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>>

Choosing a White-Striped Tallit

Because we offer a wide selection of white-striped tallitot, often our customers have a hard time deciding which is best. They all look pretty much the same online. This week we received a typical question on the difference between the various white-on-white tallits for sale.

Are you able to give any more information to help me with choosing between the following white-on-white tallits?
1. Beit Yosef
2. Prima A.A. White Stripes
3. Hamefoar White Nonslip Tallit

They all seem much of a likeness to me. I am Moroccan Jewish if in any way that can help with my choice?

Thanks, Andrew H.

First I explained to Andrew that his family origins are not really consequential in buying a tallit. All Sephardic Jews tie the tzitzit the same way (except some Iraqi Jews who follow the Ben Ish Chai and a small number of Sephardim who tie 10-5-6-5 on their tallit gadol instead of 7-8-11-13).

Really the decision is just a matter of aesthetics and personal preference.

Prima A.A. - This is the white-striped tallit you probably have seen fairly frequently. The striping and atara (neckband) are shiny.

Hamefoar - This tallit has the same striping and atara, but the fabric has subtle texturing to it. This texturing gives it a slightly more supple feel and helps the tallit stay in place on your shoulders a little better.

Beit Yosef - This tallit has matte striping, on the the tallit, the atara and the corners, which lends it a very subtle, understated beauty. The vast majority of tallitot, including Prima A.A. and Hamefoar, have a synthetic atara with a shiny leaf and diamond design, whereas the Beit Yosef has a wool atara with integrated striping. The striping on the tallit, the atara and the corners is not a different material added on, but an integral part of the weave itself.

Lightweight Tallis

'Tis the season for lightweight tallit purchases. This week we received several lightweight tallit purchases and inquiries. One inquiry I found to be surprisingly insightful:

Hi,
I would like to get your advice on taleisim, since I can't actually see them when ordering online. I'm looking for a traditional black-stripe talis, as light weight as possible, except with the top part reinforced for putting it over your head. Can you recommend one? I find having a little extra weight on the top part help it stay on my head.  It tends to fall off frequently when it’s unlined. 

I was looking at the page for the Kalil Tallis, and I’m curious as to why it is made narrower than other taleisim.  Do you know why they do that, and how different that feels practically?  Are there any lightweight taleisim that are sized normally?
Thanks, David

David is very right. A year or two ago I happened to have an extra Beit Yosef atara, and had it sewn on my Shabbos tallis, and then noticed that adding a bit of weight there does improve "tallit stability."

The Kalil is narrower so that you have less tallit bunched on your shoulders. Thin fabric, doubled up, is no longer very thin.

Just about every other tallit is sized normally. I suggested to David that he consider the Tashbetz. But if you want to stick with a very conservative black-striped look, you should know that up close the Tashbetz fabric looks very slightly different from standard black-striped tallits. 

Another option would be Hamefoar. Here in Israel it's marketed as Pe'er Kal (kal means lightweight) and it is a smidge lighter than your standard tallit. I would say it breathes a bit better than a standard tallit, but not quite as well as the Tashbetz.

          Go to Lightweight Tallit page>>

Tallit Sizing Tips

Questions on tallit sizing are just about the most common inquiries we receive. This week we received an email from a customer in Australia who is happy with the handwoven tallit he bought from us six months ago, and is thinking of buying a second handwoven tallit, but has questions on tallit sizing. 

Although his question is specific to his height, a lot of people out their can benefit from an understanding of how a size 24 tallit and a size 36 tallit fits, which is fairly universal.

I have been thinking about  purchasing another tallit .  Although very pleased with my last purchase I have always been keen on the look of the Kedma Classic (based on the photos on your website). I'm just wondering about the size?  Would the 25 inches be wide enough or 36 inches?  I am 5'10 in height.
I appreciate your advice.

With larger sizes, say 55 inches and up, the tallit is going to hang down in back, and then the question is how far it drapes.

