Tzitzit – Page 9 – Ben's Tallit Shop

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...

Radzyn Techelet

For those of you who would like detailed information on Radzin techelet tzitzit from a Chassidic – primarily Breslov – angle, I recommend the link at the bottom of this page, including the comments, which also offer a wealth of information. I also recently came across a question to a Modern Orthodox rabbi posed by...

Tzitzit Tying Customs

When I told a recent customer we offer a variety of different tzitzit tying customs, he was taken by surprise. "I was not aware that Tzitzit could be tied using different standards," he wrote in an email. "I thought they were all the same – so now I've learned something new. What are the differences? ...

Olive Green Tzitzit in the IDF

Yeshiva World News ran a short article on an IDF decision to stop issuing olive green tzitzit garments at no charge to religious soldiers. Readers submitted a number of interesting remarks, which I'd like to comment on here. Forgive me if I indulge in a bit of editorializing. Buy Olive Green Tallit Katan>> "A talis koton...

Cotton Tzitzit

A customer recently asked me if the tzitzit strings I sold her are made of wool or cotton. The answer, of course, is wool. Today tzitzit strings are always made of wool. According to halacha, wool tzitzit strings can be tied on any type of garment, whereas tzitzit strings made from other types of...

Tzitzit and Yarmulke Lead to Firing in Dearborn, Michigan

A dentist in Dearborn, Michigan says his job dismissal was based on anti-Semitism. In a federal suit, Dr. Mark Ellis alleged he was told not to wear a yarmulke or tzitzit while on the job at Midwestern Dental of Dearborn, where he was a dental manager, "since the office was located in Dearborn with a...

Halacha of Tzitzit – Rambam

To get an overview or introduction to any area of halacha, the Rambam is invariably a good place to start. Below is a translation of the halacha of tzitzit in the Rambam's magnum opus, Mishneh Torah. Perhaps most notable about the Rambam on tzitzit is that his tying method is distinct from the accepted Ashkenazi...

Sephardic Tallit

In Israel, you can buy a Sephardic Tallit down the block at your local Judaica shop, but in many parts of the world, the Sephardic Tallit selection may be scanty. We're here to fix that. Beit Yosef Tallit My personal favorite is the Beit Yosef Tallit, which is made entirely of wool – including the corner reinforcements...

Are tzitzit mandatory or optional?

Adapted from an article by Rabbi Sasson Yaakov The Gemara states that the seven types of people who are excommunicated in Heaven include he who does not lay tefillin on his arm and head, tie tzitzit on his garment and place a mezuzah on his doorpost (Pesachim 113b). The Tosafot (ibid.) writes that therefore it...