Why a tallit slips or stays put

A significant number of our customers are looking for a “nonslip” tallit. Here’s a recent inquiry:

Please help, my Tallis keeps slipping. I have bought some non-slip fabric, are you aware of any halachic impediments to sewing in to the inside?​ – Motty

Motty certainly has an interesting idea. I can’t think of any halachic problems that are liable to come up.

Tallit slipping is not a new thing; it’s mentioned in the Talmud. I haven’t done an empirical study, but my conjecture is that there are a number of factors involved.

1) Thin, light fabric may be less prone to slipping because it contours better.

2) A second layer of fabric where the tallit rests on the shoulder and head may reduce slipping because the weight anchors the tallit in place there, and keeps it stable.

3) A wider tallit is liable to slip off more than a narrower tallit. But in most cases the variations in width are not substantial.

4) A textured (“nonslip”) fabric clings better to your clothes and to itself, reducing slippage.

5) Folding the tallit over just once on each shoulder makes the tallit slip easily, since the fold point is the center of gravity and pulls the tallit down the slopes of the arms. It’s better to experiment with ways to bunch the tallit on your shoulders.

6) How your shoulders slope contributes to the stability of the tallit.

(1) Comments

    I also had this idea, although as I recall, I thought of using fabric from an old, textured tallis, rather than new cloth.

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