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The Gemara says you have to tie no fewer than 7 chulyos and no more than 13. According to most shitas, 13 is the ideal. My question is, according to the Rambam, can you do whatever you want - 7 or 13?

Do Teimani (Yemenite) Jews who follow the Rambam have a certain custom? From what I've observed, some tie 7, while others tie 13. Is this just personal preference or is it based on varying customs for different parts of Yemen? Is there any difference between the custom for a tallis katan versus a tallis gadol?

BTW, when it comes to techeles, I have seen Ptil Tekhelet tying guides bring both 7 and 13.

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Do you have a source for "According to most shitas, 13 is the ideal"? – Double AA♦ Jan 8 '12 at 13:25
Why 7 or 13? It's actually 7, 9, 11, or 13. Which is what most people actually do today with white only tzizit :) – avi Jan 11 '12 at 9:17
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I'm not sure we're on the same page. What I was referring to is the kind of Rambam tzitzit shown here (though not necessarily techelet) in this LINK – Ben - Ben's Tallit Shop Jan 11 '12 at 22:46
According to bavli men 39a it's all based on the 7 raki'ot of shamayim. The 13 chuliyot are actually the 7 heavens, each separated by a chuliyah (6) making a total of 13. – Jeff Ram Feb 6 at 20:10
@Ben-Ben'sTallitShop, regarding the link to your site, first of all, why do you call them Tzitzits (with an 's' at the end), and second, what do you mean by differentiating "Yemenite Tzitzit" from "Yemenite Tallit Katan"? – Seth J Feb 6 at 20:57

2 Answers

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From www.tallit-shop.com :

Among Yemenite Jews who follow the Baladi tradition, the tzitzit on a Yemenite tallit are tied according to the Rambam, with seven “joints” not separated by any knots.

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It is a machloket recorded in the Holy Zohar regarding this. The opinion that says seven refers to the seven raki'ot of the shamayim, and the opinion that says thirteen says that is because of the thirteen attributes of mercy.

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I highly doubt that traditional Teimani practice is based on this machloket in the zohar. – Double AA♦ Jun 8 '12 at 16:33
Can you cite the location in the Zohar? – Double AA♦ Feb 6 at 22:26
It's in Shlach, IIRC. – Adam Mosheh Feb 10 at 5:28

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