Mishkan Hatchelet versus Talitania

Let me start off by saying that most dealers are partial to either Talitania or Mishkan Hatchelet because they work with either one manufacturer or the other, whereas we sell tallitot made by both companies.

Mishkan Hatchelet and Talitania: Competing tooth and nail

Here in Israel the top two traditional tallit makers are Talitania and Mishkan Hatchelet. When one of them comes out with a new type of tallit, the other comes out with a similar contender. Last week I was in one of the leading tallit stores in Jerusalem. They sell both Talitania and Mishkan Hatchelet, so I asked them how the two traditional tallit makers compare. The person I spoke with – a tallit industry veteran – claimed that as a general rule, Talitania (sometimes known as Talitnia) is stronger while Mishkan has better finishing work. I think that’s a bit of a generalization.

Another tallit industry professional told me that if you buy a standard traditional tallit, the Prima A.A. made by Mishkan Hatchelet has a tighter weave than the Talitania counterpart. In my opinion, in general the difference in quality between the two companies is insignificant.

Buying a Traditional Tallit: Prima A.A., Tashbetz, Hamefoar and More

As long as I am mentioning the Prima A.A. Tallit, let me add a few words to help out many of my customers who are bewildered by the traditional tallit selection I offer. If you want to buy a traditional wool tallit, with black stripes (or white with white stripes), they may all look the same online. But the truth is that even if you were browsing a tallit shop and looking at the tallitot up close and personal, many of them would still look very much alike.

When you go up from our Traditional Wool Tallit to Prima or Prima A.A., you’re paying for not so much for a thicker tallit, but for a denser tallit, i.e. a denser weave. That makes it likely to last longer and it will hang a big straighter.

Mishkan Hatchelet - Tallit Hamefoar
Hamefoar

The atara (neckband) on just about any traditional wool tallit or high-end tallit with black stripes or white stripes are identical. (Most tallits with blue striping or another color have the Tzitzit Blessing embroidered on the atara. The Prima A.A. really is a good tallit, but if you want a textured nonslip tallit, consider Hamefoar or Tashbetz.

For those looking for a non-slip tallit, Mishkan Hatchelet has two models: Hamefoar and Tashbetz. Hamefoar has a weave with subtle texturing, whereas the Tashbetz has a box weave which is more noticeable and designed for optimal stay-in-place qualities. Because the fabric is airy, I had always assumed the Tashbetz is a lightweight tallit, but if you put it on a scale you’ll find that it’s actually a bit weightier than Hamefoar. Talitania makes a very popular, slightly more economical tallit very similar to Hamefoar, called Malchut.

Go to Black-Striped Wool Tallit page>>>

Go to White-Striped Wool Tallit page>>>

The following 10-minute video shows the Mishkan Hatchelet factory in action. The narration is all in Hebrew.