Ben – Page 2 – Ben's Tallit Shop

Does a tallis katan need a hechsher?

If you're seeing a hechsher on the label of your tallis katan, it might not be what you think it is. In most cases, if you read the fine print you'll find that the hechsher only covers the tzitzis strings. In other words, there's no rabbinical supervision over the tallis katan garment or the tying...

Nineteenth Century Tallit

Some of our customers looking for just the right tallit want to hearken back to their family roots several generations ago. This week we received the following such inquiry: Could you tell me what kind of Tallit would have been worn in Russia and Eastern Europe in the 1800s? Also, they would not have had...

Nonslip tallit buyers and users guide

Probably the majority of classic wool tallits sold today fall under the rubric of "nonslip." But there's a pseudo-science behind the concept of nonslip, that doesn't begin and end with the tallit fabric alone. We received the following question from a prospective customer this week: Dear Sir,I need a new tallit. Mine has begun tearing at...

Tzitzit strategies during summer heat

Time to get personal...It's really hot here in Israel this week. The Electric Company reported a record high usage yesterday afternoon. So when I got dressed this morning, I departed from my typical tzitzit attire. Usually I wear an undershirt, a Wool Comfort and a shirt. I know, many people out there think wool is...

Are machine-spun strings kosher?

We recently received the following inquiry, apparently from someone debating between hand-spun tzitzit strings and machine-spun. Are the machine spun tzitzit strings kosher? Machine-spun tzitzit definitely meet basic standards of kashrus and have rabbinical supervision. If you want a more in depth answer, in a word, if you hold that machine-made matzah is kosher for the night...

Striping pattern on traditional black-striped tallits

Many tallit buyers are not so particular about the exact striping pattern — but some are. Greetings, While my ancestry is Jewish I am only just reconnecting with Judaism after a generational gap. My family were Ashkenazi from eastern Europe. I am trying to find a tallit that would be true to my Ashkenazi roots, which...

Ptil Tekhelet tzitzit for Sephardic Jews

The Ptil Tekhelet Organization makes two types of strings, known as "Raavad" and "Rambam." The reason is because there is no consensus in the Rishonim as to how many of the strings should be blue and how many should be white. The Raavad strings are all blue, whereas the Rambam strings are half blue....

Which type of tzitzit should I buy? Guidance for tzitzit beginners

For those setting out to buy new tzitzit to wear, shopping for a tallit katan can be somewhat perplexing. First of all, the sizing system in Israel and the US are not the same, and many people have no idea what size they need, even if they have some tallit katans in their closet....

Does a scarf require tzitzit?

I don't know whether you've been following the weather in Israel. It's been rainy. Really rainy. My wife told a friend she doesn't remember when it's rained so much. Her observation was accurate, because according the the meteorological service, the last time Israel got this much rain was in 1969, which was a few...

Are the white tzitzit and blue tzitzit one mitzvah or two?

In Bereishis (9:23) we find, "And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness." Rashi explains that the verse says "took" not in the plural, but in...

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