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I try to wear a wool tallis katan, but I also own and wear talleisim ketanim made of cotton. (Since the Rema differs from the Mechaber a bit on this, let me state that I’m Ashkenazi.)
In my opinion, if you are wearing a regular undershirt (not a tank top), wool does not make you feel any warmer than cotton. I have a feeling most people associate wool with feeling hot and won’t agree with me — but does anyone out there agree with me??
BSlobodkin -“I try to wear a wool tallis katan, but I also own and wear talleisim ketanim made of cotton”
I wear the wool one during the winter & during the summer I wear cotton!
I use the Neatzit, which is a cotton undershirt with 4 corners.
I sweat a lot, so I wear cotton. It also cleans better, in my experience.
Wool.
Except when it is REALLY hot. Then I use polyester mesh.
Harav Belsky ZT”L held that the mesh tzitzis do not constitute a begged b/c there are more holes than material… better to wear cotton
Another isssue with the mesh is that they are made from polyester, IIRC. According to the Rambam, only things which have to woven constitute a begged. For example, leather is not a begged, even when you cut it into strips and then weave the strips, because it does not have to be woven. Polyester (which is basically plastic) could be made into sheets instead of strings, so you don’t have to weave polyester. Wool, linen, cotton, etc have to be woven to make a begged.
BTW I only wear wool TK, B”N. When it gets really hot outside, like 95+, and I have to be outside for hours, then I might go with only a light shirt (no TK nor undershirt). That only happens about once a year. Going from 3 layers to one makes it much more bearable.
Since my bar mitzva I’ve worn a woolen beged on Shabbos and YomTov and cotton during weekdays. But that’s a personal chumra, although many men and boys do have that same chumra. It is not a chasidic custom as many chasidim will wear cotton and polyester on Shabbos too. A lot depends on peer customs and peer pressure. Especially in yeshivos.
“Polyester (which is basically plastic) could be made into sheets instead of strings, so you don’t have to weave polyester. Wool, linen, cotton, etc have to be woven to make a begged. “
Those fabrics can be made into paper — in fact US currency is made from linen. So the same issues apply there.
I knew about the issue regarding plastic clothing and asked a shilah about wearing polyester mesh and the response was that we are machmir on treating ANY four cornered woven garment as a begged that needs tzitzit.
Those fabrics can be made into paper — in fact US currency is made from linen. So the same issues apply there.
Hey, this is not medicine. Back off.
“I knew about the issue regarding plastic clothing and asked a shilah about wearing polyester mesh and the response was that we are machmir on treating ANY four cornered woven garment as a begged that needs tzitzit.”
If they only require tzitzis because we are machmir, that implies that l’chatchila you shouldn’t wear them to fulfill your mitzvah of tzitzis, no?
“I knew about the issue regarding plastic clothing and asked a shilah about wearing polyester mesh and the response was that we are machmir on treating ANY four cornered woven garment as a begged that needs tzitzit. “
It seems from the answer given that there might be a question as to whether a b’racha is said.
According to the Mechaber, IIRC, only wool and linen require tsitsit on a Torah level, cotton midirabanan, leather nothing. According to the Rema, cotton is also medioryta.
I believe that the Mechaber is paskening like the Rambam. I beleive the following are proofs for wool and linen are the only Torah begadim. When the Torah speaks beged by tzaraat, it mentions wool and linen. Furhtermore, in Devarim, when the Torah mentions shaatnez (wool and linen) is next to where it talks about Tsitsit (called there gedillim).
MDG: The Smichus Haparshiyos of Kilayim and Tzitzis does not teach us that only those materials require Tzitzis. It teaches us that Tzitzis is Doche Kilayim. There is a different Limmud (according to Rava, IIRC) as to why only Tzemer and Pishtim have a D’Oraisa status as “Begged”. See Shabbos 26-27, give or take.
“The Smichus Haparshiyos of Kilayim and Tzitzis does not teach us…”
I had a bad feeling about that. I do remember talking about it in Yevamot 4-5. Anyways, I was wrong about that.
“See Shabbos 26-27, give or take. “
26 b, about 15 lines down in Rashi. The proof is that begged is defined as wool and linen by Tzaraat. From there we have a ma matzinu to every other mentioning of begged.
Sam2,
Thank you for your correct comments (here and elsewhere).
Merino wool can be made just as soft and thin as cotton and it reacts better to sweat than cotton, the problem is that AFAIK no one makes a Talis Katon from Merino wool.
Before the advent of synthetic fibers, athletes would typically wear wool, not cotton.
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