DryFit Tzitzit for Soldiers

 Over a decade ago, during Operation Pillar of Defense, we worked with Rabbi Yedidya Atlas to help provide free tzitzit for IDF soldiers. We set up a donation page on our website and some people donated one or two tzitzit, some 10 or 15 and one donor foot the bill for 50.

I remember back then Rabbi Atlas was raving about the product. He said even some non-religious soldiers were wearing them, and considered them akin to a bulletproof vest.

Back then I couldn't figure out why he wanted DryFit instead of cotton, but now I realize that not only does it spare the soldiers from having to wash them all the time, but also is much more durable.

According to a blog post on the Yeshiva Har Bracha site, regular tzitzit were not holding up well in field conditions.

Most of the tzitzit currently distributed in the army are from dri-fit fabric, which is a synthetic fabric woven by special technology, and used to make sports activity clothing. Its main advantage is that it is aerated and evaporates sweat, and therefore, is comfortable and pleasing to soldiers, and serves both as an undershirt, and a tallit katan.

These tzitziot arrived to the army with the help of Rabbi Yedidya Atlas (IDF Rabbi, res.). During Operation Pillar of Defense, when the soldiers spent long days in the field unable to wash or change clothes, sweat eroded the tzitziyot, and the army had to dispose of 10,000 tzitziyot. It was then that the initiative was made to produce talitot katanot from dri-fit.

Olive Drab DryFit Tzitzit for soldiers

Modern challah covers by Israeli fabric artists

Typically velvet challah covers employ very traditional conservative designs, although in recent years glued-on decorative elements have become popular, adding a bit of flare. 

In contrast, modern challah covers are typically made of cotton/polyester cloth, raw silk or silk. A white base color is most common, but you will also find plenty of contemporary designs with dark base colors. 

In recent years, challah cover makers, such as A.N.A.E.L and Gamuza, have introduced leather and linen into their repertoire. Both tend to feature much simpler - even start - designs with only two or three colors. It's a bit hard to say whether they should be classified as "classic" or "modern." 

Probably the widest selection of modern challah covers is made by Yair Emanuel Judaica. Their collection includes silk, raw silk, faux leather and linen. Almost all of the designs can safely be considered modern.

Other Israeli designers include Ronit Gur, Dorit Judaica, Barbara Shaw, Jordana Klein, Goren Judaica and hundreds of small artisans featured on Etsy.

 

Talitnia Traditional Wool Tallit Prayer Shawl

If you spent some time comparing prices of traditional wool tallits made by Talitnia (a.k.a. Talitania) you might start to get a sense of déjà vu. Haven't I seen the exact same product description elsewhere? Weren't those the same options?

The reason is because at least three of the leading Israel-based Judaica stores are under the same ownership. In fact, if you go to aJudaica and Canaan-Online Judaica, take a look at the mini-logo at for the website tab at the top of your browser and you'll see that they have the exact same stylized J logo. They also operate a third micro-niche site called Tallit.biz. They also have the same product listed on their Amazon store, but at a higher price.

Talitania Traditional Wool Tallit

Now look at the prices for any of their traditional wool tallits (blue-silver stripes, blue-gold stripes, black-silver, black-gold, etc.) and you'll see that the prices are almost, but not quite, identical. (Be sure you're comparing the same size.)

Their price is at actually quite competitive, but it's slightly lower at one of their competitors, Ben's Tallit Shop.

Is this Traditional Wool Tallit a good deal? Actually at around $90 for the size 60 (which is considered a Medium), it is a good value. Talitnia has been making tallits for a century (!) and they do a good job. If you're looking for almost the same striping with a slightly higher quality weave, you might want to consider the Prima A.A. Both Talitnia and their leading competitor, Mishkan Hatchelet, make it.

In general, when shopping for a traditional wool tallit in the lower and medium price ranges, keep in mind that if it has only black, white or blue striping (no gold or silver pinstripes), the atara (neckband) will have a quiet, satiny design with no letters, whereas if the striping is black-silver, the atara will be black-silver with the Tzitzit Blessing embroidered on it, if the striping is blue-silver, the atara will be blue-silver, etc.

