July 2010 – Ben's Tallit Shop

Tzitzit: Connecting Heaven and Earth

The meaning of tzitzit is about connecting Shamayim (Heaven) and eretz (earth), revealing to us the spiritual potential in the world around us. Meaning of Tzitzit The task of transforming all of our activities into spiritual pursuits may seem remote and abstract. Throughout the day we find ourselves in various places and situations that seem far...

A Tallit in Auschwitz

Rabbi Tzvi Meisels is widely known in Chicago for his efforts to reestablish the Orthodox community on the West Side, and later in Albany Park, based on the model of Eastern Europe’s pre-World War II communities. Yet his extraordinary efforts to uphold Judaism began long before on the other side of the Atlantic – and...

Tzitzit Tying for Beginners

Although most people prefer to buy a tallit with the tzitzit already tied, some people prefer tying tzitzit themselves. This inclination should not be seen as a caprice, but as a valid inclination, especially since the Talmud states that performing a mitzvah yourself is better than having someone carry it out for you. Tying tzitzit...

The Wall is Wailing

by Rabbi Avi Shafran Neither facts nor logic have impeded champions of Nofrat Frenkel, the woman briefly detained by police at the Western Wall in November 2009. Needless to say, Ms. Frenkel's charge that she was unnecessarily manhandled by police should be responsibly investigated. Even a violator of the law has the right to be detained...