Zebra Tallis

I always heard that it was “kabbalistic” reasons. But that answer is always vague and who knows if its true. Also, I have heard the opposite, that the reason why Sephardim don’t have black lines is because (I think it’s) the Bais Yosef paskens that the tzitzis have to be the same color as the beged.

I actually like your first reason though. And even though today priests don’t do it, once we start a custom we don’t stop it even the reason is no longer present. Minhag avoseinu byadeinu.

As a zecher and aveilus for the loss of Techeiles.

My “kach shomati” was meant as a disclaimer as well.

rd- you just love to make this stuff up, eh?

the real readson sfardim have white taleisim is because they pasken like the rambam who holds there is a din to have the beged the same color as the tzitzis. im pretty sure black lines have been arounf before tziyonim, or we’d have seen blue lined taleisim somewhere in art or pictures.

RebDoniel, what do people named Nimrod wear, a Tallis with animals?

“A tallit gadol can be any color.” IMHO, possibly, but up to a certain point. It is possible to say (I would have to check) that color Eino MeAkev. But an argument of Lo Titgodedu could be made if one’s Tallit is sufficiently different from the rest of a Tzibbur’s (e.g., multicolored striped Tallit in the presence of white/white and black/white Tallaitim), such that it stands out.

Another thought concerning black stripes (vs. white stripes) is that they resemble the Retzuot of Tefillin (which are black, halacha LeMoshe MiSinai), thereby elevating somewhat the degree or seriousness of one’s Tallit, especially during Tefilla.

Is it brought down anywhere that it has to be striped? I’m just waiting for the producers of Spiderman yarmakus to come out with action figure talis gadol.

I do respect him tremendously. I may think he’s wrong on a few things, like comparing women to monkeys and parrots (although strictly speaking, he was very correct), but this is more the result of poor word choices on his part than any disagreement with his approach to halacha or learning.

I will be the first to say that he’s the gadol hador. I listen to thousands of shiurim of his and even go through his bechinos for the sake of chazara and esting myself in learning.

Be kitzur: the man is a giant in all areas of torah, but bad at P.R.

Are you still unaware that he did not compare anyone to monkeys?

Why are you still repeating that ridiculous canard?

i hereby nominate purple for the best post since sliced bread.

RebDoniel, the Rambam holds that the Tzitzis has to be the same color as the clothing. The Beis Yosef brings this. I don’t know about all white, but white.

By the way, RT, I don’t think you can apply Lo Sisgodedu to something that is not a Halachic type of Hanhaga, or Das Yehudis. Since there is no Kepeida on these stripes, it shouldn’t be Lo Sisgodedu if you don’t have it. We all have it but it’s not a Minhag.

I heard from reliable sources that it is because originally they wanted to have a blue dye, somewhat as a zeicher to techeiles and somewhat because part of the svara of the blue color of the techeiles is to remind us of the ocean, which reflects off the sky which reminds us of the kisei hakavod so it is good to have something blue on the Tzitzis. However the blue dye did not stay well and used to run a lot so the closest thing they had was the black dye. they have not changed back since, feel free if you would like to. it may not be a good reason but I believe it is true. As for the techeiles issue when the question was posed to the beis halevi supposedly he responded “I don’t wear techeiles (or what was then considered to be techeiles) because my father didn’t and my grandfather didn’t” bkitzur, we don’t have the mesora for it. Obviously there are different shitos regarding this approach, according to this story, this was the approach of the beis halevi.

“They used to be blue, but that changed, to dissociate from the Zionist flag. ”

This is definitely not true. Most taleisim had black stripes for centuries before there was a zionist flag (which is in fact based on those taleisim with blue stripes, but they were a minority).

I read somewhere a suggestion that the stripes on a talles come from the Roman toga, which had stripes on it. Thus it would make sense that sefardim, whose ancestors and traditions did not come from the Roman empire, would not have this custom.

Milhouse: On what basis do you assert that the Bnei Sephard do not descend from the Roman Empire whereas Bnei Ashkenaz do?

I have a reason that the טלית represents אש שחורה על גבי אש לבנה

The belzer chassidim definitely wear a blueish stripe, however most of the world wears black – including many groups who were not at all careful to distance themselves from the ציונים

At the time of the Roman Empire, there was no such thing as Sfardi or Ashkenazi Jews in Judea, although the ancestors of both had origins as Roman traders. The Roman control of the Mediterranean enabled easy and safe travel for merchants, among whom were Jewish traders who settled in what became Spain. At the same time, the Romans developed a sophisticated network of paved roads in Europe that Jewish merchants ( and ancestors of the Ashkenazis ) used to travel to and settle in the Rhine area.