The white-on-white, white-silver and white-gold tend to be more commonly found among Sephardic Jews, but that's not a hard and fast rule.

Do you measure tallit katan shiur from the bottom of the slit or the top?

In a recent order a customer intended to select t-neck but accidentally selected round neck. He didn't notice his mistake until the order had already been delivered to him.

I don't know if was any consolation, but told him that personally I'm in favor of round neck tzitzit (i.e. tallit katan) and switched to it about a year ago.

For a tallit katan to be kosher (i.e. to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzit) it has to have a minimum size requirement. To meet that requirement isn't always such a simple matter.

One solution is to create a slit along the front, so that you can have a relatively small neck opening (without the slit you wouldn't be able to put it on). If you do that, and you want to measure the beged from top to bottom to ensure it meets the minimum size requirement, how do you measure it? From the bottom of the slit or the bottom of the neck opening.

Most people will tell you that you can measure from the bottom of the slit, and consider it as if it's closed, just like a button-up shirt is considered whole in front. But some poskim do not agree, and I think I have some very strong practical evidence to back that.

After a short time of wear, just about any tallit katan with a slit in front starts to lay down permanently, like lapels, and form a deep crease. So if you now have a tallit katan with "lapels," why should you count that as if it's closed?

Talitnia Hermonit Tallit

Hermont Tallit with Light Blue Stripes

Talitnia, probably the world's longest standing tallit manufacturer, has a tallit marketed in Israel under the name Hermon and a second tallit marketed under the name Hermonit, both references to the tallest mountain in Israel, Mt. Hermon in the Golan Heights, which has a small ski resort.

The Tallit Hermon is available in four different colors, including one with burgundy-gray striping. The Hermonit is available with sky blue striping, blue-gray and royal blue, all shown here.

Mishkan Hatchelet makes similar tallits called Tashbetz, which are extremely popular nonslip designs.

Tallit, tzitzit and tefillin: The basic essentials

I get dozens of inquiries per week, but today I received some questions from a recent Jewish convert who wanted to learn everything about tallit, tzitzit and tefillin standing on one foot!

Shalom- I am so hoping that you will be able to help me sort all of this out!! We are a newly-converted Conservative family. I have found many Ashkenazim on my family tree. My husband's family is entirely from the Sephardic tradition. My 28 yr old son has also converted. I’m in a tallit, tzitzit and tefillin nightmare. I was okay on outfitting them and getting kippot and turning our home into an observant one, but I can’t make heads or tails out of what my 60 yr old left-handed hubby needs or my right-handed 28 yr old. My husband is 6 foot tall. My son is 6’4. I can’t figure out which Tefillin and which Tzitzits. I bought some at a Jewish bookstore - they are just plain white t-shirt material with the knotted white strings. They want one with blue...but I’m lost. I don’t want to buy the Tefillin for them on Amazon because everyone says they are not Kosher and these are so important, on the other hand I don’t know whether to buy Sephardic or Ashkenazi. Can you please help me?  

I explained to her that she should get in touch with a qualified Orthodox rabbi. I am certainly not a rabbi, but I have studied the halachas related to tzitzit and some related to tefillin. I have a lot of expertise in the area of tallits and tzitzit, and some knowledge of tefillin.

I'm posting my reply in full, not just for converts, but because other Jews often have a whole lot of questions on these subjects:

I agree that the tefillin sold for under $200 on Amazon look quite dubious. I know one of the big Amazon sellers, who's based here in Israel. He's observant, and I've always wondered how he can sell tefillin with such questionable kashrut. Apparently he feels that if he adds a "disclaimer" regarding the kashrus, he's covered.

Ashkenazi or Sephardic? It's widely accepted that families follow the husband/father's custom. I'm Ashkenazi and my wife is Sephardic, and our practices and prayers are all according to Ashkenazi customs (although one of my teenage boys seems to be rebelling and "converting" to Sephardic customs). However, that rule of thumb is sometimes a bit different when it comes to converts. You really should discuss it with a rabbi (so again, where do you live?).

