[Avodah] stripes

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Dec 31, 2025 at 06:15:20AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> [I]f the reason the stripes on a tallit is to be a memory/allusion to
> tcheilet...

That's a big "if", and relates to RAE's question:

On Wed, Dec 31, 2025 at 08:48:24PM +0000, allan.engel--- via Avodah wrote:
> A more elemental question, what is a tallis?

RSMandel zt"l (and recal, he had a PhD in linguistics, specializing in
Semitic Languages) wrote that "tallis" is a lone word, from the Greek
"stollus". This is also the origin of the English noun "stole" (as in
"mink stole" or the stole given to those who graduate with honors or
higher degrees).

During Makhus Yavan, the stole was in style, and therefore men
wore tzitzis daily. When the Romans took over, styles started
changing. (Although the Eastern half of the empire, including Israel
was run in Greek, think "future Byzantines".) We held out with the
tallis because the Jews (including the tannim) didn't want to stop
wearing tzitzis all the time just because wearing a rectangular
garment went out of style.

Which brings us back to RJS's question:
> If the reason is because that's how Romans distinguished rank, why was it
> ever adopted in the first place, isn't it at some level darkei haemori
> (unless you say that there's a practical reason to distinguish us by rank).

The historical reason for stripes is simply that it was fashionable
in Hellinistic society. It's a relatively easy way to have something
more than a single color boring garment. After all, all you have to do
is thread groups of batei nirin on your loom a different color, and
then weave as usual. Any fancier pattern would require special manual
weaving, tapestry, printing or painting -- all of which add manufacture
time and thus were only for the wealthy.

And thus striped clothes are common in numerous cultures.

(* Using the Aramaic because I assume I'm not the only one who knows
less weaving jargon than hilkhos Shabbos. But in case you're curious,
Anthropic Claude says "batei nirin" are "heddle-eyes" or "heddle-loops".)

So your question is the same one as "why wear a tie?"

Now...

As often happens to create minhagim, we gave this prosaic idea a post-facto
meaning, by saying blue stripes in memory of tekheiles, or black in mourning
for it.

But that's not the original cause.

> If the reason the stripes on a tallit is to be a memory/allusion to
> tcheilet, then why would one who was wearing tcheilet have a tallit with
> stripes?

For me that's easy -- a wear murex dyed tekheiles out of a "safeiq
deOraisa". My father is a talmid of RHSchachter from Tues Night
shiurim (which started when RYBS couldn't do the weekly shiur in Moriah
anymmore). So he started wearing because he is convinced. Me, I am not
as bound to a rebbe who discussed the matter, so I did my own research
and have doubts. So I mourn being doubtful.

Someone who feels it's definitely tekheiles could mourn the fact that
most observant men aren't convinced and aren't (yet) wearing it.

I could also see wearing them because al tifrosh min hatzibbur. (Which
would change what you should wear if you are a regular in a minyan of
Sepharadim wearing white stripes, there the difference is in weave and
thus texture, not color.)

But I think the simplest reason is the original historical one. The
Greeks did it to make their garments prettier, and so zeh Keili ve'anveihu
could motivate a striped garment.

> (unless you say that there's a practical reason to distinguish us by rank).

To end with a humorous story and personal notes...

When I started my current job (back in 2008), a co worker noticed that I
wore blue strings, but Moshe (who came to work in a black suit, white shirt,
and took off his hat when he got in) didn't.

This became a conversation.

One co worker who we nicknamed "Google" asked me a few days later whether
my strings were murex or cuttlefish dyed. I have no idea why he cared enough
to search the topic, but impressive for someone Greek Orthodox, no?

Anyway, the first co worker's original theory is that tzitzis work like
martial arts belts. As a rabbi, I had earned the right to wear blue
stripes.

Admittedly, that's stripes in my tzitzis, not my begged. But close enough
for an excuse to hopefully give someone a smile.

--

Lemaaseh my tallis qatan is wool, since that means I am spending the
money on a deOraisa lekhol hadei'os. (The Rif-Rambam mesorah says that
"beged" here means linen or wool, specifically.) And so that it doesn't
show through lighter color shirts -- white stripes.

Whereas my tallis gadol has dark navy stripes. I call it "the color that
has me sometimes wearing blue and black mismatched socks." Satisfied al
tifrosh min hatzibbur even when I lived in Passaic. Only guys with Belzer
heritage noticed, since the same color (ah bloyer tallis) is minhag Belz.


Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 For a mitzvah is a lamp,
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   And the Torah, its light.
Author: Widen Your Tent                      - based on Mishlei 6:2
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 In the days of our sages, man didn't sin unless
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   he was overcome with a spirit of foolishness.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Today, we don't do a mitzvah unless we receive
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF    a spirit of purity.      - Rav Yisrael Salanter