Viznitz Wool Tallis with White Cotton Sweat Lining, Sizes 60 to 80

The Viznitz stripe is balanced — evenly spaced, with no dominant band anywhere in it — and it was drawn from a tallis worn in Vizhnitz more than fifty years ago. The effect is calm rather than plain: the pattern has presence, but nothing in it announces itself. The wool is on the soft and delicate side rather than the coarse.

The practical detail is the lining. A white cotton panel is sewn inside the upper part of the tallis, where the neck and shoulders sit, so sweat goes into the cotton instead of into the wool. Anyone whose tallis has gone stiff and discoloured at the neck after a few summers understands immediately why that is worth having. Sizes are 60 medium, 70 large and 80 extra large, with thick avodas yad strings tied, or bli if you arrange your own.

It suits a man who wants a chassidishe stripe without the weight of a Turkish tallis on his shoulders. It is a daily tallis first, and it stands up to being one.

• Material: Wool, Cotton
• Size: 60 - Medium, 70 - Large, 80 - X large
• String Type: Thick Avodas Yad, Bli ( no strings)

Sold by Judaica Square, Lakewood NJ. Free shipping on orders over $75. Returns within 15 days.