Once you know whether you should be following Ashkenazi or Sephardic, it gets easier. People get confused ordering tefillin because if you're right-handed you wear tefillin on your left hand, and vice-versa. To avoid any possibility of confusion, on our website you select "I am right-handed" or "I am left-handed." If figured that leaves no room for uncertainty, but I was wrong: a few weeks ago a customer wrote, "I am right-handed, and so I wear tefillin on my left hand. Which option should I choose?"

Next is tallit sizing. In conservative congregations you'll see that some people wear a narrow tallit resting on their neck with all four corners hanging in front (size 24 or 36), while others wear a larger tallit, traditional-style, draping down the back with two corners in front and two in back (sizes 45, 50, 55, 60, 70, 80). My guess is that you'll husband will want a size 70, but I could be wrong. Refer to our Tallit Size Wizard.

Now for tzitzit. The Torah says you must put tzitzit on your four-cornered garments. Besides a tallit worn in synagogue ("tallit gadol") many people wear a "tallit katan" in order to keep the mitzvah all day. These may be made of wool or cotton (see here and here). My guess is that the type you bought at the local Jewish bookstore are the ones we sell on this page.

A note on terminology: a tzitzit garment is called a tallit katan (or tallis katan) or arba kanfos, but some people will simply say tzitzit, i.e. if they say "I need to buy new tzitzit" they probably mean they want a new tallit katan (including the tzitzit), not just a set of tzitzit strings to tie themselves. This leads to some confusion. Online you'll find "cotton tzitzit," which really means a cotton tallit katan with wool tzitzit strings, and "wool tzitzit," which really means a wool tallit katan with wool tzitzit strings. (Today about 99% of all kosher tzitzit strings produced are made of wool.)

The next question is what tzitzit do you put on the garment (sometimes referred to as the "beged")? Most cotton tallit katan garments come with machine-spun tzitzit tied Ashkenazi as the default option. This is definitely the least expensive option, but a lot of people upgrade the tzitzit to hand-spun thin, medium or thick. If you want them tied according to any tying custom other than Ashkenazi, that can only be done with hand-spun tzitzit. 

Then a lot of people want to go with blue tzitzit ("techelet" or "tekhelet"). This is what the Torah requires, beyond any doubt, as stated very clearly in the third paragraph of Kriat Shema. For many centuries the masora (tradition) for the proper dye was lost. Over the past 50 years or so a lot of work was done to uncover the proper dye and there is a wide consensus that Murex trunculus (almost always produced by a company called Ptil Tekhelet) is the correct dye. However, you'll still see that most people have all-white tzitzit. How can that be? That's a loaded question. In my opinion, simply because people are slow to change -- which is good, because it helps ensure that Jewish tradition gets handed down faithfully through the generations. 

There is also a blue dye produced from cuttlefish called Radzyn Techelet. In recent years fewer and fewer people hold that this is the correct dye.

Techelet is expensive! If it's important to you and you want Ptil Tekhelet, ask me for some tips on how to make it affordable.

I realize this is a whole lot of information to absorb all at once. You might want to print out this email and some of the links, and go through it on Shabbat with your family. Don't think that most Jews know all this stuff! Many know very little about tzitzit, techelet, tefillin, etc. and have a whole lot of questions when they set out to make purchases.

Based on your time and energy, here are some more links you might find useful. Shabbat Shalom.

Some 300 (!!) blog articles on tallit, tzitzit, tefillin etc. >> 

Buy tefillin >>

Buy wool tallit katan >>

Buy cotton tallit katan >>

Buy a traditional wool tallit >>

Techelet tzitzit tying options >>

On the discovery of the techelet dye:

History, Mesorah, Nignaz by Mois Navon
Ptil Tekhelet on Radzyn techelet by Mois Navon
Fake Techelet - forum string at Mi Yodeya
Tekhelet – Threads of Reason by Mois Navon
Understanding the Criteria for the Chilazon by Dr. Mendel Singer
Response to Understanding the Criteria for the Chilazon by Dr. Baruch Sternman
Has Techelet Been Found? by Menachem Epstein 

Canaan Online vs. aJudaica

Our headline is a bit ironic because, well, Canaan Online and aJudaica are one and the same. aJudaica is among the most veteran Judaica web stores on the Internet. They started out as a smallish STaM shop in Bnei Brak and did quite well online.