With smaller sizes, whether 25 inches, 36 inches or 40 inches, someone 5'10" could wear any of them, but each would be worn very differently. Let me explain in detail.

If the tallit is 18 to 20 inches wide, it is worn like a scarf, just sitting on the neck and hanging in front.

If it is 24 to 26 inches wide, it is worn the same, but looks a bit different because it covers some of the upper back and upper arms.

A size 36 sort of wraps around you, as opposed to simply hanging down in front.

Once you get up to a size 45+, like you bought last time, the dimensions are designed so that it drapes down the back, traditional style, covering most of the back, or even hanging down to the belt, the back of the legs or the knees, depending on one's personal preference. Some people your height would even wear a size 70, which would hang down to the back of their knees. It looks long and elegant that way, and very frum, but many people find that to be too much tallit and hard to manage.

I have two idea for you to get an idea of a size 25 and a size 36.

1) Watch this video. The model is only 5'1", but it still gives you an idea of what I'm describing.

2) Take your tallit, which is around 48 inches. Fold it in half lengthwise, i.e. keep the atara straight, unfolded. You just turned it into a 24 inch tallit. Try it on.

By the way, I have seen Yemenites who wear their tallit this way every day. The Gemara speaks of taking your tallit and מתעטף yourself in it, which means wrap yourself. According to the Yemenite, and to some extent German, tradition, this means you wrap it around yourself, with the tzitzit in front. (I can't understand why Yemenite Jews don't simply buy a size 24 or 36 and save themselves a lot of money.) Most other Jews hold that you should have two tzitzit corners in front, and two in back.

Tallit Size Wizard>>>

Nonslip Tallit

In recent years nonslip tallits have gained popularity quite quickly. Today we received the following, very short inquiry from parents shopping for a nonslip tallit for their son.

Which is the tallis that does not fall off?

The truth is that any tallit can fall off, but in recent years tallit makers started developing special textured weaves that help keep the tallit in place. Tallit sellers often call these a "nonslip tallit," which is probably a touch of hyperbole, but I have had customers rave about how well they stay put on their shoulders.

My own Shabbos tallit has this nonslip tallit fabric (sometimes referred to as a box weave or waffle weave) and I'm quite happy with it. Beyond the nonslip factor, the tallitfabric is supple and has a nice feel to it.

If you go to the search box on the upper right of our webstore and enter "nonslip" you will see a wide range of nonslip tallit options, or try this link.

We have a lot of resources on the upper navigation bar to help you choose the right tallit, the right tzitzit, etc., and if you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

Tallit with Matching Tallit Bag

This week we received an inquiry from a customer in Chile. He plans to make a big order, including tallit, tallit bag, tallit bag cover, tallit katan and mezuzahs, so he has a lot of questions to ask.

After he settled on a top-of-the-line traditional black-striped wool tallit, he asked about a matching tallit bag.

I think i'm buying the chatanim, it's really beautiful =)

http://tzitzit.tallit-shop.com/tallit-chatanim/

The tallit also includes a plastic bag and the matching tallit bag?

From his question, it sounds like he's assuming the tallit comes as a set, with a free matching tallit bag. But the truth is high-end tallits are never sold with a matching bag.

There is no matching bag made for the Chatanim. In fact, I've never seen a matching bag for a black-striped tallit. All of the matching tallit bags have a bit of color in them, e.g. black-silver, white-silver, blue-silver, blue-gold, etc. Also, the matching bags on the top line here are not such great quality (that's why they are only $12.50) and they are not quite big enough for a size 70.

Usually people who wear a black-striped tallit do not have a matching bag, but just any bag they like (usually dark blue, but not always). With tallit bags, generally the more you spend, the better the material.

I use a fairly inexpensive velvet bag (under $15) from before I ventured into the tallit business, and it has held up quite well for several years. But to tell you the truth, I secretly wish it would wear out so I could get something a bit nicer.