May 2011 – Ben's Tallit Shop

Why the Black Stripe?

According to halacha, the earliest time you are allowed to recite the tzitzit bracha is when there is enough light outside to distinguish between your white tzitzit strings and your techelet tzitzit strings. Since today we do not have techelet (although there is room to disagree with that statement), I had always assumed this...

Kosher Tzitzit Strings: A Matter of Intent

The Torah tells us to make tzitzits for ourselves – v'asu lahem tzitzis (Bamidbar 15:38). Based on these words, the Talmudic Sages and later the Shulchan Aruch ruled that tzitzit strings must be made with intent (lishma), i.e. when making the strings one must have intent that they eventually be used for the mitzvah...

Frayed Tzitzit – How to Keep Your Strings Intact

Based on the words zeh Keli v'anveihu the Talmudic Sages deduced that one should strive to perform mitzvahs in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This applies to various mitzvahs, including the tallit you wear. Not only should the tallit be attractive, but the tzitzits, too – which of course are the essence of the mitzvah – should...

Kippah and Tzitzit: Not Just the Rabbi’s Family

Wearing a kippah in public where I live is almost unheard of. There are a handful of religious Jews here, mainly rabbis’ families, but our area is largely insulated from any Jewish communities—the closest being a five-hour drive across the state. Mindy Rubenstein and her husband grew up in the same town in Florida, but...

Techeles: The Ongoing Debate

Although according to many traditional interpretations techeles is a pure shade of blue, Dr. Zvi Koren, a professor at Shenkar College who specializes in the chemistry of ancient colorants, says techeles is actually closer to a bluish-purple. “It really is majestic,” Dr. Koren told the NY Times. “Techeles is the color of the sky. It’s...

Yemenite Tzitzit

I recently came across a product labeled "Yemenite Tzitzit" on one of the leading online tallit shops. This sounded peculiar to me. There is such a thing as Sephardic Tzitzits, which simply come with longer shamash strings for those who tie chulyot (loops) around each winding, but Yemenite tzitzits? What are Yemenite tzitzit? I...

Why Wear Tzitzits?

The following is a compilation of Talmudic and Midrashic sayings on the virtue of wearing tzitzits. One who meticulously observes the mitzvah of tzitzit is rewarded with a nice wardrobe. - Talmud Shabbat 23b "This is my G‑d and I will beautify Him" (Exodus 15:2). Be beautiful before him with mitzvot ... a beautiful tallit. - Talmud...

Techelet Debate in Jerusalem

Ashrei will be sponsoring a debate on the mitzvah of tekhelet, featuring Rav Mois Navon of the Ptil Tekhelet Association and Rav Elie Ganz of Yeshivat Keren Ora. The evening will be moderated by Rav Yehoshua Kahan, Director of ASHREI, and is being co-sponsored by the the RRG Hillel Beit Midrash Program at Hebrew University,...

4 Reasons to Opt for a Wool Tallit Katan

When you set out to buy a tallit katan the first decision to make is the type of fabric you want to wear: wool, cotton or a cotton/synthetic blend. Wool Tzitzit - No Sweat Although many tzitzit wearers work up a sweat just hearing the word "wool," consider the following list of assets: Wool is a good...