Ultimate Sephardic talit: Yosef’s pick

A colleague of mine, Yosef, who lives and works in Jerusalem, has been in the talit business for 25 years. He deals with both Mishkan Hatchelet and Talitnia   Israel’s leading tallit makers so he’s just the right person to ask for an objective comparison.

Malchut Talit with Netted Fringes
Malchut Tallit

Yesterday I spoke to him about two white-on-white wool talits: Tallit Malchut, made by Talitnia (often spelled “Talitania”), and Beit Yosef Nonslip Tallit by Mishkan Hatchelet. He said the Tallit Malchut is a nice tallit and well priced, but warned that after a year of daily use the fabric will look worn. Therefore he recommended it as a Shabbat tallit. I would add that it has the advantage of being lightweight, so if having a lightweight, non-slip talit is important to you, Malchut is the way to go.

In comparison Yosef said the Beit Yosef Nonslip is more durable and more non-slip, which makes it worth the $10 or $15 price difference. Most telling of all is that he said that is what he wants as his next Shabbat talit: a Beit Yosef Nonslip with Yemenite-style netted fringes. He’s Sephardic, not Yemenite, but he likes the look of the netted fringes.

The Beit Yosef Nonslip is a talit made of the same fabric as Hamefoar but instead of satiny stripes the striping is woven from the wool itself. Also the atara is all wool, which is a rarity. If you want a true 100% wool tallit with non-slip fabric and do not insist on lightweight, the Beit Yosef Nonslip Tallit is the way to go.

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