Handwoven Tallit: Hand-tied, machine-spun tzitzit

There's a bit of confusion surrounding the term "machine-spun tzitzit." Sometimes I get customers (even seasoned yeshiva students) who want me to assure them the tzitzit are tied by hand. "You mean hand-spun, right?" They may nod, but in their eyes I detect some perplexity. 

This week we received the following email from a woman in New York interested in a handwoven tallit for her son's bar mitzvah.

I need to make sure that the machine spun tzitzit threads are still hand tied...Also, his Bar Mitzvah is May 17. I'd like to make sure it will get here on time. Thank you. Nancy N.

Dear Nancy,

Thank you for your order and congratulations on the upcoming bar mitzvah.

I've asked the weaving studio to try to have it ready by Pesach. I can't guarantee that will happen, but if not there are steps we can take to expedite both the final preparation and the shipping.

Tzitzit strings spun by hand

As for the tzitzit, the truth is there is no such thing as a machine that can tie tzitzit. All tzitzit are hand tied. The question is whether the t'via stage (twining or plying) is done by an automated machine or by a hand-operated machine. (From a halachic perspective this is parallel to the issue of machine matzahs vs. hand matzahs.) Many people are unclear on this point. Tzitzit that are spun by hand are referred to as "hand-spun tzitzit" or "tzitzis avodas yad."

Unlike most of the tallit makers we work with, the handwoven tallit maker you are referring to is run by non-observant management. But from a halachic standpoint, it's fairly hard to render the tzitzit not kosher during the tying process. The halacha states that tzitzit have to be tied by an adult Jew and they must be tied with the intention to do the mitzvah. (They also have to be positioned properly, but obviously that's very easy for us to confirm.) There is also a custom to have them tied by a man, not a woman, but according to all opinions, if the tzitzit are tied by a woman they are kosher.

Many of our customers choose a tzitzit option (e.g. Ptil Tekhelet or handspun or tzitzit or Sephardic tying, etc.) that requires us to retie the tzitzit, so the issue of the tying setup does not apply.

As for those orders for tallits from this particular tallit maker with machine-spun tzitzit and Ashkenazi tying -- which is what comes standard from their weaving studio -- I'm undecided as to whether we should retie the tzitzit. I plan to ask a qualified rav for guidance on this as soon as possible.

You're welcome to ask your own rav, as well, and we will abide by your request if possible.