To expand their reach, they opened other micro-niche Judaica web stores, including MyShofar and Tefillin Store (www.tefillin.biz) and Tallit.biz.

Then a few years ago they bought out a successful competitor and changed the name to Canaan Online. So while searching for a certain Judaica product you might get various results on different web stores with almost the same price and almost the same product description -- because they are all being offered by the same company (Peer HaStam).

Take, for example, the Gilboa Tallit. If you do a search for "Gilboa Tallit" you'll find it on a half-dozen web stores:

• JudaicaWebStore.com
• Canaan-Online.com
• Tefillin.biz
• aJudaica.com
• Tallit.biz
• tzitzit.tallit-shop

The first web store on the list is more expensive (and may also be owned by Peer HaStam). The last web store on the list offers the Gilboa Tallit at an affordable price, similar to the "conglomerate," but specializes in tallit and tzitzit sales (Ben's Tallit Shop), therefore it offers more options and better service. 

Talitnia Traditional Tallit 100% Wool

On Amazon I came across a product headed "Talitnia Traditional Tallit 100% Wool." The price was good, but it's not such a great find for several reasons:

• If you have the patience to wait a week or two for shipping from Israel, it's advertised on Ben's Tallit Shop for about the same price.
• If you order it there, the product page includes an option for a matching bag for just $12.50.
• Ben's Tallit Shop offers various other tzitzit options, such as hand-spun, thick and techelet (blue). 
• If you don't want just black striping, you can find the exact same Talitania Traditional Wool Tallit with black-silver striping or black-gold striping.

Go to Talitnia Traditional Wool Tallit>>

Note that the black-striped version has an atara (neckband) with a subtle diamond and leaf pattern, whereas the black-silver and black-gold have the Tzitzit Blessing embroidered on the atara.

Sephardic Tzitzit: Should I tie 10-5-6-5 or 7-8-11-13?

Almost always, Sephardim will tie the tzitzit on their tallit gadol with 7-8-9-11 windings (sometimes known as "Tal"). On a tallit katan, about half tie 7-8-11-13 and half 10-5-6-5. Here's a question from a tallit buyer in Los Angeles.

I have one last question (maybe). I'm an Iranian Jew and I was wondering how do we tie tzitzit, on tallit katan and gadol. I'm pretty sure that on a tallit katan we tie 10-5-6-5 with the spine/ridge/etc..

I have been talking with a few of the people I know recently and they sparked a new thought in my mind. Before this I was almost sure that both tallit katan and gadol were tied using 10-5-6-5 with the ridge. Then one of the guys who I was talking with said I should do 7-8-11-13 with the ridge. I felt kind of ashamed because I had 10-5-6-5 with the ridge on my tallit. Afterwards I realized that the two people I was talking with were from not from were my parents/grand-parents. 

So pretty much my question is do Iranian Jews tie 10-5-6-5 with the ridge on both tallit katan an gadol?

Sorry, but I'm not familiar with different Sephardic customs. The most common custom is 10-5-6-5 on a tallit katan and 7-8-11-13 on a tallit gadol. Some do 7-8-11-13 on their tallit katan as well. Doing 10-5-6-5 on a tallit gadol is quite rare, but not unheard of. I have heard that this is the custom among Persian Jews, but I have never seen it in writing.

And even if there isn't, if you ask me, it's not such a terrible crime. The main halachot  pertaining to tzitzit are where the hole is placed, how long the tzitzit are, etc. Tying customs are much less critical.

Sephardic Tallit >>

Selecting tefillin parchments: A guide for online tefillin buyers

When buying a set of tefillin online, you may see several different levels of parchments to choose from. What's the difference between the various quality levels of tefillin parchments? Here's a question we received today from France on that topic.

Dear Sirs,
what are the differences among the parchments you can choose to order tefilins on your website?
Best regards,
Yossef

As we explained to Yossef, there are hundreds of complicated halachic issues related to writing parchments for tefillin, mezuzahs or a Sefer Torah (a field known as STaM). To be considered kosher, the writing must meet certain standards. For example, letters must not touch or be written out of order (i.e. you cannot go back and add a forgotten letter).

