On tzitzit material and techelet

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This week we received an inquiry from someone in the U.S. Air Force. It sounds like he cherishes the mitzvah of tzitzit.

I work on an air force base and wonder if you deliver to APO? Also, I would like to order some Sephardic and Yemenite tzitzit of different material. According to halacha, what material is appropriate (i.e. I use wool since it is cold where I live)?

Also, I do not know how to tie knots and would like my knots regardless of tallit style tied in the Yemenite fashion, with the techelet tzitzit. Is this possible? Also, is the techelet you use made from the chilazon?​

Thank you, Yosef Eliyahu

Yes, we do ship to APO addresses. In fact, we even offer a special 10% discount for Jewish soldiers serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Use coupon code JIG5689.

According to all opinions, wool is the ideal fabric. Many (including the Shulchan Aruch) hold that if you use cotton, you are only fulfilling the mitzvah of tzitzit at the Rabbinical level (d'Rabbanan), not according to Torah law (d'oreita).

If you do not know how to tie Yemenite tzitzit, you're not alone. It takes a bit of work to figure it out. We made an instructional video, but it's still challenging if you don't have someone to correct your mistakes. Only a small minority of our customers ask us to leave the tzitzit for them to tie.

The Gemara says the techelet dye must come from a chilazon. There is a bit of debate surrounding the definition of a chilazon, but today there is considerable consensus that the chilazon is what we call today the Murex trunculus snail. This is the chilazon used by Ptil Tekhelet. For detailed information on the topic, you can refer to this page.

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White-Striped Tallit: Beit Yosef, Malchut, Prima A.A., Hamefoar

The following is a series of questions and answers from a customer who bought a black-striped tallit from us in the past, and now wants a white-striped tallit for Shabbat. Since the distinctions from one white-on-white tallit to the next are subtle, I felt his insightful questions are worth posting.

Does the Malchut Tallit have a weave similar to the "box" or "waffle" weave found in Hamefoar, or more like that found in the Beit Yosef Talit?
The Malchut Tallit is very similar to HaMefoar.
 
Is the color of the Malchut more white, or more yellow/cream like the Beit Yosef Talit?
Both are very slightly off-white.
 
Are the stripes in the Malchut Tallit flat or shiny?
Matte, not shiny. The Prima A.A. and Hamefoar have shiny stripes.
 
I don't see an option for adding lining and side bands on the Malchut or the Beit Yosef, but assume that you can do that. Am I correct in that assumption?
Of course we can. Just keep in mind that it will add 2-4 days to processing time.
 
Can you confirm the dimensions of the size 80 for each of those two tallitot? I'm a big guy, and my weekday tallit is actually a 90, but it appears that the both are only available up to an 80, so I want to be sure about the size.
The Beit Yosef Talit is 170 cm x 200 cm. The Malchut Tallit is 180 cm x 200 cm.

Are Rambam tzitzit kosher?

We get a substantial number of orders for tzitzit (especially techelet) tied according to the Rambam, sometimes referred to as Yemenite tzitzit.

Recently a customer sent us the following remark:

Hi. I ordered a tzitzit from you with techelet tied Rambam style. A rabbi told me that it was not kosher because it didn't have 4 knots or something (I don't know much about the halacha of tzitzit). But it seems all Rambam strings are tied this way so I'm just wondering if you could as an expert explain to me how the Rambam style is kosher. Thanks

At first I was a bit peeved by the remark the rabbi mentioned above, but when I calmed down I realized that in the U.S. you are unlikely to ever see Rambam tzitzit tying.

 

The Gemara discusses how to tie tzitzit in Masechet Menachot, in a chapter called Hatchelet. It gives us several guidelines. Probably the most notable are the following:

1. The first and last windings must be white
2. There must be a minimum of seven chulyot and a maximum of thirteen.

A chulyah is usually understood to be a group of 3 windings.

The Rishonim interpret these guidelines in a number of different ways. Examples of many of them can be seen here.

Most of them do have five double knots (not four), but this is not mentioned in the Gemara. If you open up the Rambam (Hil. Tzitzit, 1, 6-8) you will see that he makes no mention of any double knots.

There are some Rishonim who say that one double knot is required by Torah law. Most hold that this is referring to the first double knot closest to the garment.

Can one rely on the Rambam? Many Yemenite Jews tie their tzitzit according to the Rambam (i.e. just like the ones we tied for you, except all white) to this day. In fact, I myself learned to tie Rambam by going to several Yemenite Jews in my neighborhood, who learned from their father. Some people claim that many of the traditions handed down by the Yemenites are the most faithful to the early masorah.

