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Entries by Ben

Tallit Prayer

What is the tallit prayer? I get asked this question frequently. First of all, it's actually not a tallit prayer, but the tallit blessing recited before donning the tallit. And the blessing does not include the word "tallit" at all, but instead focuses on the tzitzits, because the mitzvah is to wear tzitzit, with the...

Tefillin on a fading number

I am not 100% supportive of Chabad tefillin-wrapping "mitvto'im," but a post by a Chabad activist who tried to encourage an elderly Holocaust survivor to wrap tefillin really moved me. The Lubavitcher proffers a set of tefillin to an old man at the Western Wall, asking him when was the last time he laid tefillin. "He...

Ptil Tekhelet

The Ptil Tekhelet Association was founded some 30 years ago. To make their first batch of ten they spent a year hard at work. Today well over 100,000 people around the world put Ptil Tekhelet on their tallit or tallit katan. View Techelet Tallit selection>>> Tallit Katan with techelet tzitzit>>> Buy Ptil Tekhelet tzitzit strings>>> According to Baruch...

Tekhelet and the Holy Temple

I just came across a very worthwhile article on tekhelet. It's a bit old, but not dated. I happen to know both David Horovitz, the editor of the paper, and the writer of the piece, Rabbi Mois Navon, who I consult via email periodically. The article actually discusses the Temple as much as tekhelet...

Linen Tallit and Tzitzit

Today, almost every traditional tallit is made of wool, although you can also find inexpensive tallits made of acrylic or other synthetic materials or occasional a wool/acrylic blend, such as the Hadar Tallit made by Talitania. In the realm of modern tallits, especially handmade, some are also made of silk or cotton. But there...

Long Tzitzit on Short Boys

I came across an interesting question on a frum forum about long tzitzit strings on little boys. I'd love to put in my two cents, but it's a forum for Jewish mothers and they explicit state that men (and boys and unmarried girls) are uninvited. So I thought I'd at least comment here, since...

Ptil Tekhelet – Rambam 7

Those who start tying Rambam tzitzit – both if you are tying techelet tzitzit or all white – may be undecided whether to tie 7 chulyoth or 13. The Gemara states very clearly that seven is the minimum and 13 is the maximum. Some poskim hold that 7 is the minimum and 13 is...

What’s wrong with a silk tallit?

Why are the vast majority of tallitot made of wool? Why is a silk tallit or a cotton tallit the exception and not the rule? According to halacha, wool is the material of choice for a tallit, although other materials are acceptable as well. The only problem fabrics would be synthetics, according to some...