To become a sofer (one who writes the parchments) you must invest at least a year or two in study and training. But among those who become a qualified sofer, the caliber of their writing may vary considerably. Some write very quickly to provide mezuzahs or tefillin that are very affordable, while meeting the minimum requirements. Others write very slowly and carefully, so that their writing is beautiful (not unlike calligraphy).

And even among those who try to create beautiful writing, there are different levels of talent. Of course experience helps improve the level of writing, but in addition, it depends to some extent on one's G-d given talent. One sofer with five years experience may be able to write a more beautiful mezuzah than another sofer with 15 years experience.

Thus a sofer's work is graded by expert STaM buyers who know how to set the right value for their work.

The Torah tells us, Zeh Keli v'anveihu, which Chazal explain means we should strive to fulfill mitzvahs in a aesthetically beautiful way. When you do the mitzvah of tzitzit, tie the tzitzit on a beautiful tallit or tallit katan. And when you do the mitzvah of mezuzah, write a beautiful parchment and use a beautiful mezuzah case. And when you do the mitzvah of tefillin, make the finishing work on the boxes beautiful and the writing on the parchments inside beautiful, etc.

As you can imagine, the quality of the writing of tefillin parchments has a significant impact on the final price of a given set of tefillin.

Length of Tzitzit Strings

The standard lengths for tzitzit strings, whether regular handspun tzitzit or niputz lishmah, is as follows:

• thin - 50 cm
• medium - 55 cm
• thick - 60 cm

That means when tied, from the first knot down to the tips will typically come out to 50 cm, etc.

Recently Mishkan Hatchelet started making a lot of different lengths. Normally various lengths are available for niputz lishmah tzitzit, as well, namely

• thin - 50 cm, 70 cm
• thick - 60 cm, 70 cm, 80 cm

All of the above can be found here.

Nowadays it seems many people are under the impression that longer strings are more kosher, but that's not the case! In fact, according to the Rishonim, your tzitzit should be one-third tied, two-thirds loose. With most all-white tzitzit tying customs (e.g. Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Chabad) as well as most techelet tzitzit tying customs (with the notable exception of HaRav Schachter's approach) that means the total length of the tzitzit is relatively short.

A note on heavyweight and lightweight tallit fabrics

People often ask about how thin or thick a tallit is, to make sure it's suitable for their local climate. Yesterday we received the following inquiry from a woman who wanted to buy a tallit for her husband.

​I would like to order the Prima A.A. black-striped tallit as a gift for my husband's birthday. Could you explain the different thicknesses for us to make a choice? He seems to feel that the thin would be too lightweight. We live in the US, in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC.
Gayle W.​

Usually we get the opposite request, e.g., "I live in Florida. It's hot and steamy here. I need a lightweight tallit." So I point him to the Tashbetz, Bareket or Kalil.

But when it's cold, the truth is that a heavy tallit is not going to keep you warmer than a standard weight tallit. However, some people just like to feel the weight of the tallit on their shoulders. I'm one of them, so my Shabbos tallit is a bit thick and heavy. It takes up more space when folded, but I can live with that.

In Gayle's case, I recommended she go with one of the following options:

• Prima A.A. with a lining and maybe sidebands.
• Kmo Turkish, which comes with lining and sidebands standard. The tallit fabric is a bit heavier that the Prima A.A.
• Hamefoar Prestige, which is the same as the Kmo Turkish, but with a slightly textured fabric that helps the tallit stay in place on the shoulders and has a nice, supple feel.

The Echt Turkish is super heavy tallit, but it's definitely not for everyone. The fabric is fairly stiff and the fringes (not the tzitzit, the fringes) are interlaced.

You might also want to refer to this tallit weight comparison table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thinking of buying a shofar?

Sport Strings vs. Sport Tzitzit

If you're a big Tamir Goodman fan and you need tzitzit that perform well on the court, on the playing field, while running or cycling, then you'll probably want to order Sport Strings.

But if you don't need the name Tamir Goodman on the Sport Strings label, you might want to consider Sport Tzitzit. Even after you pay the $5-$10 for shipping from Israel, you'll be saving a whole lot of money. Also, Sport Tzitzit come with a number of different tzitzit options.

