Tallit Katan Guide
Luxury Tallits Guide · Wearable Jewish Identity · Shop Tallits
Tallit Katan Guide
Tallit katan and tallit gadol
The two are often confused by people buying their first one, and the difference is straightforward.
| Tallit katan | Tallit gadol | |
|---|---|---|
| Worn | All day | During shacharit |
| Position | Under the shirt, usually | Over everything |
| Shape | Garment with a head opening | Rectangular wrap |
| Bought for | Daily wear, replaced as it wears out | Bar mitzvah, wedding, kept for years |
If you are shopping for the wrap rather than the undergarment, go to Tallits or the Luxury Tallits Guide.
Sizing, which is where most orders go wrong
Do not order your usual shirt size. A tallit katan is measured by chest and by length rather than by the fit standard a T-shirt uses, and both our pieces carry a full measurement table on the product page giving base, bust, waist and hips in centimetres and inches for every size from S to 4XL.
Two things to get right. The garment needs to sit properly on the shoulders so the corners hang where they should, which means length matters more than width. And it should not be so tight that the fabric pulls across the chest, because a tallit katan that pulls is one you will stop wearing by August.
When you are between two sizes, take the larger. There is no benefit to a close fit on a garment worn underneath a shirt, and the extra room helps with air.
Hemp or cotton
| Hemp Tallit Katan | Cotton Tallit T-Shirt | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | from $290 | $150 |
| Sizes | S to 4XL | S to 4XL |
| Colours | Black | Black, white |
| Neckline | Traditional opening | T-shirt neckline |
| Worn | Under a shirt | As the shirt |
Hemp moves more air than cotton and pulls moisture off the skin faster, which is the whole argument for it on a garment worn against the body every day of the summer. It also outlasts cotton, which matters on an item that gets washed constantly. The trade-off is price and a firmer hand at first, before it softens.
Cotton is softer from day one and costs half as much. On the T-shirt it is the right call, because that piece is designed to be seen.
The T-shirt, and what it changes
The Cotton Tallit T-Shirt keeps the layered construction and the corners of a tallit katan, but the head opening is replaced with an ordinary T-shirt neckline. That single change means it works as the outer garment rather than a layer underneath one.
Who that suits: anyone who finds two layers unbearable in summer, anyone who wants the tzitzit to be visible as a matter of course rather than tucked, and younger wearers who will keep something on if it looks like clothing and take it off if it does not.
Who it does not suit: settings where you need a collared shirt, and anyone whose practice is to keep the tallit katan out of sight.
Care and replacement
Both pieces wash cold and dry flat. A tallit katan is a consumable in a way that a tallit gadol is not: it is worn daily, washed weekly, and most people replace one every year or two. Buying two and rotating them roughly doubles how long each lasts, because the fabric gets time to recover between wears.
Check the tzitzit regularly. A garment in good condition with invalid tzitzit is not doing its job, and tying is a separate matter from the garment itself.
As a gift
A tallit katan is a practical bar mitzvah gift rather than a ceremonial one, and it is usually given alongside something kept, such as a tallit or a kippah. See Bar Mitzvah Gifts and Bar Mitzvah Kippahs. The sizing caveat above applies doubly when buying for someone else, so get their measurements rather than guessing from their shirt size.
Where to go next
Shop: Tallits, Bags for Tallit, Luxury Kippahs. Read: Luxury Tallits Guide, Hemp Kippahs Guide, Israel Yehuda Morgenshtern x David Roytman.