Kittel Scam

In Eretz Yisrael, all are buried in tachrichin and nothing more. No coffin either, of course, just the body in the tachrichin. There is no kittel for anyone. The tallis is on the mes for the hespedim (for women there is a large cover similar to a paroches) and is removed as the body is lowered into the grave. If I’m not mistaken, there is a tshuva from Reb Moshe zt’l written to a person who was informed about this minhag and was fearful of not being buried in his tallis when in the future his time comes and he is sent to Eretz Yisrael. Reb Moshe allayed his fears and told him that in Eretz Yisrael all are treated the same and when he goes upstairs he will not suffer from not being buried in his tallis.

Don’t run to get a new one yet, stick around for a while.

The scam is that he thought he could buy a $20 kittel (i.e. an elongated white shirt sans pocket) and take away a day’s pay from the local tachrichim macher. Tough luck pal – you were busted. Cough up the dough now while you still can!

You can buy a linen kittel, it costs more. So buy one and have one less thing to worry about.

Jothar: Don’t you think sammygol offered the better idea?

“Is there a reason why tachrichim/kittel must be linen?”

Because linen falls apart fairly quickly.

OK. Admittedy, Polyester will take about 50 years to “fall apart”. On the other hand, many natural fibers decompose just as quickly (if not faster) than Linen. Cotton and Wool for example. With that said, is there an inyan for tachrichim to “fall apart”. “El Afar Tashuvu” is said about Adam, not the clothes he is buried in.

As I recall it, the tradition was to hire poor widows to make tachrichim, thereby giving them parnasa in their old age. They are mdae from white linen since that was once a very inexepnsive fabric, and chazal wanted to keep the cost of funerals down. It seems people once treated funerals the way we treat bar mitzvahs today, as an excuse to display wealth. In response, Chazal institution cost controls. That’s why outside of Israel, a coffin is a plain unfinished wooden affair with little if any decoration. There used to be a practice of the table at which a sage learned to make his coffin (the Chatham Sofer’s aron was made from his desk). I don’t know if that is still done anywhere, but I doubt it. I’m rather dismayed that I won’t be buried in the kittel I wore at my wedding. Having something my wife gave me nearby would let me rest more peacefully. I plan on issuing a tzavaah that either my kittel be used as part of the shrouds, or that it at least be placed on top of the tachrichin or at the very least be placed in the aron.

Not fair. I spent a lot of money on a 100% cotton one, and now you tell me it’s worthless?

I guess it’s a shaatnez shaila if you wear it over your suit, since no way you can get your jacket off without taking off your kittel. But I usually don’t wear my jacket under my kittel. But tallis kotton. I doubt tallis gadol is a problem.