The fabric has been used extensively by IDF soldiers. Thousands of the same tzitzit, in army green instead of white, have been supplied to the IDF, and received rave reviews for their wicking properties and durability under tough field conditions.

Wool tallit with blue stripes

If you want a traditional tallit, unless you're on a shoestring budget, make sure it's wool. A wool tallit looks nicer, lasts longer, feels better and is considered superior from a halachic standpoint.

Many Sephardim have a custom of wearing a white-striped tallit, Ashkenazi traditionalists will stick with black stripes, but the blue-striped wool tallit is also very common. In fact, according to some opinions, originally the tallit had blue stripes, which later morphed to black.

A blue-striped tallit with silver pinstripes is definitely very popular, although some people prefer gold pinstripes and others want blue striping with nothing else.

The standard blue-striped tallit often comes with a simple white atara (neckband), whereas blue-gold and blue-silver tallits, which are considered slightly more modern, come with the Tzitzit Blessing on the atara.

Go to Black-Striped Tallits>>

Go to White-Striped Tallits>>

Go to Blue-Striped Tallits>>

On tzitzit material and techelet

​

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.

​

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.

Blue Strand in Tzitzit

A customer recently ordered a set of handspun tzitzit. Upon receiving the shipment, he was quite surprised to find all white tzitzit, with no blue strand.

He sent the following inquiry:

My tsitsit arrived today.  Is there a reason why blue strands were not included?

 I was tickled by the innocence of his question. He may have come across various "blue strand tzitzit" products offered by non-Jewish Internet dealers at very low prices, probably made of synthetic or plant dyes.

"Most Jews do not use techelet," I explained to him. The reason is quite complicated. Instead, the tzitzit are all white. If you go to our Tzitzit Strings page all of the items listed are all white, except for the last two." I sent him there so that he would see that the difference in price between standard all-white tzitzit and techelet tzitzit is very substantial.

But he was not satisfied, and again asked a very innocent sounding question:

But Moses commanded that we are to have a blue strand.  Is there a Talmudic explanation for deviating from this?

Tzitzit with blue strand, Rambam tying custom

In Talmudic times techelet was still used. But subsequently, during the turmoil under Roman rule, if I'm not mistaken, the correct source of the techelet dye was lost. Over the past century various efforts have been made to recover the lost dye. In recent decades there has been a brisk debate over the authenticity of the findings.

There is a whole lot of material available on the topic. For an initial overview, you might want to take a look at this page.

Ptil Tekhelet has some very convincing claims. In Israel, the ultra-Orthodox community tends to be very resistant to new changes. Techelet is seen more frequently within the more modern Orthodox community and in the U.S.

Size 60 Tallit or Size 70?

We often get tallit size inquiries. Obviously it's a problem sizing someone for a tallit when he can't try it on. But fortunately, perfect tallit sizing is not critical. Since a tallit is worn loosely, you have some leeway. It's not like buying a t-shirt where you have to get the fit just right.

This week we received an inquiry from someone debating whether to buy a tallit in a size 60 or a size 70.

I think I want to order the blue Prima A.A. Tallit for weekdays and the Malchut Tallit for Shabbat. Both with thick Ashkenazi tzitzit. I am still worried over whether I should go with a size 60 or a size 70 tallit. If I get both tallits in a size 60, and I feel they are too small, can I swap for 70?  Thanks, Zach.

It's a good thing Zach asked, because since we are located in Israel, returns and exchanges are problematic. You have to pay for shipping three time (to you, back to Israel and again to you) and we do not refund the amount for the tzitzit we tie on. I suggested to Zach that he try to do either of the following:

1) Try to find someone with a size 60 tallit or size 70 tallit that you can try on. Remember, the difference between sizes is four inches.

2) Order the Prima A.A. Tallit in a size 60 and wait until it arrives. Then decide if you want to go with a size 70 for the Malchut Tallit. It's actually fairly common to have a slightly bigger tallit for Shabbat. The smaller size is more practical, the larger size more elegant.

I told him that that if he wanted to go with the second plan, we could send him a coupon for free shipping on the second tallit.

Go to Tallit Size Wizard>>