Rabbi Dov Lior holds that techelet should be tied according to the Rambam, regardless of whether you are Yemenite, Sephardic or Ashkenazi.

A few words on tefillin prices

Tefillin are not cheap. Part of the reason prices are high is because the materials are relatively expensive, but moreover because tefillin production is labor intensive and involves high-level expertise.

Basically tefillin are made up of three components: the parchments, the leather boxes that house them and the straps. The difference in cost between mediocre tefillin straps and quality handmade straps is not so significant.

Very bare-bones, barely kosher parchments cost around $100-$150. Top quality writing on good calibre parchment can run you $400 or $500. You pay not only for a sofer who is graced with attractive writing, but also for his reputation as a pious Jew who adheres carefully to halacha in writing the parchments, and keeps his body and mind pure throughout the writing process.

With the battim (the boxes), you pay for fine leather and good craftsmanship. There are plenty of shortcuts to take in making the boxes. If you want tefillin that will last (10-20+ years), you won’t want to buy Tefillin Peshutim, Tefillin Peshutim Mehudarim or even Tefillin Dakkot. Spend the extra money for Tefillin Gassot, which are made of super sturdy leather.

Bargain Tefillin

If you are shopping for budget tefillin, sometimes referred to as bar mitzvah tefillin or Tefillin Peshutim, be aware that if the tefillin are used on a regular basis, you probably will not wind up saving money in the long term, because inexpensive tefillin cannot be reshaped and may start to come undone after a few years of use.

Still, I realize some people are simply not in a position to lay down $500. Less expensive tefillin options include tefillin dakkot, tefillin peshutim mehudarim and tefillin peshutim, which range in price from $200 to $400.

If you are planning to buy tefillin online in this price range, you should be extra careful to buy from a dealer you can trust to ensure the tefillin you are getting really are reliably kosher. Beware if you come across tefillin for under $200. For bar mitzvah tefillin or an initial set of inexpensive tefillin, expect to pay at least $230 if you want to be certain they are really kosher.

What are “tefillin peshutim?” Tefillin peshutim are made using a simple design. The head tefillin (“tefillin shel rosh“) is made of several pieces of parchment to form the inner walls, and then glued within a slit square to divide it into the four required compartments.

The next caliber is “tefillin peshutim mehudarim.” Tefillin peshutim mehudarim can be roughly translated as “superior simple design.” The boxes are made from a single piece of hide, as required. When completed, tefillin peshutim mehudarim look almost identical to the more expensive cowhide type, but are less durable.

The next level up is “tefillin dakkot” (or “dakkos” or “dakkot ohr echad“). “Dak” means thin in Hebrew. Tefillin dakkot are made by stretching a thin layer of parchment over a structural base similar to the peshutim. This outer parchment forms the entire box of the tefillin, which is halachically preferable. Because of its thin design the tefillin can become halachically invalid relatively easily. The quality of the parchments inside is often the same as in tefillin peshutim mehudarim.

Today tefillin dakkot can be hard to find. But keep in mind that until 100 years ago all tefillin were tefillin dakkot.

Tefillin Gassot

For somebody who lays tefillin daily, tefillin gassot are the way to go. Have you ever heard the expression "I can't afford to buy cheap"? That can apply to a tefillin purchase as well.

When I bought tefillin before my oldest son's bar mitzvah, I had a hunch he would take very good care of them, but that still, in the care of a 13-year-old on a daily basis, they were not out of harm's way. Sure enough, somehow the corner got slightly dented within just a few months, but that proved quite simple to repair.

Good boxes cost $200-$300 and great boxes can cost $500-$600 or more. Top-end boxes are made with various stringencies (e.g. "ribua regel") that were very uncommon until the past half century, i.e., they are more kosher than the tefillin the Chafetz Chaim laid!

Typical prices for tefillin gassot range from $450 to $750. You can also find tefillin gassot with exceptionally beautiful parchments inside, superb craftsmanship and various halachic stringencies in the construction that will cost you upwards of $1,000.

Where to Buy Tefillin Online

Here are a few recommendations for reliable places to buy tefillin online from sellers in Israel, based on first-hand knowledge.

HaSofer – Located in downtown Jerusalem. Knowledgeable and reliable staff.
Ben’s Tallit Shop – Located outside Jerusalem in Givat Ze’ev. Affordable prices.
Oter Yisrael – In Jerusalem, straddling Har Nof and Givat Shaul. I bought my first tefillin gassot there 17 years ago.

Beit El – Located in Beit El, with an outlet store in Jerusalem’s Givat Shaul neighborhood.

All of the above online tefillin dealers ship around the world.