so if your tallit bag is not very roomy, you'll really have to scrunch it in.